Low Speed Wheel Squeal

Hi All,

I just started experiencing wheel squeal the past month or so on 2021 TRD OFP with 67K miles and as far as I know little very limited off-roading. Bought it CPO from a dealership so I can’t say for certain. If my windows are rolled up you can’t hear it. But if they are down you can. From 0-15mph it’s the most noticeable, hi pitched and loud enough for people within 50ft to hear, from 15-30mph significantly less, 30-45 only noticeable if sound echoing off another vehicle or tunnel. Occurs even after an hour of driving so not likely related to cold temps. Brakes also just started very lightly chirping for a split second when initially depressed but then go silent.
What do you guys think it is?

 

Probably the brake wear indicator dragging on the rotor.

 

You think simply changing out the pads will fix it?

 

The wear indicator is there to tell you the pads are low. I'd pull off a wheel and have a look. Mine is currently doing it as well.

 

What @whippersnapper02 said.....

or check your brake pad spring clips. I've had these break on a few occasions and when they do, they often rest up against the rotor as they turn creating a loud squeal.

 

@JustLearning714 missing these would cause squealing while the brakes are NOT depressed. Normally the squealer on the pads to indicate new brakes are imminent only contacts the rotor when the brakes ARE depressed. Either way, a brake inspection is needed.

 

Thanks y’all! Now for an even more rookie question, is using a set of brake calipers the only way to tell if your pads are in need of replacement? Or is there an indicator on the pads?
I’ve obviously not done it yet but plan on doing my first change this weekend.

 

Measure the pad thickness.

 

While a caliper is a measuring device for thickness, it is not appropriated here for measurement of pad thickness unless they are uninstalled. There are cheap tools to measure pad thickness that you can buy from auto parts stores. They are basically a set of "keys" that are used to measure the distance from the rotor to the backing of the brake pad in millimeters. They are usually color coded in green, yellow and red. Green being good, red being worn out. To keep all of the lingo correct, a brake caliper in this context is what squeezes the pads against the rotor using hydraulic pressure to stop your car.

 

For the fronts you can just look at the squealer and use your best judgement. If it's getting close (within a few millimeters) to the rotor you're probably due for a replacement.


Brake pads are pretty cheap to replace so I did mine a little early at 40k miles.
Could have gotten another 10k out of the rear and probably 20k out of the front.

 

Thank you everyone for your detailed replies and assistance.
Time to watch some Youtube videos on how to change them out…

 

One more thing...I highly recommend not simply doing a "pad slap". What that means is only changing the pads and calling it a day. You really need to either re-surface or replace the rotors when you change pads. You want a clean, pristine surface for your new pads to mate to. Most reputable YouTube mechanics will advocate for this. Why would you get all dressed up to go out on the town and put on the dirty underwear from yesterday? Maybe not the best analogy, but hopefully you get the point.

 

Thank you for the heads up. That makes sense. Is this something an auto parts store like Autozone can do?
I’m assuming a mechanic shop won’t resurface rotors unless they can also do the full brake job.

Is there anything else I should do?

 

I've taken plenty of drums and rotors to shops and they were glad to resurface them. Won't hurt to call around.

 

For the record I literally just slapped some pads in there. Only extra steps was cleaning the pins the brake pad rides on.

I didn't feel the need to resurface my brake rotors. There was no pulsing sensation to indicate they were warped. I have no regrets. 30 minute brake job then left for a 10 hour road trip with no issues. YMMV.

Not my photo but clean these pins with some scotch brite and your golden.

 

A C clamp makes the rears easy. Use it to compress the pistons back into the caliper. Doesn't take much pressure but the c clamp helps push them straight in.

 

Your mileage indicates that it's probably best to do the whole brake job, like @catbrown357 suggested.

That includes new pads, rotors, and a kit that includes new caliper pins and spring clips.

I would get OEM from a Toyota dealership because they really aren't that expensive and are good quality parts. Shop around at a few different dealerships if you can or maybe check some dealership websites that will ship.

There are some really good videos out there that walk you through doing everything yourself, if you feel like tackling the job. Otherwise, take it to an independent shop that you trust and have them do the install.

Here's the video that I used when I did mine. I think your 2021's brakes are the exact same:

https://youtu.be/SNEJ0Efvv3M?si=Q91ApUuktzjnCdCH

 

I made a parts list thread
https://www.4runners.com/threads/brake-replacement-parts-list-5th-gen.34536/