How Do I Replace the Brake Pads for a 1990 Toyota Camry DX?

The brake pads in your 1990 Toyota Camry DX can be changed by most owners. The Camry brake pads are accessible and replaceable with a few common tools. Being organized will make the project go smoothly. Save money and time, by replacing your 1990 Toyota Camry DX brake pads at home. The project should not take longer than two or three hours.

Instructions

Park your Camry on level ground, and shift the transmission to "Neutral."

Walk around the front of the vehicle, and open the hood. Locate the brake master cylinder reservoir. This is the plastic bottle with the brake fluid by the driver's side of the firewall. Draw half the brake fluid from the reservoir, with a hand siphon pump into a sealable container for later recycling. Leave the reservoir cap loose.

Loosen the lug nuts on the front of rear wheel assemblies with the brake assemblies you need to service, and lift that end of your Camry, with a floor jack. Position a safety jack under the frame, on both sides, for support, and lower your vehicle. Block the wheels that remain on the ground with two wooden blocks. Finish removing both wheel assemblies, and work on one brake assembly at a time.

Detach the brake hose mounting bracket from the strut assembly with a ratchet and socket, if you are servicing the rear brakes.

Unfasten the lower brake caliper mounting bolt with a wrench, while holding the bolt sleeve with an open-end wrench. The caliper is the component that seats over the brake pads on the brake rotor. Swing the caliper upwards, and hold it in place with a piece of wire, as you work on the pads. On some Camry models, you might need to remove both caliper mounting bolts. Either way, secure the caliper with a wire, to prevent damage to the brake hose, connected to the caliper.

Pay attention to the hardware mounted around the brake pads. Make a note of each component location and position in the assembly, such as number of shims, holding wire clips and pad wear indicator clips. You will need to replace each part as originally assembled, to prevent brake failure. Remove the hardware by hand, and organize the components, as you remove them.

Spray the caliper, caliper mounting bracket and rotor with brake parts cleaner. Wipe the brake components clean with lint-free towels.

Cover the caliper piston with a shop rag; push the piston into the bore, with a pair of rib joint pliers, and remove the rag.

Install the new brake pads, as well as the rest of the brake hardware on the caliper bracket, and lower the brake caliper, over the caliper bracket. Tighten the caliper mounting bolt to 29 ft-lbs (39 Nm) on the front brake assemblies and 14 ft-lbs (20 Nm) on the rear brake assemblies. Use a torque wrench and a socket.

Reattach the brake hose mounting bracket to the strut assembly with the ratchet and socket, if you are servicing the rear brakes.

Replace the brake pad set on the opposite brake assembly, starting with Step 4 in Section 1 and through Step 4 of this section.

Replace the wheel assemblies, and tighten the lug nuts, just enough to keep the wheel assembly flat against the wheel hub. Lower your Camry, and finish tightening the lug nuts with the lug wrench. Remove the wooden block on the other set of wheels, and apply the parking brake. Replace the cap on the reservoir of the brake master cylinder. Depress the brake pedal several times, to seat the new brake pads on the brake rotor. Check the fluid level in the reservoir, and add new brake fluid, to bring the level up to the "Full" mark, if necessary. Close the hood.

Replace the cap on the reservoir of the brake master cylinder. Depress the brake pedal several times to seat the new brake pads on the brake rotor. Check the fluid level in the reservoir, and add new brake fluid, to bring the level up to the "Full" mark, if necessary. Close the hood.