How to Replace the Front Brakes on a 2003 Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla was first introduced in the United States in 1968 after a two-year production run in Japan. The 2003 Toyota Corolla was equipped with a 1.8-liter, in-line, 4-cylinder engine, that was capable of producing 130-horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. The 2003 Corolla was produced with disc brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear of the car. The front disc brake system on the 2003 Toyota Corolla consists of the calipers, pads and rotors.

Instructions

Front Brake Removal

1

Loosen the lug nuts on the Corolla with a tire iron. Place wheel chocks behind both rear tires on the Corolla. Lift the front end of the Corolla using a 2-ton jack or a jack with a greater capacity. Place jack stands beneath the inner sub-frame rails, which are located on the inside end of the lower control arms. Spin the lug nuts completely off the car, and remove the front wheel and tire assemblies from the Corolla.

2

Remove the caliper mounting bolts using a 3/8-inch drive ratchet and socket. Turn the bolts counterclockwise to remove them from the caliper. Insert a small pry bar or large slotted screwdriver between the caliper and the rotor, and pry the caliper halfway off of the rotor.

3

Insert the pry bar or screwdriver into the hole in the back side of the caliper sticking the tip between the rotor and the pad on the inside of the rotor. Pry the pad off of the rotor with the pry bar until you have compressed the caliper piston as far as it will go. Remove the caliper from the car completely by hand, and rest it on the lower control arm.

4

Install a brake hose clamp or needle-nose pliers onto the rubber hose, between the caliper and the frame of the Corolla. The closer you set the clamp to the caliper end of the hose will lessen the amount of brake bleeding in the installation process. Remove the banjo bolt that holds the brake line to the back of the caliper, using a three-eighths-inch ratchet and socket. Remove the brake line from the back of the caliper, and remove the caliper from the Corolla completely.

5

Remove the caliper mounting bracket bolts from behind the brake rotor using a three-eighths-inch drive ratchet and socket. Turn the bolts counterclockwise until they can be removed by hand. Remove the caliper mounting bracket completely from the Corolla, then remove the brake rotor by hand from the car.

Front Brake Installation

6

Lubricate the wheel hub mounting surface from which the rotor came off of. Use certified grease rated for use with disc brakes. A light film is all that is needed on the hub mounting surface. Reinstall the brake rotor onto the wheel hub by hand, and tighten a wheel lug nut onto the face of the rotor to hold it in place.

7

Install the caliper mounting bracket onto the Corolla, and tighten the bolts using a three-eighths-inch drive torque wrench and socket. Torque the bolts between 70 and 90 foot-pounds of torque, or between 840 to 1,080 inch-pounds of torque. Install the brake pads into the caliper mounting bracket, and lubricate the backing plate or shim plates on the pads with caliper grease. This will help assure that your brakes do not squeak when you complete the installation. Make sure the anti-rattle clips are on the caliper bracket prior to installing the pads.

8

Install the brake line into the rear of the new caliper, making sure that the two copper washers are in between the line and the caliper. Insert the banjo bolt through the line end and into the caliper. Tighten the banjo bolt or line bolt down between 15 and 25 foot-pounds of torque using a ratchet and socket.

9

Install the new brake caliper over the pads and caliper bracket. Insert the caliper bolts through the caliper and into the caliper bracket. Tighten the caliper bolts between 25 and 30 foot-pounds (300 to 360 inch-pounds) of torque, using a three-eighths-inch drive torque wrench and socket.

10

Repeat steps 2 through 5 of the removal process, and the entire installation process to complete the second side of the Corolla. Leave the wheels off of the vehicle.

Front Brake Bleeding

11

Have an assistant sit in the driver's seat of the Corolla. Open the hood, and remove the brake fluid reservoir cap. Fill the brake reservoir with DOT 4 brake fluid, then replace the cap.

12

Kneel next to one of the Corolla's front calipers. Ask your assistant to attempt to pump the brakes. If she pumps the brakes several times and gets no pedal back pressure, instruct her to remove her foot from the brake completely. Open the bleeder screw one full turn on the back of the caliper using an open-end wrench. Ask your assistant to push the brake pedal slowly to the the floor of the vehicle and hold it.

13

Tighten the brake bleeder closed. Ask your assistant to pump the brake pedal and hold the pedal once the back pressure builds up. Using verbal signals like "Up" for the pedal being pumped up and "Down" for the pedal being to the floor, is a great tool to use while bleeding the brakes. Open the bleeder screw one full turn when your assistant says "Up". Close the bleeder screw when your assistant says "Down". Repeat this step four to five times on one side of the Corolla, or until you stop hearing a hissing noise or seeing air pockets come out of the brake line on the particular side of the vehicle you are working on.

14

Repeat steps 1 through 3 of this process to bleed the brakes on the second side of the Corolla. Do not forget to add brake fluid to the reservoir every few times you have the brakes pumped up. The object of this entire process is to remove the air pockets from the brake lines and replace them with brake fluid.

15

Install the wheels on the Corolla only after you have ensured that both side's calipers have been bled thoroughly. Tighten the wheel lug nuts onto the Corolla between 85 and 100 foot-pounds of torque using a certified torque wrench. Raise the Corolla off of the jack stands and remove the jack stands. Lower the Corolla, and double-check your wheel torque.