How to Replace the Brake Pads for a 2000 Toyota Avalon

Toyota began selling the Avalon model in 1995. This car sat atop Toyota's lineup as a larger luxury option to the popular Camry. The 2000 Toyota Avalon came standard with a 3.0-liter V-6 engine that produced 210 horsepower and 220 foot-pounds of torque. The 2000 Avalon also came standard with four-wheel disc brakes and anti-lock brakes. The Avalon's brake pads should be checked at every oil change interval and must be replaced when the thickness of the pad lining drops below 0.039 inches.

Instructions

1

Open the Toyota's hood and remove the lid from the brake master cylinder. Siphon out about half of the brake fluid in the master cylinder, using a turkey baster, and transfer this fluid to a container.

2

Loosen the lug nuts from the wheels you intend to replace the brake pads on, using a ratchet and socket.

3

Raise the Avalon with a floor jack and slide the jack stands under a secure part of the vehicle. Lower the jack until the vehicle's weight is supported only by the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheels from the Avalon.

4

Remove the two bolts from the rear of the brake caliper and pull the caliper from the torque plate -- the metal bracket that the caliper bolts to -- with a ratchet and socket. Suspend the caliper from the strut spring with a bungee strap; never allow the caliper to hang by its hose.

5

Pull the anti-squeal springs -- the W-shaped metal springs -- from the top of the brake pads. Save these springs for reuse.

6

Pull the old brake pads from the torque plate. Place the old inner brake pad on the caliper piston -- the metal cylinder inside the caliper -- and place the C-clamp over the caliper with its screw part touching the old brake pad. Tighten the C-clamp to press the piston into the caliper, making room for the new brake pads.

7

Attach the shims to the rear of the new brake pads, if not pre-assembled, by laying the shim on the rear of each pad and pressing the shim until its tabs snap into place on the pad.

8

Close the jaws of the micrometer and press the "Reset" button to calibrate it. Open the jaws and close them around the disc portion of the brake rotor and read the measurement. Perform this measurement in four areas of the rotor and make a note of each measurement taken. If the rotor is below 1.024 inches thick on the front or 0.413 inches on the rear, it must be replaced. If the four measurements taken vary by more than 0.002 on the front and 0.006 on the rear and the rotor is above the measurement where it must be replaced, remove the rotor and have it resurfaced at a machine shop.

9

Remove the rotor, if needed, by removing the two bolts securing the torque plate to the steering knuckle with a ratchet and socket, pulling the torque plate from the steering knuckle and pulling the rotor off the Avalon's hub.

10

Place the new or resurfaced rotor on the vehicle's hub and reinstall the torque plate, if removed. Tighten the two bolts to 73 foot-pounds on the front brakes and 34 foot-pounds on the rear with a torque wrench and socket.

11

Coat the brake pad plates -- the metal pieces in the torque plate that hold the pads -- with a light coat of brake pad grease. Apply a thin coat of brake pad grease to the rear of the new brake pads.

12

Slide the new brake pads into the torque plate, with the squeal indicators on the top. Insert the anti-squeal springs into the holes on the pads and place the caliper over the pads.

13

Tighten the caliper bolts to 25 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket. This torque value applies for both the front and rear calipers.

14

Repeat Steps 4 through 13 for the brake pads on the other side of the Avalon.

15

Reinstall the wheels on the Avalon and hand-tighten the lug nuts. Raise the vehicle off the jack stands, using a floor jack, and pull the jack stands from under the car. Lower the Toyota to the ground.

16

Tighten the lug nuts, in a crisscross pattern, to 76 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and a socket.

17

Check the fluid level in the brake master cylinder. It must be between the "Min" and "Max" lines on the master cylinder reservoir. Add fresh fluid from a new bottle of the type specified in the owner's manual as needed, and close the lid.

18

Pump the brake pedal until it feels firm and recheck the fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir. Add fluid, as needed, and close the Avalon's hood.