Recently at school I learned how to rebuild brake calipers, it's very easy to do, although it can be time consuming if you run into problems, but overall the money saved makes it worthwhile to do yourself. If you don't think this is something you can do, or don't have the time/tools, I can do it for you for a bit extra for my time. I will have to bring them in to school and get them back to you later. It will still be much cheaper than buying them!
What you will need:
1. Brake caliper from your car (including bracket, but take the slider bolts out and separate the two pieces)
2. Brake caliper rebuild kit ($65.00 from Sunrise Toyota with our BCMR2 discount, beware you probably have to order them from the East or elsewhere so it may be a 2-6 day wait)
3. Air compressor/blowgun
4. 2x4 piece of wood, about a 6-12" piece
5. Shop rags
6. Brake fluid or brake assembly fluid
7. Clamp or vise to hold caliper while you remove parts (optional, but highly recommended)
8. Brake slider grease (the rebuild kit comes with some, however it is not very much)
How to do it:
1. To begin, take the slider bolts out of the bracket that supports the pads and the caliper floats on. Put them aside, and don't worry about mixing them up, they only go in one side each. Remove the brake line bolt and drain the remaining fluid from the caliper, if you haven't already
2. Place this aside, take the caliper itself and mount it in a bench vise or other holding device. You want the open side facing up towards you, the piston(s) should be perpendicular and facing away from you.
3. Place the 2x4 piece of wood along the backside of the caliper bracket, opposite the pistons. This is where the pad would rest that was -not- touching the pistons. The pistons should have nothing blocking them directly. This wood stops the pistons from shooting out and bouncing off the bracket and hurting somebody.
4. Place the blowgun's rubber tip securely into the brake fluid line hole, and apply NO MORE than 30PSI of pressure. It shouldn't take more than a very light squeeze on the trigger before the pistons pop out and hit the wood. Be warned, this can be loud and may make you jump! (Note: If the pistons are seized, as mine were recently, you may have to apply extra air pressure and a prying force to get them out. Be very, very careful if you do this as the pistons may come out very fast and hard! Mine came out slowly because they were so seized, but just in case, exercise caution!)
5. Remove the wood and pull the pistons out by hand. Remove the old dust boot and note the position it went on for re-installation.
6. Using a flathead screwdriver, insert it -gently- into the piston bore and pry out the old square-cut seal. Discard it. Do not scratch the bore with the screwdriver!
7. Clean the bore and the piston if there are any deposits or rust on them using solvent. Do not score the bore by using abrasive cleaning techniques. A gentle towel or rag will do the trick. If the seats for the seals and boots have deposits and rust in them, you can tidy them up with a bit of medium grit sandpaper. Be sure to clean the bores out thoroughly after, don't leave any dust or dirt behind.
8. Clean the piston with a bit of oil or brake fluid and very fine sandpaper, only if there are deposits on them. If not, simply wipe them with a gentle rag and solvent, and dry.
9. Once all parts are clean and dry, install the new square cut seal. This will be the square-cut black ring in the rebuild kit. Make sure to press it in firmly to it's seat, on all sides, and feel free to use a bit of brake fluid to help it slip in easier.
10. Lubricate the bore well with brake fluid. Put the dust boot onto the piston, ensuring it is on the correct way. Place the piston straight into the bore, and push it down slowly, making sure it stays straight. Push it down almost all the way, but not quite to the bottom. You want to leave some room for brake fluid, and also you will be adjusting them for the pads and rotor later anyway.
11. If you have more than one piston, do the same for both, making sure they are both of equal height when pressed in.
12. The rebuild kit should have come with dust boots for the slider bolts as well. On the pad bracket, take the old ones off. They may be really stuck due to years of being on there, so you may have to chisel them off. Clean the mating surfaces well after you get them off.
13. Clean the slider pins and the inside of the slider pin bore as well as you can, ensuring both are dry and debris-free before re-installation.
14. Put the new dust boots on, you may need to gently hammer them into place using a soft rubber mallet or other similar technique. Press the rubber boots down flat after the metal base is installed and squirt some brake slider grease into the hole, about three peas worth.
15. Put a medium-thickness layer of grease on the slider pins and install them into the bores. Ensure they can go all the way in and squash the dust boots down, and slide out fairly easily with some resistance. Don't worry too much about extra grease, it will squeeze out the top. Just clean up the bolts and dust boots afterwards.
16. Put the pads in their clips and bolt the bracket onto the caliper itself, ensuring the dust boots on the slider pins are not twisted, and both sliders sit evenly.
17. Install the new copper washers that come with the rebuild kit onto the brake line bolt.
18. When re-installing the caliper on the vehicle, make sure there is a washer on each side of the line to prevent leaks.
19. Once the caliper brake line is attached to the car, mount the caliper and continue with normal bleeding procedures.
And that's all there is to it! Once you've done it once or twice, the procedure becomes easy, and doing all the calipers yourself can save you a lot of money. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me!