If you came up thru NM, you haven't really been anywhere that needed runaways. There is mostly shoulders, and the downhills that I spoke off are long, but not steep.
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New to area. Looking for reputable shop in CO springs.
- Thread starter Namara
- Start date
Pardon my ignorance but if the brakes do fail of course go to emergency brake (not even sure where an extra brake comes from or how that works) and if that doesn't work, what happens if you put your car in park? Destroy the transmission? Would it even help?
I think if going on is worse in terrain I'll rethink that.
Also, if the brakes work at times, then go to the floor, then work again, etc it sounds like a vacuum leak to the brake booster, or the booster is going bad.
DO NOT put the car in park. You have a park lock in the transmission that will break. It will not stop you from moving, and will just do damage. Just pull to the shoulder and apply the parking brake slowly.
Your primary brakes through the pedal rely on hydraulics to work. The parking brake/emergency brake uses a cable to actuate the rear brakes only. It will take longer to stop the car that way, and from highway speeds can probably only do it once before overheating, so really is for that one-time “I gotta stop” emergency.
There are no significant hills between Denver and Colorado Springs, and yes it’s about an hour. But you should call around to shops first to see if they are even there before making the drive.
There are no significant hills between Denver and Colorado Springs, and yes it’s about an hour. But you should call around to shops first to see if they are even there before making the drive.
If we can get the truck to my house, we should be able to figure out what is going on. I could use an extra set of hands since bleeding brakes is not my strong suit, but I have all the tools and space that would be needed for this.
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White Stripe
Hard Core 4+
I believe it should have the electronic brake booster. They usually are expensive to fix. Might be best to find a whole unit from a junk yard.
Ahh, I am not an expert on 4Runners. I do however know which trucks have 5 lug and which have 6.
Ahh, I am not an expert on 4Runners. I do however know which trucks have 5 lug and which have 6.
I'm a chicken expert. I can cluck and they'll come running to me because I told them I have food.
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Yessir, a 4th gen (2003-2009) would have the electronic master with ABS and traction and stability control. They are a bit more of a pain to work on because the bleeding procedure is more involved. You have to do the pedal pumping or holding and key on and off sequences right.
This is from the 2007 FSM.
We're learning over here. Brake fluid should not be dark brown muddy almost black. And I can't remember if not being like that since like 2014? I assumed it was supposed to be dark and there was plenty of fluid in it so I thought all was well and good.
We're going to try a flush and see what happens.
I don't know how any other mechanic didn't say anything about this. I'm starting to think they never looked.
We're going to try a flush and see what happens.
I don't know how any other mechanic didn't say anything about this. I'm starting to think they never looked.
SteveH
Hard Core 4+
DOT 3 brake fluid is essentially water-clear and grows dark as it absorbs moisture. DOT 4 is about the same, but has a slightly higher boiling point. DOT 5 is synthetic and does not absorb water (by design) and is not directly compatible (should not be mixed with) DOT 3 and DOT 4.
After the brake flush things were a lot better. The buzzing of the pump thing is still going off but I think that can wait until I get home.
I had a nearly full bottle of antifreeze (I try to keep most fluids in my trunk) and after filling the radiator directly the bottle is now nearly empty. Turns out you don't fill the reservoir I guess?
So I think I'm pretty set for now. Thanks everyone.
I had a nearly full bottle of antifreeze (I try to keep most fluids in my trunk) and after filling the radiator directly the bottle is now nearly empty. Turns out you don't fill the reservoir I guess?
So I think I'm pretty set for now. Thanks everyone.
The res should be filled to the max line. If it needs it, it will pull from it. If it doesn’t, it will purge it back to the empty space.