2004-2009 Toyota Prius Replacing Front Brake Pads & Rotors (COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE! Save $500+!)

This video is a comprehensive guide on replacing the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius front brake pads and rotors. I pieced together bits and pieces of other videos on pad replacement, disconnecting 12v battery, and rotors to put this full guide together. Hopefully you won't need to watch another video after this one! Both the video contents and tools needed are outlined below.
You will need the following:
1. Floor jack (amzn.to/2JhoxOy)
2. Jack stands (amzn.to/31HXrqe)
3. Brake cleaner (amzn.to/2BHeVbu)
4. WD40 (amzn.to/2N6ETL8)
5. Flange Bolt M8 1.25 x 30mm (amzn.to/2W7Dwjg)
6. 14mm spanner wrench (amzn.to/3636LrW)
7. 17mm spanner wrench (amzn.to/3636LrW)
8. 14mm socket (amzn.to/33Y9G3A)
9. 17mm socket (amzn.to/35Wza2V)
10. 10mm socket (amzn.to/31AJlXG)
11. 3/8 drive breaker bar (amzn.to/31K6Xci)
12. 3/8 drive torque wrench (amzn.to/2PkZfmi)
13. Mallet (amzn.to/365Gk5h)
14. C clamp 6" (amzn.to/340Mods)
15. P822 Front Brake Pads (www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=U... 2004 brake pads)
16. P31377 Front Rotors (www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=U... 2004 brake rotors)
Video Contents:
0:04 Tools Required
1:14 Disconnect 12v Battery and Prep
1:38 Jack the car upward and remove wheel
1:50 Remove caliper and brake pads
2:37 Remove caliper bracket
3:56 Remove and install rotor
4:50 Prepare caliper bracket
5:40 Install caliper bracket
6:28 Install new brake pads
7:33 Install caliper bracket
7:56 Install wheel
8:14 Prepare for drive (brake fluid cap, reconnect 12v battery
Thanks to these other links!
1. priuschat.com/threads/how-to-...
2. Toyota Prius Front Brake Pads Replacement ! Toyota Prius 2004 - 2009 Front Brake Pads: • Toyota Prius Front Bra...
3. Changing front brake pads 2004-2009 Toyota Prius: • Changing front brake p...
4. How To Replace Front Car Brakes (Toyota Prius 2005 2nd Gen) DIY: • How To Replace Front C...
I may receive a small commission for items purchased through affiliate links found here. These do not change the price, but they support the channel!
#toyotaprius #brakejob #carrepair

[@EdwardInTX]

You will need the following for this brake job: 1. Floor jack (amzn.to/2JhoxOy) 2. Jack stands (amzn.to/31HXrqe) 3. Brake cleaner (amzn.to/2BHeVbu) 4. WD40 (amzn.to/2N6ETL8) 5. Flange Bolt M8 1.25 x 30mm (amzn.to/2W7Dwjg) 6. 14mm spanner wrench (amzn.to/3636LrW) 7. 17mm spanner wrench (amzn.to/3636LrW) 8. 14mm socket (amzn.to/33Y9G3A) 9. 17mm socket (amzn.to/35Wza2V) 10. 10mm socket (amzn.to/31AJlXG) 11. 3/8 drive breaker bar (amzn.to/31K6Xci) 12. 3/8 drive torque wrench (amzn.to/2PkZfmi) 13. Mallet (amzn.to/365Gk5h) 14. C clamp 6" (amzn.to/340Mods) 15. P822 Front Brake Pads (www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=edwardintx-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=feef4e3fc07e289e22fa9ef619a2ca0c&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=automotive&keywords=prius%20p822%20brake%20pads) 16. P31377 Front Rotors (www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=edwardintx-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=29d92b8f69024a7ed220516d2330ee4d&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=automotive&keywords=prius%20p31377%20brake%20rotors)

[@TheWhisperingPenis]

My god man. This guide was fantastic. Its exactly what you need to know, nothing left out, nothing inaccurate. Its the Holy Grail of changing your own Brakes on a 2nd Gen Prius. Thanks a ton, even in 2022 you are helping people just learning these things.

[@EdwardInTX]

Thank you!!

[@jorgepadilla21]

Could have toqued the lugz instead of over tightening them, otherwise good.

[@ferndog1461]

I would add : ole yoga mat or similar for knee protection. Also, before engaging mallet, spray things with some brake cleaner. The brake dust is not good for lungs nor eyeballs.

[@tomparatube6506]

Thanks for the detailed presentation. I came here because very few other videos on removing Prius rotors bother to mention or even list the correct bolt as "Flange Bolt M8 1.25 x 30mm (@t)" under description. I was going to give up at the end of a tired day because the bolt I'd bought was of the wrong type (provided by another "expert" video). Kudos to your effort!

[@EdwardInTX]

Glad to hear it!

[@dillouze]

Thanks homie, this was super helpful. I'll use the links you left in the description to buy the rotors and pads. Glad I finally found a well structured video about this, its been pretty tough to find one this clean cut.

[@EdwardInTX]

Glad to see this helps! I put this together entirely because of all the comments I read about jack point, battery, wrench size, etc on other vids 🙂

[@solarwind907]

Edward, great video. I don't know how much time you put into it but it's really well done! Clear concise and complete! THANKS!

[@EdwardInTX]

Thank you!

[@kaibenedict3170]

Great video! Ended up using channel locks wrapped in rags instead of the C-clamp to compress the caliper but other than that everything was right on! Thank you so much, super informative and easy to follow.

[@EdwardInTX]

Thank you!

[@HeathHitchcockGuitar]

great step by step easy to understand and very thorough

[@Kelvinle469]

Love the video! Excellent walk through. I wish more videos was like this.

[@EdwardInTX]

Glad that it helped!

[@DriveBreakFixRepeat70]

Forgot to relube the new bracket hardware and the sliding pins that the pad bracket moves on.

[@tempebill]

Really well done! Gonna tackle this with confidence - Thankyou somuch!

[@EdwardInTX]

Best of luck!

[@alexgrabowski6709]

Great video. You helped me save $330. Thank you.

[@EdwardInTX]

Awesome!

[@josemeza7002]

Thank you so much this was very helpful. The only issue I had with my Detroit kit were the brackets the pads sit in. They were too narrow and made contact with the rotor, so I cleaned the old ones really good and reused then. This prolonged things as I had to redo one side. All in all about 2 hours. Thanks again.

[@EdwardInTX]

Awesome, thanks for the feedback!

[@marcusbriones7597]

This video was plenty help because I had to change the flat on my tire the other day..but I didn't have a wrench,And my spare Was Flat and my jack stands too small.. And when I jacked my car it fell off and rolled back... And it was hard to remove the lug nuts with so little tools at the moment. But still watching this video helped to move the tire eventually . Keep the videos coming

[@EdwardInTX]

Glad to hear it helped!

[@gwernette5971]

Curious why you didn't lubricate the caliper bolts while you were servicing everything else

[@jeremyluke8022]

Yea and I’ve always put that lil packet of grease they give you for the back of the pads helps with noise I guess

[@slowsmooth3440]

Excellent video. Renewed my hope in the younger generation. Peace

[@EdwardInTX]

Thank you!

[@MatthewFarney]

DUDE YOUR AWESOME THANKS FOR THE THOROUGHNESS!

[@EdwardInTX]

Awesome!

[@jordierising4923]

If you cant loosen the brake caliper bolts with breaker bar i used a car jack and wrench it was so easy 🎉 thank you for this video! It was a big help!

[@EdwardInTX]

very good idea, thanks for sharing!

[@user-kb9eh7dx8y]

Very good Please remember you are teaching people that may not know anything about working on vehicles. Please wear suitable shoes when doing this job and use a torque wrench on the lug nuts . Thanks

[@Gripfang]

Cool. This isn't toooo different from when I would change the pads on my long gone 87 Chevy Astrovan(I miss that old beast), but different enough that I'm glad I checked out your video. I wasn't sure how much had changed since I was last driving regularly. I know some newer cars basically need to be taken to pros because of how they are designed. Thanks for the tutorial. Our Prius needs some brake love badly and we will be lucky to be able to afford the parts, much less the service fees.

[@EdwardInTX]

Thank you!

[@saroqhashim9766]

thank you, how about the rear side ?

[@TaylorThoughts]

Excellent video!

[@EdwardInTX]

Thank you!

[@saganandroid4175]

Props for daring to do this in flipflops! You probably should mention that the torque units are in Footpounds, and state how much torque for the tires (very important). I wish we could ahve seen more of the piston compression part.

[@EdwardInTX]

Excellent points! Wheel nuts are supposed to be torqued to 80 lb ft

[@juanosorio]

Nicely made video.

[@EdwardInTX]

Thank you!

[@hamzaabdullah7727]

Good job .! Thanks for a video

[@EdwardInTX]

thanks!

[@olhesty2196]

Excellent video

[@EdwardInTX]

thanks!

[@spookf4680]

Great video. Thank you.

[@EdwardInTX]

spookF4 thanks for watching!

[@ThatOneGuy-jd3jn]

Appreciate it brother, I got a weekend DIY project to do

[@EdwardInTX]

best of luck!

[@DrGaryGreen]

Very much appreciate this.

[@Capone475]

Thanks dude. Made my job way easier!

[@EdwardInTX]

Glad to hear it!

[@Brandonbraun]

amazing video thanks!

[@EdwardInTX]

thank you!

[@grizzlycountry1030]

You can slide a piece of metal pipe over your wrench break loose bolt. Old school always works.

[@andrew816]

I heard you can find the screws that are used to take out the disk thingy from the hood of the car

[@osmov6301]

Thank you EdwardinTX, a good video! You used two torque readings, 81 and 25. In what units they are? For me it was difficult to remove the bigger white clips from battery, until I found a little latch under it. Anyway, why must the battery be disconnected before this working?

[@EdwardInTX]

Those are ft lbs. Battery should be disconnected because Prius likes to engage the brakes when you open the door. While you're working on it, the piston may come out and that will be a bigger problem for you.

[@JTthestreetking]

Thanks

[@kyleswartzentruber3589]

Uhhh grease on the sliders and hardware for pads?..

[@condor5635]

Was yours a hybrid? Anything special or different if it is a hybrid?

[@jeremyluke8022]

I’m assuming the bolts you used to pop the rotor off is used if there rusted to the car I’ve never had to do that they always just come off like changing a tire

[@EdwardInTX]

Correct!

[@BobbyVempati]

Dude this is very useful, I'm going to try replacing my rotors and pads....My estimate was ~$850 (w/parts)....Do you get the caliper clips as part of rotors/pads?

[@EdwardInTX]

Awesome. Yes, they came with the pads.

[@dbwelder9159]

I like to always bleed the brakes after replacing pads. It gets rid of all the rusty old fluid that was in the caliper and is essentially replacing old fluid. Also isn't there an ABS fuse you can remove rather than disconnecting the battery?

[@EdwardInTX]

Good point. Not sure about the ABS fuse.

[@mkhan59]

Very helpful, thank you for sharing. I have a question though... Do you only change front brake pads for toyota prius model 2004-2009? and you do not need to change rear brake pads, is that correct statement? Thank you for your response in advance..

[@EdwardInTX]

Back brakes have drums which may need to be serviced at some point. That process would be different. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2K7k2mNq6ioeac

[@michaelkern8856]

Front brakes do 80% of the stopping power, rear could be drums or disc depending on year. You should check your brakes for wear and drum or disc scoring. While inspecting clean everything out with some brake clean. Hope that helps.

[@geostomp]

Get'er did

[@gr2262]

Dude just changed out perfect working brakes with lots of life left lol

[@EdwardInTX]

ya, rotors were warped so i just did everything and now we have this video

[@jsoda41]

*One key step missing:* Make sure to lube the caliper slide pins with Sil-Glyde silicone grease. Pop them out, clean the old grease off and re-lube both top and bottom. Great video nonetheless!

[@EdwardInTX]

Good to know, thank you!

[@Dancingforfun]

Since I didn't unhook the 12 volt battery is there a way to reset the car so that it will run after the brake job?

[@EdwardInTX]

Is the car not turning on after the brake job?

[@Dancingforfun]

It does turn on but the lights AVS and those three that light up across the panel. the brake word is red even though the brake fluid is at the right level. Thinking about bleeding the back brakes. How can I erase these lights? What scanner will work on a Toyota hybrid?

[@tytymandingo]

@@Dancingforfun theres a maintenance mode sequence you can Google and a step by step procedure to reset that sensor

[@Logjam5]

Have the same little jack.

[@EdwardInTX]

nice!

[@liberty9348]

Good job. Glad you can do this yourself. I'd like to help you with a few things so you can be even better next time. BUT FIRST, why do you disconnect the battery at the beginning? The battery has nothing to do with the brakes AND it's only 12V, which is hardly dangerous, I'm really curious. 1. Purchase an AIR IMPACT WRENCH. This will make your life so much easier working on vehicles. Use the air wrench to take everything off, then put them back on by hand and torque with a torque wrench. 2. You can save yourself time by NOT taking the caliper apart. Simply remove the two nuts on the back and remove the entire caliper. You can change the pads just as easily as if it's taken apart. This is especially good if you're changing the rotors. 3. You don't need those M8 bolts to get the rotor off. You've got a rubber mallet. Wrap the backside of the rotor in a few spots and it will come right off. 4. You only need to clean the SURFACE of the rotor. It has OIL put on it so it doesn't rust while waiting to go on a vehicle. The purpose of brake cleaner is to get everything off the BRAKING SURFACE of the rotor, so the pads will work correctly and effectively. You can clean the axle hub, but brake cleaner is not what should be used. Use something that cleans and PREVENTS rust on this surface. 5. Don't wear FLIP-FLOPS when you're working on heavy equipment LOL. Also, the lugs are supposed to be torque to spec as well. It's very dangerous to stand on the tire-iron like that to tighten the lugs. If you buy a quality air impact wrench, you and use the LOW setting and put the lugs all the way on and then torque to spec.

[@EdwardInTX]

Found this very helpful. Thanks for sharing! Will definitely add an air impact wrench to my collection and avoid those flip flops! As for the 12v, I've learned a unique issue with the Prius is it pumps the brakes when the door is opened, so the piston may potentially come out while doing the brake job.

[@liberty9348]

@@EdwardInTX oh, I didn’t know that. Glad I didn’t open the door, but I don’t think I’ve ever opened a vehicle door when swapping breaks. Thanks for the info.

[@liberty9348]

@@EdwardInTX Yep. That brake motor deal on the Prius fires off all the time if you do various things lol. Don't open the doors when swapping the pads is good advice. You'll have to compress the pistols all the way back in if you do lol.

[@danlavigueur2648]

This has nothing to do with the door but rather the electric accumulator that is the back up in case of loosing your battery. This accumulator will depleted within about 10 mins once the battery is disconnected then after 10 min. you wont have to worries about the piston being push by the accumulator.

[@sonko2010]

Was this your first front break pad replacement? I noticed your odometer said 201K.

[@EdwardInTX]

This was the third. Usual interval is between 60k-100k mi. Depends on regular brakes vs regenerative brake usage.

[@malcolmfernandez3055]

What would be a good indication for the rotors being replaced. Is there a specific brand of rotors and brake pads to look for (for some reason the links you have aren't taking me to the product itself)?

[@EdwardInTX]

If you slam on the brakes and you get steering wheel vibration or a pulsing feeling, that's an indication to replace rotors. I usually am fine with whatever the big auto stores sell: Autozone (Duralast), OReilly, etc.

[@condor5635]

Also less than 22mm - I think - in thickness. It is stamped on the rotor

[@natsichavez7380]

Very good video thank you Ps: it would be good to wear some shoes when working on car in case something falls on your feet

[@EdwardInTX]

Yeah, if I could go back I'd use gloves earlier and put on shoes. Thanks!

[@natsichavez7380]

@@EdwardInTX it is an awesome video thank you for making it “I just subscribed”

[@EdwardInTX]

@@natsichavez7380 thank you!

[@michaelkern8856]

Good video, but several important items😢. You did not check or clean the floating pins. These are ibside t GG e caliber protected by the rubber boots. They seize especially in the rust belt. You didnot use any brake grease that i saw at any of the friction pointss, to much to go into here. Finnally the parts themselves. I would only use oem pads 46.00 at my dealer and most people know that detroit axel is china made junk, inexpensive yes, but i woukd not put it on my car. Notice that the hub portion of the rotor is not paibted, a sign of a cheap rotor. You did not coat the back mating surface of the hub either with silicone or abti-seize. Hope this helps. Lookup "the car nut " brakes part 1 thru 3 for more tips.

[@onefixitman]

How many miles were on this car? Were the rotors grooved? The pads look like they had plenty of wear left in them. I have 193K miles on my car and very little wear on the brakes and rotors. Your friction brakes do not even engage until less than 7 MPH. It is going to take forever before I need new brakes.

[@EdwardInTX]

I bought it at 180k miles and the rotors were grooved/warped. Pads were still thick when I took them off, but I replaced them anyway. I agree, it will take a while until I need new brakes.

[@dannyanonymous467]

dont' hammer a wrench. instead hook another wrench on to it ot make it longer.. or find a pipe that fits over the wrench.

[@bmwchannel7209]

So you didn't bleed fluid? 🤔

[@EdwardInTX]

Not in this one. Would've been great though.

[@monauman6111]

Why you choose Detroit axle?

[@EdwardInTX]

Just got a package deal through them.

[@wojomojo]

@@EdwardInTX Are you happy with them? And why did you choose to replace the rotor also?

[@EdwardInTX]

Yes, they work well for me. Replaced the rotor because of steering wheel vibrating and pulsating sensation when braking hard. That went away after replacing rotor.

[@michaelkern8856]

Curious how well the Detroit rotors hekd up.

[@mikemeikojustin3002]

To the point, with no back story.

[@Chris-go9ti]

Why no lube?

[@EdwardInTX]

Good point. Should have greased the caliper bolt

[@bigbobwag]

I was going to say the same thing need it every where

[@Kimoto504]

For the torque, is it 80 NM? 80 FtLb? 80 Saturn rings?... LOL! Units, please.

[@EdwardInTX]

80 lb ft lol

[@Chris-go9ti]

you still alive after doing all that dust inside a garage? Not a fan of brake lube ? Are those slider pins or fixed. If they slide you should have lubed them. I also read you shouldnt use a c clamp because its electronic controled. ANyone verify this?

[@EdwardInTX]

Nope, I'm not alive anymore. I would have worn a mask. Yes, those silver metal plates should be hit with some grease. Per a mechanic, the clamp is fine.

[@condor5635]

Great job overall. Get some shoes. Car work is no place for flip flops

[@kevinbaker2470]

Why's you disconnect battery? Not needed, also always better to do rotors in pairs. If you only saw wear on one side, you should go get an alignment, bleed brakes, or find out what caused uneven wear. Good video though, I know alot of prius owners aren't the wrench turning type, so I was gonna make a video of KZbin did nt have a decent video. But yours was great, anything negative I have to say is just nit picky

[@EdwardInTX]

I disconnected it because I saw a handful of Prius owners that had the piston stick out while doing the brakes. Apparently that smart key needs to stay far away if the battery isn't disconnected. Great point on the alignment and others. I appreciate the feedback!

[@MotoBuilds]

Just got done with mine. Guys that put my tires on air wrenched my nuts on over 200ft lbs. Ughh

[@demonboston2943]

U miss some stuff 😂

[@EdwardInTX]

😂