The E170 Corolla rear disc setup is about as friendly as brake work gets: two 14 mm guide-pin bolts release the caliper, two 17 mm bolts release the bracket, and the rotor slides straight off the hub with no retaining screw. There are no seized-in pins to fight and no electronic parking brake to put into service mode, so the whole job is realistically a couple of hours for a first-timer with hand tools.
Two things trip people up. First, plenty of E170 Corollas do not have rear discs at all - the L, LE and LE Eco trims use rear drums, so look at the car before ordering parts. Second, the rear rotors rust-bond to the hub hard in salt states; skip the two M8x1.25 threaded holes in the rotor face and you will be beating on the rotor for twenty minutes. And if the piston will not compress with a C-clamp, it is a screw-in parking-brake piston and needs a wind-back tool, not more force.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 1.5 ton minimum, lifts at rear pinch-weld/jack point Raises the rear of the car to remove the wheels. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair Supports the car at the rear jacking points while you work. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Blocks the front wheels since the parking brake must be released. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 21 mm, 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the rear wheels; 6-point protects the alloy-wheel nuts. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 18-24 in Loosens lug nuts that were put on with an impact gun. | Required | shop |
| Socket wrench set 3/8 in drive with 10, 12, 14 mm sockets 14 mm for the caliper guide-pin bolts, 10-12 mm for the parking brake cable bracket if fitted. | Required | shop |
| Socket 17 mm, 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the two caliper mounting bracket bolts so the rotor can come off. | Required | shop |
| Combination wrench 14 mm Holds the guide pin from spinning if the rubber boot lets it turn. | Recommended | shop |
| C-clamp or caliper piston spreader 4-6 in C-clamp Pushes the rear piston back into the caliper to fit new pads. | Required | shop |
| Caliper piston wind-back tool Rotating/screw-in piston kit with cube adapter Needed if your caliper piston is the screw-in parking-brake type rather than straight-push. | Recommended | shop |
| Bolts for rotor jack-screw holes Two M8x1.25 x 35-40 mm Threaded into the rotor face to press a rust-stuck rotor off the hub. | Consumables | shop |
| Dead-blow or rubber mallet 2 lb Frees a stuck rotor by tapping between the studs and on the hat. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush Steel, plus a small hub cleaning disc if available Cleans rust off the hub face so the new rotor sits flat. | Required | shop |
| Brake parts cleaner Non-chlorinated, 2 cans Removes the shipping oil from new rotors and cleans the caliper bracket. | Consumables | shop |
| Silicone brake grease High-temp caliper slide/pin lubricant Lubricates the guide pins, abutment clips and pad ears. | Consumables | shop |
| Bungee cord or wire hook Hangs the caliper so the brake hose is never used to support it. | Recommended | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 25-150 ft-lb range Sets lug nuts and caliper bracket bolts to spec. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb range Accurately torques the smaller 14 mm guide-pin bolts. | Recommended | shop |
| Turkey baster or fluid syringe Removes excess fluid from the master cylinder reservoir before pushing pistons back. | Recommended | shop |
| Rear brake pads E170 rear disc set, includes abutment clips The wear item being replaced. | Parts | shop |
| Rear rotors Pair, 270 mm x 10 mm solid (verify size for your trim) Replaced with the pads for even bedding and full pad contact. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Brake dust and cleaner spray are irritants. | Safety | shop |
The 1.8 L 2ZR-FE and 2ZR-FAE make no difference to this job. The trim does: S Plus, S Premium, SE and XSE (and other 17-inch-wheel cars) have rear discs using 14 mm guide-pin and 17 mm bracket bolts, while L, LE and LE Eco have rear drums that need a drum puller, brake spoon and spring tools instead. Lug nuts are 21 mm on all trims.
| Wheel lug nuts | 76 ft-lb (103 Nm) |
| Rear caliper guide-pin (slide) bolts, 14 mm head | 20 ft-lb (27 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Rear caliper mounting bracket bolts, 17 mm head | 65 ft-lb (88 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Brake hose banjo bolt (only if hose is disturbed) | verify in the service manual |
The 21 mm lug, 14 mm guide-pin and 17 mm bracket bolt sizes and the 76 ft-lb lug torque are standard for the E170 Corolla with rear discs, but verify the caliper bolt torque values and your exact rotor diameter against a factory service manual or your parts listing before final assembly.
Look through the rear wheel: if you see a caliper clamped on a flat rotor you have discs, which is typical of S Plus, S Premium, SE and XSE trims and most 17-inch-wheel cars. L, LE and LE Eco trims came with rear drums, which need a completely different tool set.
21 mm for the lug nuts, 14 mm for the two caliper guide-pin bolts, and 17 mm for the two caliper bracket bolts. A 10 mm or 12 mm may be needed if a parking brake cable bracket is in the way.
Most E170 rear calipers compress straight in with a C-clamp or spreader. Test it gently first - if the piston does not move, it is a screw-in type and you must rotate it clockwise with a wind-back tool while applying pressure.
Lug nuts are 76 ft-lb (103 Nm). Caliper guide-pin bolts are roughly 20 ft-lb (27 Nm) and bracket bolts roughly 65 ft-lb (88 Nm), but verify both in the factory service manual for your exact year.