creep_nu

yeah it was uh...not...great. pretty sure it was more water than brake fluid at that point. everything else had been taken care of, but dad's a firm believer of if you're not having brake problems don't touch the damn brakes. so it never got changed.

can you do some light cut off before and after pics?

Well--we swapped out the ABS module and it was *better* but not 100%. took apart the calipers and cleaned up and re-lubed the slide pins and that brought it to 100. can't tell you how many times i've had those calipers off and completely missed that part, but such is life. ABS module and master cylinder were still dead(i guess 180k mile old brake fluid will do that...), so is what it is. i may still end up doing the brake lines down the road, but for the moment i'm leaving them as is because the car *actually stops* now, so i'm happy. time to retire the leggy from daily duties and make her a fun car as she should be.

sometimes when activating the ABS but not every time. he and i both agreed that it kinda felt like just the back brakes were doing the stopping when the pedal wasn't pumped so that lead us down that path too.

So, in case anyone cares about this... Took it to a former honda/acura master tech...he bled the brakes and got a couple of bubbles out that i wasn't able to, but the brakes were still acting the same. he bled the master cylinder again while it was on the car, then bled again and got it all smooth, and same thing--no change. so, he came to the conclusion(same one that i was kind of dreading)--ABS module. luckily i picked one of them up at the junk yard last time i was there, so theoretically that should work and get the brakes back to how they should be...fingies crossed. dropping that off with him this evening, and we'll see how she do.

hurts don't it? one of the necessary evils of owning a subaru--either have 2-3 grand set aside for head gaskets, or learn to do the work yourself and hope you can get it done in a long weekend.

gonna depend on the shop, but the last 2.5 n/a i had i was quoted around $2500, assuming no parts besides the head gaskets(and related gaskets...valve cover for instance) timing components, and machine work on the heads. It obviously goes up from there if other things need to be replaced as well, and depends on your local labor rates.

nope, those need a wet sand, or $150 on a new set.

https://www.subarupartsdeal.com/resources/installation/SPD/18_063767-H501SAJ200.pdf that's the installation instructions for the SPT boost gauge from Subaru. not sure how much that will help, but should give you an idea

yup, definitely like the silver better

certainly a possibility, and shockingly goodridge makes a set for the TL...good to know...

Calipers are fine, rear brakes were replaced recently, and checked the fronts to verify, all still move fine. Thought about air in the ABS system...I cycled abs a few times forward and reverse before my last bleed, no air came out. Might have to bring it to the dealer/capable shop to have them cycle it with a computer. If the MC doesn't fix it that's the next step. I'm feeling fairly confident it's the master cylinder based on my research, but not getting my hopes up

no, it's not normal. once they're pumped up they feel great, but as soon as i let my foot off the brake it goes right back to stopping down at the very bottom of the pedal travel, and it's very light friction...almost feels like what you'd expect just rear brakes to feel like instead of all 4, if that makes sense. as far as what i've done--the pedal felt bad since i got the car. replaced 2 of the bleeders since they were rusted shut. bled out the 180k+ mile old fluid for a full replace RR LR RF LF. looked at acura info and saw on that car it actually likes it in reverse, so tried it that way, no improvement. got a vacuum pump and did it the first way, no improvement, then did it the 2nd way. replaced the master cylinder and then did it both ways. I did bench bleed the master cylinder before install. Think i'm going to try a reman master cylinder before giving up and bringing it to a shop...just seems weird that i would get a junkyard part that was broken the same way(assuming failing seal in the master cylinder, since they still pump up)

i'm about to lose my mind with my new(to me...) acura. soft spongy brake pedal. bled the brakes manually, powered and changed master cylinder(with a junk yard part). ABS is working fine when i slam on the brakes, the pedal firms up when i pump them up both when the car is and isn't running, and doesn't fall back to the floor...gotta be the master cylinder...right? on the plus side i changed out the trans fluid and it feels *so* much better. still on borrowed time with those v6 honda units from the early 2ks, but until that goes, the engine's a peach, the ride is great, and holy god the seats are perfect and so so comfy.

any particular reason you want to replace the flywheel? a machine shop can resurface it for a fraction of the price...last time i had one done (dual mass) it was $40. Might also want to take a look at the uprated clutch fork and pivot ball while you're replacing stuff to really make it bullet proof. I just got a stage 1 clutch dropped in my GT, and it's really probably overkill for the 2.5...it bites hard, and with 100 less HP, you're going to be bogging on starts unless you're really slipping the clutch, which...that's not ideal.

got my new project! getting it in to daily status and taking my GT off the road for commuting duty, so the GT gets to turn in to the project and get the needed work done. Parents sold it to me for what they were offered on trade in, a whopping $500. 2002 acura TL type S. need an axle, brake work, a thorough detail, and like 3 transmission flushes, but should be a great commuter once it's working well. dad's had the car forever, and he's happy that it's going to someone that will take care of it and will keep it in the family.

little further south of you, but if you need something more in depth done GNG garage in Ashland are great guys.

mind posting those pictures brunzo sent you?

CVT at 264k is scary to me, but it looks clean, dealer maintained, in there for service *every 3k miles*? i'd take the gamble. price feels just a touch high, but that's the subaru tax we all know and love...

cool beans, thanks! i'm hitting the junk yard this weekend for parts for a new project and fingers crossed a new set of headlights for my leggy, so hopefully this comes in handy soon

interested to see how this goes! where'd you get the butyl adhesive from?

i change mine around 3500 with a full synthetic and OEM filter. it's cheap enough that doing it a little early is better for my peace of mind than running the oil til the ragged edge and possibly doing engine damage. also, if you're mechanically inclined at all, an oil change and new serpentine belt are both very, very easy, and the tools to do it(minus a jack and jack stands) will cost you less than having both of those things done at the dealership or a quick oil change place

live with it stock...gonna cost a lot of money for not a lot of gains. keep it as your daily and spend the money you would modding on a 2nd car also, running a heavily modified car as your daily suuuuucks. something's always breaking and they're just not reliable unless you're throwing stupid money at parts and know what you're doing. done it multiple times, won't do it again. if you really want to mod the leggy, do suspension and appearance work. the biggest improvement you'll see if a set of sticky tires and a not floppy suspension and just because it's relevant. eric the car guy on modding your daily.

ordered new power steering lines...have a slight leak at the high pressure side, so replacing all of them. ebay wants more for used parts than OE costs new...crazy.

you miss out on that sweet, sweet japanese street cred if you don't leave the front windows fishbowled and the rears tinted. in your german SUV that is most definitely important...right?