New owner, brake issue, specific questions, I promise I've read a lot!

[HereWeGoAgain]

tl;dr Are the Centric/Dorman front caliper rebuild kits as good as Subaru OEM?

 

 

This is my first post besides my intro, and I will try to keep from rambling as much as possible. I'm a long-winded guy from KY who wants to take care of this car, so please take it easy on me!

 

 

Bought a 2005 Legacy GT 5EAT a few months ago after my better half totaled her last car. Love the car. Love it. Goes great in the snow, better in the dry, has 150k but only around 20k on short block and 10k on turbo, wouldn't believe it if I hadn't saw the paperwork.

 

So fast forward to last week, I am coming home, uphill, turning right, and all the sudden I get a godawful shake in the front end/steering wheel. Scary bad. I hobbled home, stopping every few miles, took it real slow. The last few miles, it was like I never had a problem...acted fine. WHEW. No rollback bill, thankfully.

 

Fast forward again, I found the drivers side front inner CV joint hanging by a thread (one good bearing), replaced axle, and wheel bearing assembly also. (it was QUITE wobbly)

 

Everything is torqued correctly, and 95% of the problem I had vanished.

 

Now, here comes the current problem that I really would like to hear the opinions of the gurus on it.

 

Car acts perfect, for about the first 10 minutes of test drive.

Once I used the brakes a few times and they get heated...I start getting the shakes again in the steering wheel...not as bad as before, but bad.

Get on the brakes? Shakes REALLY bad.

 

I get to the grocery store, and the left front wheel is so hot compared to the other three that there is just no avoiding it is a brake issue.

 

Double-checked lug nuts/axle nut....all good.

 

Car cools down while waiting at the store, I pull out and can feel the 'dragging' in the brakes, so I hit the local auto store....then the other three. No calipers in stock. Lucky me.

 

So I drove home, and literally did NOT touch the brakes, downshifted the entire time, stayed away from traffic (country roads, take me home). NO SHAKE. NONE.

 

I REALLY don't like the idea of putting one odd caliper (IF I can even find one) on the car, and after spending $250 this week on it I can't afford to buy an OEM one from Subaru right now. Which leads me to these questions:

 

1: I don't think new slide pins/lubing will fix the problem, it has gone too far. In the meantime, should I remove the rubber bushing from the bottom slide pin? It seems it has helped others from what I read.

 

2: I am capable of rebuilding the caliper on the car, and would actually trust my work more than the big auto stores' quality control.

 

Which brand rebuild kit do you more experienced folk recommend?

Do I need to go Subaru rebuild kit, or will a Centric/Dorman kit do just as well? I know OEM is choice #1, but sometimes budgets/time constraints get in the way.

 

3: Am I overlooking something that could be causing this serious heat issue? I feel like the caliper is 'sticking', and I won't drive it again until it is fixed because I don't want to overheat the brand new bearing assembly I just installed.

 

Like I said in my introduction post, I welcome any/all advice/opinions. I need to take a trip to visit family this weekend, but can put it off if necessary.

 

THANK YOU very much in advance for the help!

[boxkita]

move to brake section

[V8lolsubie]

In your intro thread you said youre a mechanic so Id look at stupid things first. Was the caliper installed with the brake hose twisted? Iv seen this happen on a Forester that came in my shop and it was acting the same way. Caliper was installed twisted and so every time she turned the hose would pinch and the caliper could not retract the pistons properly.

 

Is the brake hose partially collapsed?

 

That rubber bushing does have to be there for dampening however if the bore is messed it up it certainly can get hung up in there during braking.

 

Does the car pull to one side when braking indicating which caliper is hanging up?

 

Also, this does not explain the fact that it is intermittent but was a cheap reman axle used? Iv had cars come in for axle replacements that created a nasty vibration when a reman was used and they had to go with a new expensive oem to get rid of it.

[HereWeGoAgain]

V8lolsubie,

 

Not a full-fledged mechanic, just owned a lot of Mitsubishis...(cruel inside joke about turning men into mechanics with DSMs), but not a teenager with zero experience.

 

1st thanks for replying so fast.

 

Brake line looks good, actually checked that again just now.

 

I can order new slide pins no problem just to narrow the problem down. I have read so much trying to find the problem that I just wondered if that could be a bigger problem than it seemed.

 

To be honest, it did pull a bit to the left (where the heat/suspected caliper is), but after it did the shakes for me when I got on the brakes, I didn't test it too much after that, I downshifted my way home, trying to keep everything as cool as possible.

 

Brand new Suby axle, new seals in the trans, no leaks, snap ring definitely on, I spent hours cleaning before I bolted on the new wheel bearing assembly.

 

I read about people having reman axle problems enough to scare me.

 

Before the bearing assy/axle replacement the car felt like an earthquake.

 

I believe the heat buildup from the brake issue helped take out the wheel bearing, and the axle was just waiting for its time to explode.

 

When I went for a drive, car was fine for the first 4-5 miles, then after I had used the brakes 3-4 good times, the steering wheel developed a steady light-medium vibration...then it disappeared. The next time I got on the brakes, It was an "oh no here we go again" feeling, because applying the brakes caused 3/4s the bad shake I had before I changed axle/bearing assy.

 

Now keep in mind I drove this car for 2 months without any issues. It all seemed to develop at once. It hasn't been beaten on by me at all, has been driven very sanely, amazingly.

 

I have checked trans fluid (had that fearful torque bind thought in the back of my head) but that is fine.

 

The caliper pistons were a little rusty looking but to be honest I didn't DEEPLY inspect them today but I will tomorrow. I compressed them with a C-clamp, and they were a little tight but I didn't think they were problematic.

[V8lolsubie]

Sounds like an old fashion caliper and rotor issue. If you have the means, don't be cheap and replace both calipers with a really high quality reman brand. One that comes with new pins and hopefully a new bracket as well so the new pins have a nice bore to go into. Then do a brake job.

 

A lot of people will say get high performance pads and race car stuff for brakes. Assuming this is a stock street car just get good quality pads and some cheap rotors. At work we replace rotors on everything from BMW to Honda with Brembo rotors believe it or not. However on my own personal car I used no name ebay rotors and they have been fine for over 50k now. Pads is a different story. Try to use Akebono pads for Asian makes. They are quiet, fit perfect and are reasonably priced and last.

 

Grease up the pins and back of the pads with high temp silicone paste and install.

Others may not agree but that's just how we do it at work with zero combacks.

[HereWeGoAgain]

Do you/Can you recommend a good brand of caliper?

 

Yes car is stock, won't be raced/abused or neglected service.

 

None of the 4 auto stores in my city had the calipers in stock, and one told me they couldn't get one.

 

I'm guessing north of $200 from Subaru dealer.

 

I worried about having one odd caliper along with the other 3 that match, I don't know if that would cause problems. I also didn't want to give up this Subaru caliper as a core for one that may not be of equal quality.

 

I agree with you fully on the brake job. I'll end up with 4 new rotors/new pads/fluid at the very least, ASAP, and eventually better calipers on the front, but for at least the next week or so, I'm going to have to find a temporary solution.

 

Considering that I need to get by for a few weeks, just to get to DR appointments and have a vehicle available for emergencies ( I live in the boonies), wouldn't a caliper rebuild be a better option than taking my chances on what arrives in a reman box?

[HereWeGoAgain]

An update:

 

Ordered caliper rebuild kit. I'd never attempted it before, but pulled it off successfully.

 

Used a dremel and honed inside of cylinders/outside of pistons smooth, installed new parts, works like a charm.

 

A BIG BIG thanks to the guy with the walkthru on here... saved me $100.

 

 

To anyone with a sticking caliper, some knowledge and time...it isn't hard.

 

 

My beloved Suby no longer has the shakes...drives like a charm.

 

CV joint/wheel bearing replaced, caliper rebuilt.

 

One thing I did notice, whoever the previous owner was, had the slide pins installed incorrectly...had the pin w/bushing in the top.

 

New bushing...silicon grease... boy it feels good.

 

I think I'll go drive some more

 

Thanks for the knowledge legacygt.com

[Goatcrapp]

An update:

 

Ordered caliper rebuild kit. I'd never attempted it before, but pulled it off successfully.

 

Used a dremel and honed inside of cylinders/outside of pistons smooth, installed new parts, works like a charm.

 

A BIG BIG thanks to the guy with the walkthru on here... saved me $100.

 

 

To anyone with a sticking caliper, some knowledge and time...it isn't hard.

 

 

My beloved Suby no longer has the shakes...drives like a charm.

 

CV joint/wheel bearing replaced, caliper rebuilt.

 

One thing I did notice, whoever the previous owner was, had the slide pins installed incorrectly...had the pin w/bushing in the top.

 

New bushing...silicon grease... boy it feels good.

 

I think I'll go drive some more

 

Thanks for the knowledge legacygt.com

 

Going to have to rebuild mine soon - I don't see a link in this thread to the walkthrough, though? Can you provide?

[HereWeGoAgain]

Sure can, I used this as a guide

 

http://www.legacygt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2138

 

I ordered the seals/slide pin bushings from Advance Auto, everything still fine. Be forewarned that if one piston is really stuck you will have to lock the one that will pop out easily in place, then fight the stuck one out. I drilled a hole in a large vaccuum cap, put on my air compressor sprayer nozzle end to make a good seal to stick in the break line hole. Make sure to keep fingers clear, when they pop out they REALLY pop out!

 

Make sure to inspect old pistons for bad grooves. My seals were visually damaged on my stuck piston.

 

Be sure to let me know if I can answer any questions , these guys have helped me a ton, glad to pay it forward.

[Goatcrapp]

Sure can, I used this as a guide

 

http://www.legacygt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2138

 

I ordered the seals/slide pin bushings from Advance Auto, everything still fine. Be forewarned that if one piston is really stuck you will have to lock the one that will pop out easily in place, then fight the stuck one out. I drilled a hole in a large vaccuum cap, put on my air compressor sprayer nozzle end to make a good seal to stick in the break line hole. Make sure to keep fingers clear, when they pop out they REALLY pop out!

 

Make sure to inspect old pistons for bad grooves. My seals were visually damaged on my stuck piston.

 

Be sure to let me know if I can answer any questions , these guys have helped me a ton, glad to pay it forward.

 

Nice write up - thanks!