Subie Noob needs help

[silverbullet05]

Ok so I am trying to adjust the e-brake on my 05 LGT 5MT. I had the car in neutral and the rear on jack stands and I was trying to turn the wheels by hand and there is a ton of resistance. Is that normal for a subaru? Like when im backing out of the driveway and through it in neutral and doesnt roll very far. I took the wheels off and felt that the e-brake was for sure disengaged and tried to spin the axles by the studs and it was super hard to do. And to add to all this, when i pull up on the e-brake handle, there is a loud clunk when the brake is pulled all the way up, like it engages all at once instead of gradually.....if that makes sense....it seems like the e-brake would never slow me down, it just will hold my car in place, and i would never be able to pull off any e-brake slides! LOL, please help me!

[iNVAR]

Your e-brake is meant to hold your car in place, not do e-brake slides. I hope you weren't serious about those. Don't do e-brake slides on your car. You have an AWD car. Locking up your rear wheels will seriously mess up your drivetrain eventually.

 

As for the clunk, I think I get that clunk as well. Ignore it.

 

And again, you have an AWD car. You jacked up the rear of your car and tried to spin your wheels. Your front is still on the ground. Of course you're going to encounter resistance.

[underground000]

You should be able to spin the rears when its off the ground, the diff would spin. Try spinning it with the wheels on, you will have more torque.

 

The clunk engage is normal

 

edit: would the diff spin? lsd diffs both wheels would spin in the same direction. I jacked up my rear wheels on my 5eat and was able to spin the tires, of course I didnt do it very long

 

Maybe iNVAR is right cause of the viscous center diff in MT

[iNVAR]

If I'm not mistaken, he should be able to spin it, but it'll have resistance, precisely for the reason you stated. Someone else jump in here?

[silverbullet05]

If the car is in neutral, doesnt that mean that the driveline is not engaged in AWD and everything would spin freely? I can spin the back axle, it just takes a lot more effort than what i would have expected.

 

P.S. Yes iNVAR i was joking about e-brake slides, hence the LOL, I was really just curious about the clunk

[m sprank]

In N the drivetrain is still connected. The clutches are not engaged.

 

Without the tires it is hard as heck to spin the wheels. dont do it to much. The Speed sensor is in the wheel bearing. If you spin it too much with the car off you will get an ABS code, an ER SS code from the tranny, go into limp mode, radiator fan will run constant, dash will light up like a Christmas tree, etc. It will take some driving to reset everything. Just dont do it.

 

Parking brake, not e-brkae is adjusted via a nut on the end of the cable. Remove the parking brake cover (in car) and the nut is at the bottom of the handle assembly.

[silverbullet05]

I got it all adjusted out guys, thanks

[Monwells]

So in a Subaru the e-brake shouldn't be used as a handbrake, but rather should be used as a parking brake only? I'm new to Subarus I came from rwd land where we use ours for stopping, sliding, drifting etc.

[m sprank]

Yes! You have all wheel drive. If you lock up the rear wheels, the differentials are still trying to spin. You will destroy a diff (you have 2 now), or the tranny. It is a parking brake. Not an E-brake.

 

No drifting, no sliding, no BS. Not unless you want a HUGE repair bill. My car drifts just fine. Its called throttle control. Only kids need e-Brakes.

[iNVAR]

Shouldn't need your e-brake for stopping/sliding/drifting on a RWD car that's setup and driven properly anyway.

 

BTW, sure it's an e-brake..... what if your regular brakes go out? Yank up on the e-brake in case of emergency!

[m sprank]

If your brakes go out. All rules are thrown out the window.

 

Drop the friggin tranny if you have to.

 

I did.

 

Lost them in a Ford E250 Van. Idiots who changed the rear axles and bearings F'd up. Lost everything in a cloud of smoke (NASCAR style) at 70mph on the freeway.

 

Had to forcibly downshift and take it off road to stop and not kill anyone (including myself). DOA tranny. But I kept her rubber side down and no one was hurt.

 

Emergencies are just that. Emergency!

[doobaruGT]

I was searching for an answer to my problem and I think I may have found it. But I need some feedback particularly from m sprank. I just recently replaced my rear wheel bearings in my 05 LGT and I'm having the ABS ER SS message. Initially after the replacement of the bearings, I had the message for a day or two and then my dash was fine, no ABS or ER SS. I got on the highway about a week later and the quick acceleration triggered the ABS ER SS lights again. So, I was wondering if you have any thoughts. Your previous post says that it may take "some driving" to reset everything. Just what exactly do you mean by this? I have PA state inspection due this month and I'm concerned it won't pass. Thanks so much!

[m sprank]

It goes away as fast as 1 second or as long as a few miles. But if it went away and came back, the tranny sees an issue. The speed sensors report through the TCU to the ECU. The ER SS is a chassis code fault coming from the TCU.

 

If you know the diagnostic procedure the dash lights will tell you which wheel(s) are reporting bad data or no data. I have seen the sensors in the knuckles go bad after someone got very rough with the wires and stretched them out. I have seen the pick ups inside the bearing s go bad even though the bearing is perfect.

 

If you have the ABS light on solid and the ER SS code on the dash (chances are cruise is flashing and your radiator fan wont turn off either), the car sees a bad sensor or pick up.

[doobaruGT]

Got it. I don't know the diagnostic procedure, but I'm not getting a radiator fan or flashing cruise. The cruise is disabled altogether. Today, for the first time in a while, the ABS light went off immediately after startup. Unfortunately, it came back on after the following startup when I went over 30 mph. Ugh, looks like I'll have to let a tech handle this one.

[m sprank]

Sounds like an erroneous reading from 1 sensor. Or possibly the level sensor in the master cylinder? Is fluid full?

 

Might take more than a "tech". Not every dealership has the super subie scan tool.

[Noeladams]

Yes! You have all wheel drive. If you lock up the rear wheels, the differentials are still trying to spin. You will destroy a diff (you have 2 now), or the tranny. It is a parking brake. Not an E-brake.

 

No drifting, no sliding, no BS. Not unless you want a HUGE repair bill. My car drifts just fine. Its called throttle control. Only kids need e-Brakes.

[m sprank]

Horsepower has got me out of far more "sticky" situations than brakes. If you think your gonna lose it...Pin it!

 

I have a particular corner I use for "testing" my rear end plant.

 

I have given a few passenger rides through the corner. Always fun. I think LALGT's comment was "maybe use two hands on the wheel next time". I was like "why?" I like one hand on the stick, I might want to shift mid-drift.