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Left Front Clunking over bumps


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So, I haven't took the front tires off for a while and really looked at things... But if this is just a bolt, and it is still there and tight, how does it affect the movement of the calipers or pads?

 

Sorry for the dumb question...

Mike

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So, I haven't took the front tires off for a while and really looked at things... But if this is just a bolt, and it is still there and tight, how does it affect the movement of the calipers or pads?

Not dumb if you don't know what a two piece caliper looks like. Long story short, the caliper can slide back and forth over the rotor on slide pins. They're covered with a rubber boot on one end which is filled with grease. It's not uncommon for these to bind or seize up on older cars causing uneven wear issues. I've personally never experienced noise from one, but that seems to be the case here.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Are these fairly easy to change? Pull out the old ones, put in the new ones? Or is it more involved?

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

If the guide and/or lock pins are not siezed it is a relatively simple replacement process. Just pull out the old ones, clean up the cavities in the caliper brackets and boots. Be sure to use a silicon grease, or any other grease that will not swell the rubber components.

 

The rubber components to look out for are:

1) Glide and Lock Pin boots,

2) Lock Pin sleeves.

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  • 4 months later...

The loud left front clunking is back ! Subaru Dealer replaced the front caliper pins a few months back and the noise went away - until now !! I phoned the dealer - and the service manager said the Subaru Rep had one other car doing same - and blew it off as a "characteristic" for someone living in Tahoe because we have rough roads....

I told the service manager to tell the Rep that this excuse isn't acceptable. We'll see if this needs to go to court for a resolution.

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I had the same pop when going forward and backward. Shop said it's the brake pads shifting back and forth. There is "brake quiet" that needs to be applied every 15K. As the pads wear, the gap expands allowing them to come free.

 

Subaru brakes are about as simple (but effective) as possible. There are two bolts in the back that free the caliper. The caliper comes up and the pads drop out. Apply brake quiet and lube the large pin if needed. It's got a rubber gasket and slides right out. The use a clamp on the piston and reassemble. Once you do it, you will wonder why brake shops charge so much.

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This problem seems to be associated with the front caliper pins making the noise. The dealer once greased them and the noise went away. The second time they replaced the pins and the noise went away . But the problem noise is back. I suspect either the caliper bores are oversized or the pins are undersized ( machined )

What ever the issue is - at this point it's so loud my passengers ask me what the H*ll is wrong with my car - and if we're gonna have to call for a tow..........

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  • 1 month later...

So I FINALLY got into mine last Friday night... My bro-in-law helped me since he has a lot more experience with this than I... We took the right one off first, and noticed a LOT of play in the slide pins. Once we had them out and cleaned them up, we noticed quite a bit of wear on the pins. It also looked like the dealer had just used "normal" yellow grease when they did this last, so that was mostly gone. It was too late to get parts from the dealer, so I called Napa and they had the pins, and new pads and some super duper grease all for $135 (about the same cost the dealer was for a "brake service" alone!). Came back home, put it all back together, extensively cleaning and liberally greasing all the areas where there is movement, and like magic, the noise is gone!!!!

 

I really can't believe that little bit of movement can cause SO much noise in the car! But now it looks like I'll be doing a bi-yearly maintenance when I switch out the tires for winter and summer!

 

Thanks for all the help guys! I like my Subaru again...

 

Mike

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  • 5 weeks later...
Sorry to dig up an old thread here but I've been experiencing this clunking noise as well. It almost sounds like the wheel is loose and seems to only occur under 25 mph or so and is most noticeable when pulling in and out of the driveway and making slow turns, etc. Has anyone else solved this problem with replacing the slide pins? It seems to be a fairly common problem judging by the initial response to this thread. It sure is driving me crazy though and I really cant figure out what else it could be??
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  • 1 month later...

Update - The Subaru service manager in Shingle Springs Ca just phoned me and told me the Subaru Rep refused to come listen to my front brake calipers clunking at Tahoe - and Rep has dismissed the problem as a "characteristic of Tahoe's bad roads"

So I opened a case with Subaru of America and they siad they'de investigate it. The car has 23k mi on it .

Next the Subaru Rep ( Larry Kelso ) decided not to even look at the car and dismiss the problem as a "characteristic of Tahoe Roads".

Then Subaru of America called me and explained they closed the case dismissing it for same reason. I got hold of another person at Subaru of America after threatening a court case and she convinced this Rep ( Larry Kelso ) that he had to take a look at the vehicle.

So, we're back to another trip down the hill and wasted day to have the Rep probably blow it off again.

Had my local Independent Subaru Shop road test the vehicle and he agreed something was wrong - left front.

NEVER again will I buy a Subaru with this kind of jerk-off warranty service !

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  • 3 years later...
Replacing the caliper slide pins resolved my clunking issue. The old pins had noticeable wear.

 

After replacing my struts, springs, and mounts, i still have some noise up front. End links are also under 1 year old. My mechanic scoped out everything else when doing an alignment and couldnt find the source of the noise. The slide pins could be the issue. I'm going to look into this. Thank you!!!

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I went to price out the OEM ones and they were more than that so this is a good deal! I believe my front right caliper might be sticking a tad. Goes away after a few stops. She starts to shake n' brake a bit now too. Almost pad/rotor time. I'll get a 4 pack of these for then. Whats the recommendation for greasing up the retainers and the caliper pins?
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use this stuff on any metal to metal mating surface

 

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-24125-Ceramic-Extreme-Lubricant/dp/B0018PSASU/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1479742512&sr=1-3&keywords=caliper+grease

 

since the brackets are stainless, it is not recommended to use it on the caliper ears. the stainless will remain corrosion free

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the issue remains with the 2014 cars. My solution will be (in the spring) to replace all of my caliper pins with aftermarket ones....

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Carlson-Quality-Brake-Parts-14176/dp/B000Q0EIZW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1479583306&sr=8-3&keywords=2014+Subaru+Legacy+caliper+pins

 

 

 

Are these just for the rears? Amazon only lists the rear as compatible.

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