So the work never ends, my 02 Outback LL Bean I've been reviving is having what I believe is caliper issues. My front passenger side brake calipers are randomly inconsistently sticking I believe. I replaced the slide pins hoping that was the problem along with the boots but still the problem persists.
The caliper pistons inside are a lovely shade of oxidized red and flaking and the boots look intact but dry looking. Rubber brake lines look good as far as I can tell and the fluid looks a little dark but not black. So thinking the pistons may be in been of replacing.
So the question is, if I rebuild the caliper and replace the pistons on both front calipers, what brand and type of piston should I look for. Subaru wants $68 dollars per piston which is just too much for my budget, assuming they're available. On rock auto they have a centric steel and aluminum piston for just under $10 and a Raybestos phenolic steel piston for
what grease did you use? many suggest tossing the rubbers. (and not using them at all, insert rude joke here).
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and one of the big problems working on 2002 model year, it is a transitional year of H4 and H6 brakes. (so pins/ clips, pad styles etc can be different then what is in the parts store computers. ...
and after all these years of people playing switeroo with the parts store on install day, you might have a mix of things on the car,...some old type some new type,...whatever works. (and I am sure some people have had to dig through a garbage can to dig out a pin or a clip and reuse it, as the thing is the new box does not work).
and @brucep here recommended Partstrain for whole brake kits if you need them, as they sell bigger sets. (over rockauto and amazon) etc.
That's a good sign that there's gunk built up inside the bore where the pin slides. I had to insert, wipe/clean, and repeat multiple times on my '01's caliper slide pin bores until they were all clean. It will take several soakings/flushes (brake cleaner is good for this) to get the bores totally cleaned out, THEN you can apply the high-temp brake parts lube to the slide pins and inside the bores. As long as the boots aren't torn, you should be able to wipe them clean and re-use them.
Is it a better value to simply replace the calipers instead of trying to rebuild them? IIRC you need to hone the old calipers when installing new pistons, too.
Which rubber/rubber thingie are you guys referring? The little rubber ring on the one slide? Not the boots right?
Pink, I'll give the pipe cleaner idea a try, the ports were black so maybe I didn't get the sidewalks clean and they're not sliding as good as they should be. Can't hurt right? On the topic of new, I don't really trust the cheap rebuilds, not if I can help it. Seen them rust cause they're nothing but blasted and not much more done then what I was going to do. Was gonna check the walls one I got them apart to ensure they weren't pitted. And as I said can't afford dealer calipers.
Nedro, reason I said they were randomly sticking is sometimes I get nothing but a light, barely noticeable shake from the rotor and other times it's violent shake and like a popping, clacking or something like that sound. It's not the cv, just replaced the axle with a FWE reman. over the weekend. So assuming it's the caliper starting to go bad but inconsistently failing.
Probably to help keep it from making the cutest, tiniest little clunk.
Or maybe they were worried that without some stickiness, the caliper might back way the heck off from the rotor.
Or maybe it's so that not only the caliper pistons retract the tiniest bit, but so does the caliper frame itself.
Well my plan is to try now front pads and rotors, reclean and lube the slides again, get new pistons (steel/aluminum) and seals and try my luck. If no luck there I'll look into trying to find a reliable reman caliper.
Okay so got the new brake pads, rotors, calipers rebuilt, slides sliding good... seems to be holding good on that front but now I have my new rebuilt axle from FW enterprises slinging grease from the CV boots after just two weeks... guess I get to start another post now
I have two sets of calipers from around this era if you're interested in buying a used set to swap, for spares, or to pilfer for pistons.
I wouldn't buy any aftermarket caliper related parts myself due to higher chance of rust, not enough feedback and plethora of OEM availability used which typically last the life of the vehicle.
for 3 decades of main stream production Subaru had robust brakes with zero common issues - one thing I loved about about Subaru: simple, reliable, brakes with literally no known common issues (ignoring early ABS relay electrical issue).
so they add a bushing which was never needed before, addresses no extant issues, and causes additional failure modes and maintenance and repair issues. I have a severe dislike for pointless, issue prone, SPF's (single points of failure).
i like my brakes simple - Now I rip the bushings off, build a huge bonfire, traditional native american dance and throw them into the flaming inferno while using my monthly allotment of 4 letter words.
Alright. Managed to rebuild them but discovered that my 02 outback was built in fall of 01 resulting in a different brake caliper size. Had to purchase more pistons and boots and do it again but now no issues.
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