Brake Rotors on 2007 Outback

[amajr316]

Hello Again!
I own a 2007 Outback, and recently brought it in for Oil change / Rotation / State Inspection. The brake pads were pretty well worn, and because of a discount on the lifetime parts, I figured I would have them do the pads. The rotors looked good, so I figured I would leave them on to see how the car responded with the new pads only. Well, long story short - I will need to replace the rotors.
I have never done this on the Subaru, and was wondering if someone could walk me thru any steps, tips, tricks, or 'gotchas'. I have done this a couple of times on older cars, but not on anything as new as my Outback.
Thanks in advance for your help...

[arthuruscg]

you will probably need to small metric bolts to push the rotors off of the hubs bc of rust. The park brake is inside the rear drums, so remember to block the front wheels and disengage the park brake. If you need to retract the (parking) brake shoes even more, you can use the adjuster to pull them inwards. Also the rear drums are not auto adjusting, so you will need to move the adjuster manually.

[ThecaffeinatedOne]

Get a legacy Haynes book and follow the directions for changing the rotors. I just did that and they are pretty clear. Ditto on the metric bolts; the Haynes manual will alert you to the right size and it works slick. The bolts act as a wheel puller if the rotor is stuck. Because the parking brakes are small shoes / drums within the rear rotor assemblies, they can stick. Not a complex job but it does require a little patience and a good blue vocabulary.

And don't do what I did. I got the whole thing done and was walking around in my clogs cleaning up the tools and lost my balance. I stepped back and stepped on the steel rod I had bent to hold the caliper from hanging whilst apart. Problem was, I stepped backward to regain my balance and literally stepped out of my shoe, landing on the steel rod with 225 pounds of bare weekend mechanic's foot. Impaled my foot but good, right in the bottom of the arch.

So don't do that.

[Glennda5id]

I find a sledge hammer can be used as well to persuade rotors off of a hub. (Assuming you are not going to need the rotors anymore...)

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by Glennda5id

I find a sledge hammer can be used as well to persuade rotors off of a hub. (Assuming you are not going to need the rotors anymore...)

True it only took a slight tap from a heavy hammer to knock mine loose

[arthuruscg]

Using bolts to extract the rotors is even easier then a sledge hammer. I was easy using the air ratchet to remove the rotors. I didn't even have to get up from the rolling chair.