Well I check the smell and it's not from the Rotors, Well I think not, The smell is more like antifreeze of an acid smell I see not leaks so I will look into that some time
antifreeze commonly evaporates off hot engine so you rarely see liquid dribbling. look for white scale deposits like on faucets in hard water areas, esp around both ends ofthe radiator hoses. coolant smells sort of sweetish and kind of funky inthe fermentation sense, while hot brake linings smell like a diaper needing changing (seriously). battery acid has an acrid, biting, citrusy odor, but if you're smelling that, you'll see lots of acid dmg near battery too.
Can I do this on my on or should I have a tire place torque the lugs and check the stud. I’m all over the place I have no clue what’s up.
absolutely. go to your local Harbor Fright, get $15ish beam type 1/2 drive torque wrench and cheapest socket set they have. assuming you have alloy wheels so i'd guess they're torqued to something in area of 65-85 ft lb, but yr O-manual may show spec and shop manual certainly will. anyone know spec on this?
the way lug nuts can warp rotors is when someone uses air impact wrench, many of which can generate 450-600 ft lb, and cranks em down and doesn't do the last bit with either torque wrench or educated arm. regettably common practice. one of the 1st things i do to a vehicle being driven by signif other is make sure the lug nuts don't require King Kong to loosen.
I’m all over the place I have no clue what’s up. But keep the info coming I will try anything at this point. I'm thinking now I may take the 2 front tire/rims off of the 04 Outback and put them on the 02 Outback and see if I still have this issue. If Im correct they shoud fit.
this is a great idea, as you can eliminate several variables this way. if you really want to be sure, slap the 02 wheels on 04 and drive it.
i stillthink it's warped rotors after re-reading symptoms, and given the miles on yr car, calipers needing attn as the cause is entirely possible. calipers that are wasted enough that they don't retract will oftenshow signs of heat/age/UVozone deterioration....cracked and dried rubber on the seals, but not always. it's possible shop turned old rotors instead of replacing em, and theold ones are now below minimum mass for heat retention/dissipation and are warping from heat of use. it's hard to diagnose wqithout seeing car.
one other possibility you shd look at is worn front wheel bearings and/or CVs as Jondalar mentioned....if those are way worn, esp wheel brgs, the reverse torque applied to the axleshaft under braking can cause entire axle assy to move aroundslightly, causing a judder. slop in steering tie rod ends might be able to generate some judder under braking torque too, i'm guessing.
one suggestion for cost & labor effective approach: i think Firestone, sears, etc otto centers will look over all the undercar stuff for free or minimal $ cuz they hope to sell you the repairs if they find anything. so they have econ incentive to be v. critical. use them to get a 2d opinion. print out this thread and show it to whomever you have look at it further, sorta like giving the psychiatrist a family history. good luck and keep us posted.
bw
