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Comments
Front rotors turned at 10K.
Front rotors and pads replaced by Subaru at 22K (Told the rotors had "hot spots").
All fine at 42K.
Thought it was a design issue - stopping 3750 lbs. - but now leaning toward bad initial rotors.
Ralph
Maybe 5 speeds are less prone to having that problem. I still have the original pads on my Forester at 52k!
-juice
Anyway, I hear the doors lock and as it was said .. the lights flash also .. the beeps and chirps annoy me!
Brakes are much cheaper than transmissions
Engines can stop you at about 150-300hp (whatever HP your engine is), generally brakes have stopping power of 2500hp-3000hp
-mike
-juice
Mark
Wasn't replaced... didn't need to.
-Dave
p/s Mark- got your e-mail. Thanks
Also, they're mistaken that engine braking is the same power as the engine's rated horsepower. An engine makes power out of fuel to get its rated horsepower, while engine braking is simply a factor of engine friction and compression losses. If they were equal, the engine could not overcome its own compression and friction to run.
To add to the braking issues, my '97's brakes are slightly warped and have been since I bought the car at 23, 000 miles. I think Subaru uses a domestic source for their rotors and they're inferior but Sube wants American content to keep out of hot water politically.
IdahoDoug
Greg
-mike
I had new pads and rotors machined at 53k. Pads are "RAYB. BLUE BOX" after 7k the dust on the rims is almost like paint and so far has been impossible to remove.
Did I install wrong pads? How can I clean the rims? (Daughter doesn't have time to clean either.)
Jerry
Try a bug/tar remover and some elbow grease. You could also use WD40 or a solvent, just be careful and test an area first. Wash it when you are done, then put on a coat of wax (most rims are painted).
I bought used alloys from a Legacy that is 2 generations old, and when I was done they looked like this:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291761427&p=4256046990- &idx=3
-juice
Yes, there was some warping on my Sienna rotors, but it was after quite a few miles and completely within reason. I can't recall exactly at what mileage that occurred -- it is the wife's car so would have to get out the maintenance file at home.
You are correct that heavier cars should have larger brakes that would dissipate more heat. But, I suspect that they are not usually enough larger (probably can't be enough larger and still fit in the wheel well) to compensate for the tremendous extra heat of the additional weight. Next time you see a Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, or other exotic sports car in the Wal-Mart parking lot, check out the massive disks on the front of those things.
Some of the technical/engineer types will have to weigh in on this one as I only have a very general understanding of the whole friction/heat/energy transfer thing. I have a friend who could answer it, but I hesitate to ask the question as it would obligate me to listen to the hour-and-fifteen minute response he would want to give rather than the under-10 minute response I would want to hear. And the OB is a heavy car, only a couple hundred pounds lighter than my Mark VIII.
--K9Leader
Now, picture a van loaded with 7 people plus cargo, then those tiny rotors fighting to stop all that weight.
I think swept area is important, so a bigger rotor diameter is key.
-juice
1) Front to rear weight ratio and weight transfer during braking. This determines how much the fronts have to do. Although I like the idea of 4 wheel disks, on some vehicles, adding rear disks may be somewhat irrelevant - the fronts are doing almost all of the work.
2) Increasing the rotor diameter and pad size serves to increase the total swept area plus the instantaneous contact area. That aids stopping power, plus the increased total external rotor surface helps radiate heat. If the pads get too large, extra pistons are required to promote even pressure. Some heat is shed thru piston contact to the caliper and bracket assembly. But you have to be careful not to 'cook' the fluid and caliper seals. Material selection in brake components plays a part in how quickly the heat 'moves' from the point of generation to the total system for good dissapation.
3) Making the core of the rotor hollow (venting fins) further increases the total surface area. How efficiently the air flows thru this honeycomb is a factor. Some fin designs work like fans, some just hold the two halves together...
4) Slotting and cross drilling - much debate on gas trapping, etc. I won't go here....
5) Total airflow around the brake system is extremely important - a function of wheel design and air porting thru the lower facia (front bumper) region.
How was that, Robert?
Steve
Steve, what do you know about frozen rotors?
--Rob aka K9Leader
-mike
This is very fustrating. Does anyone have any tips, advice, or similar experiences?
Thanks!
My 2001 LLBean w/ 42.5K has had no problems, except for the front rotors...Knock on plastic wood...
Ralph
-juice
When braking, there is a low groaning noise. My wife heard a high pitch squeak this morning while driving (on and off) with no brakes being applied. I test drove it but didn't hear it. It looked like everything had been put back together properly.
Are the pads just settling on the newly machined rotors or did the dealer screw up? Any thoughts from those of you more mechanically inclined than I?
-Eric
Anyone have advice or experience?
-Brian
andre: dunno about the seat belts, but ask the dealer. I think safety equipment is covered for a longer period.
Martin: our last car was also a 626, but our experience was the opposite. I looked at old service receipts, and you would not believe it. We had oil leaks, brakes, muffler, axle, bearing, 02 sensor, and fuel injection problems with ours. I was happy to be rid of it.
McNeill: also consider an alignment. If insurance paid for the damage, they might even cover the costs for you.
-juice
has anyone had any problem similar to this? is there a solution? if i bring it to the dealer, should i have them replace the carpeting under warranty since it is bound to become moldy?
any help or advice would be appreciated. i love this car and maintain it religiously and i hate thinking that the water is damaging it.
Have you been running the A/C or the defrost/defog a lot? The condenser dehumidifies and collects a lot of water. If it is not draining properly, then the excess could be leaking out/sloshing out into the footwell.
What about your coolant level? Has it been constant? Or is it down? Does the moisture in the footwell smell like coolant? I've heard stories of coolant leaking into the footwell.
--K9Leader
it is never garaged. after i dried it out, yes, it did rain. it does not have a sunroof, and there is no water coming in through the window or windshield. the water seems to be coming from below. i say this because after i dried the floomat and the carpet, the next morning the floor mat was wet and the carpet was soaked. it's as if there is water pooled underneath the floor somehow.
i haven't used the AC much, the defog occasionally but not for more than 10 minutes in the morning. there is no coolant smell in the moisture, only the musty smell of standing water.
also, there is always an area of wetness on the ground underneath the driver side, behind the wheel.
Another possibility, which I've seen with Miatas, is that the drains under the side valances are clogged. One symptom is you usually hear water sloshing around. A thorough clean up and maybe a paper clip to clear the drain holes might help.
Let us know what you find?
-juice
--jay
Greg
Front rotors resurfaced at 10K
Front rotors AND pads replaced at 22K
All fine now at 43K+ (only problem with car so far - knock on plastic wood).
Curry Subaru told me (in 2002) SOB had 1 resurface, then replace policy. Do not accept 2 resurfacing! That's crazy!
Ralph
In the past, I noticed that the clutch pedal would stick after release, not coming up all the way. I lubed it with WD40 (which evaporated after awhile) and the shudder would go away.
I finally did the job right, and did my contortionist act, using 'sticky' motorcycle chain lube on ALL the linkages/shafts under the dash. My clutch has not shuddered AT ALL for several months! I'm convinced that the design of the clutch linkage, coupled with some amount of 'feedback' into the clutch linkage from engine torque, causes the shudder. I can now start out at 1,000 rpm, with just a touch of throttle, without stalling the engine.
On another clutch note, last winter, I BADLY smoked the clutch while backing up my snowmobile trailer in deep snow. For the next several weeks, I had a slipping clutch. Here's the good part: the clutch finally wore back to 'good'. It doesn't slip anymore!
I'm looking forward to the NEXT 70,000 miles - I love this car!
Another option is a spray lithium grease. I lube pedals when I do the 30k service, but then I'm a bit nuts that way.
-juice
Greg
P.S. Stayed away from the new cars. All I would need to do is start getting jazzed about the new Subarus and start getting myself in trouble.
IdahoDoug
I want to change the plugs.
They are not easy to get to.
Has anyone out there changed plugs on the boxer
engine? If so, is there a trick to getting them
out or do I have to remove a bunch of stuff,
battery etc to get them out?
I love the boxer engine, but those plugs are
really buried.
The manual says 5yr 60,000 mile replacement.
My car has 4yr 37,000 miles so I can wait awhile.
IdahoDoug
I've got a 1997 Outback with the same "engine that eats head gaskets." What should I look for on the plugs and what corrective action could be taken?
If the car is not run regularly, you might also find some actual rust on the sparkplug portion that's inside the cylinder (rust on the portion outside of the cylinder would not be an issue).
One other tip I forgot above would be to pick up a small tube of dielectric (does not transmit electricity) grease and put some in the rubber spark plug boots. You'll thank yourself for this and the anti-sieze paste when the next sparkplug change goes so smoothly you'll feel like using the extra time to change the tranny fluid...
IdahoDoug
BTW, do I need a special tool to get the plug
wires off? After removing the WW tank, I can get
hold of the wire cap, but hard as I pull, they
won't come off. Am I just too weak?
Since they don't really need replaced yet, I don't want to break anything, rather wait another
year if I am going to break something.
Click and clack says, even with platinum plugs, they recommend pulling them out every 30,000 miles so they dont get 'frozen' inplace so you can't ever get them out.
I never let a car go more than 30,000 on a set of plugs, even platinum, seems like too long, but in this case, I think I will wait another year.
Does anybody know the torque value for the lug nuts on a 02 LL Bean. Cant fine info in owners book. Thanks.
Mario
-Brian
I agree with K&K on this one - get them out of there and use the anti sieze and special grease I mentioned upon reinstall.
IdahoDoug
It appears that the chips are only in the clearcoat, but are slightly greyish in colour. Is this because of the damage to the clearcoat?
What products would you recommend to hide the chips? Will waxing help at all?
It is definately not something for touch-up paint.
Thanks for your suggestions.
BTW, it is dark green
At the touch-up paint section of some auto parts stores you can buy clear coat in the same little brush bottles. Not a great solution, but better than applying timberline green which will really stand out. My wife "flexed" the fender on our Honda, cracking the clearcoat in a few little spots. It does indeed look hazy grey where damaged. I have yet to do anything with it myself.
Steve