porcupine73

Hi theflystyle, did you figure out how these brake lines install? I'm asking because I was thinking of getting these lines for my '00obw and '96 legacy. My guess on your issue is that you said the place made them themselves, so they probably didn't cut the lengths exactly the same.

Hi carnutbill and welcome! You really should just a OE Service Manual or at least a Haynes manual - that will show the step by step procedure with pictures. It's kind of long to list out in detail. If you've done it on some other vehicle it should be doable no problem. I'd suggest against installing any aftermarket half shaft. Either replace both boots yourself or maybe send it to the places that works with ccrengines.com to rebuild it for you. Another factor is - how long has the boot been ripped? If grit has gotten in there, you may need to replace more than just the boot and grease. If you replace just the boot, get a kit from a Subaru dealer. It includes the boot, bands, grease, and maybe a new circlip depending on the joint type. And might as well replace both while you've got the thing out, although I forget the details but it is possible to replace one boot without totally removing the half shaft from the vehicle but that means working under the car while doing it.

Maybe you could have them put it on only the second click instead of all the way on? I'm not sure but I think those pumps click off under a certain amount of backpressure. I didn't know there were places that don't let you pump their own gas. Many times these laws are the result of someone getting hurt at some point. It also might be that AFAIK the area around gasoline pumps is a 'classified area' as per NFPA, though I don't recall the group/div rating off hand.

Good question....he may have recently acquired a ball and/or chain that doesn't think the vehicle is 'condusive to family use'.

Ceteris paribus, I'd go with the 95 Legacy, 2.2L, take that extra thousand and buy any parts/service needed to put it in top shape.

If available I'd like 5th dibs. The FWD fuse doesn't matter in the MT AFIAK.

Tell the 'autozoner' to humor you and give it a try. The '00obw is ODBII so and ODBII reader will read the codes. That's pretty much the whole point of ODBII - to have the same standard for all vehicles sold in the U.S. I don't know about his thing about the 'airbags might go off'. There are some ~'96's I think that sometimes have an issue with airbag deployment for no apparent reason so maybe that's what they're thinking of. If it is front O2 sensor, note there was a recall for some '00obws on this sensor (for cracking), and get an OEM sensor for the front. Autozone not wanting to read the codes reminds of when I went to Carquest looking for a code reader. They told me it was illegal to sell them anymore. Went down the road to Pepboys and they had many models.

Spark plug hole seals. They go over the spark plug tubes directly behind the valve cover. The seals compress with age and leak.

Sounds good nipper; I think I'll just replace everything. The fronts probably need to be looked at too. So what's the type/brand of pads and rotors to use? Stick with OEM? Or something aftermarket? I've heard some people say they like brembo rotors. Regular? Slotted? Drilled? Drilled&slotted? How's about EBC pads. But green or red? Phew too many choices. I wonder if I should replace those rusty backing plates too? Though I assume I have to pull the hub to do it.

What do you guys think of this CRC/Sta-Lube brake caliper synthetic grease? I found a tub in the garage I forgot I had bought from napa. It doesn't specifically say it is good for caliper slides/pins like the Permatex and AGS products do. .

You can get the starter contacts from the dealer. I got mine from http://www.subaru-parts-dealer.com for abour $7 I think. There some other make's contacts, maybe Nissan but I can't remember, that also will fit. Someone had a nice post recently with good pictures of an actual starter taken apart showing the old pitted contacts.

Well I got both sides apart today. One of the guide pins on the caliper on the hot wheel was frozen. All the others moved pretty freely, but one was stuck. Also the pads were pretty frozen in the caliper mounts. There is rust on everything in the braking system, which isn't too surprising since this area uses rock salt. All pad thickness is still good, all at least .499". Rotor thickness is good, about .393". Rotor runout is about .003" on both rotors. Rotors have no deep groves, but they're kind of rusty. So I guess I can just clean everything up and reassemble. Or should I just replace everything with new (which I am always tempted to do) and rebuild the calipers? Here's some pics to show the condition of the existing parts:

I took a look at my caliper rebuild kit for my '96. I think the two pink/red packages are the Niglube RX-2. The pads come with the gold colored stuff, which I assume is the Dow Molykote AS880N.

Thanks for the info guys. Nipper that Permatex looks like a good product. I'll have to see if napa has that. Or I'll see if I can find this similar Permatex 'hi temp' product. sea#3, that looks good too. Did you buy that retail somewhere or is it an internet order item? I think the Niglube is maybe sold only in Japan. I found some sites with info but they had Japanese text on them.

Was an alignment done? I'd say it is required, considering the tie rod ends.

How's about the front strut mounts? Were the bearings in good condition? edit: also were the spacers in good condition and were they reinstalled?

Oh depending on the issue, the contacts are known to sometimes go bad.

I'd have to say yes. Subarupartsforyou.com lists the following (varies based on MT or AT, but same part # for 1990-2004 Legacy. 23300AA220R1 Legacy 1990-2004 Engine, Starter STARTER OEM REMAN FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSION LEGACYS ALL 1990-2004 (We will buy back the core in the box for 30 dollars after the job is done, contact us by email and we will arrange) 23300AA230R1 Legacy 1990-2004 Engine, Starter STARTER OEM REMAN FOR 1990-2004 LEGACYS WITH AUTO TRANSMISSIONS ALL (We will buy back the core in the box for 30 dollars after the job is done, contact us by email and we will arrange)

This NIGLUBE RX-2 (Part No.003606000) is the grease specified for lubricating some parts of the brake system including the disc caliper mount guide pins. Anyone know of an alternative to this lube? A google search only returns a couple of hits. I think this is the red grease that comes with the OE Subaru caliper rebuild kits. There are alternatives to the Molykote AS880N (Part No. 26298AC000) for other parts of the brake system such as where the pads meet the pad clip. One I saw was a Neo grease, maybe my local race shop would have that.

Oh man good point Setright! If it's an AT they may have drained either your front diff and/or the AT. Check all fluid levels ASAP. My understanding is that's one of the reasons Subaru switched to the large Torx socket.

Hm...interesting thought Skip I will definitely check it. The pads remained ni the caliper support when I removed it. I didn't yet try to remove them. The shims or whatever those metal things in there with the pads are a little rusty looking. I'll have a look see tonight. These brakes are what was on the vehicle when I bought it used about 15k miles ago last year. When I heard that raspy gritty noise I thought it might be wheel bearing, but it's dead silent and smooth and no freeplay with the rotor off. The rotor has rust on the back and the backing plate has rust and they rub together a little bit making the raspy sound.

Ok thanks for the advice guys. I'll have another look see tonight. The caliper seemed to slide pretty freely on the mount, but I haven't worked on brakes before. So I'll pull the other rear wheel and compare. For the bearing, with the rotor and wheel off I hear no noise at all when I spin the hub and it seems to spin as freely as the other side. There is no noticeable freeplay. Maybe I'll flush the whole assembly with brake cleaner, regrease everything, put it back together and go for a short test drive. If the wheel stays cool I'll hope I'm golden. Can I maybe bend back the backing plates a little bit and/or clean off some of the rust? I know the rotor is rubbing against the backing plate and I think that was the little bit of drag and raspy sound I heard.

Well that's good news. Good thing I didn't place any bets on this one.

If it does turn out to be the timing belt, do some compression and/or cylinder leakdown tests before going further (I'm assuming you have the 2.5L) since some valves may have gotten bent.

Your timing belt is probably busted.