CNY_Dave

Sure, but I'm way up here near syracuse, land of the frozen north. Just in case anyone would like to know, I bought mine at Rapp in syracuse, and another that is supposed to be good in the area is Romano. Dave

If you make short trips it might help keep the oil fresh-and-minty. It probably was salvaged from an H6, someone might need/want it if you aren't going to use it. Dave

It probably takes 'cheap' pads to make it happen, but it has happened to me- one stop at a long light after hard braking and some pad material transfers to the rotor. This forms a hot spot that then chemically changes the rotor. http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml Dave

? "Annnnnyway, if the 'catch' seems to be about once-per-wheel-rotation when slowing down, and transitions from 'shake' to 'catch' as you slow, it's probably pad material deposition. Your description sounds just like my experience with pad deposition on the rotor. You might be able to sand the affected area or turn the rotor, but the hardened material actually extends below the rotor surface, and it will recur. If you're into taking it apart a bit to diagnose, you could pull the calipers and check that the pistons and sliders function correctly, and remove the rotors and look for what looks like a shadow of the pad. On mine it looked like you made a stencil outline of the pad and dusted the rotor (using the stencil) with charcoal. This particular problem is caused by getting the brakes hot and then stopping with the hot rotor against the pads, probably with the brakes on." Dave

Ummm, what? I was the first responder on this thread, am happy to see you read the entire thread before replying. The spindle nut aspect is important because it's a fairly big scope change to include the spindle nut, given how difficult it can be to remove, and especially given how critical it is to the wheel bearing to torque it properly. Dave

No need to remove the spindle nut on the legacy/outback. Dave

One of the reasons (well, almost the only reason) I bought mine from a dealer is that the car was sold at that dealer, serviced at that dealer, and the maintenance printout was fairly long and detailed. If you aren't getting that, yeah, a delaer has little to offer. I also didn't pay much or any more than the private seller price for mine, I think- subarus have a pretty high resale price up here where the AWD actually gets a fair bit of use. Private sale prices are close to the dealer price. Dave

Heh, I'm in syracuse NY also (when at work, anyway). Annnnnyway, if the 'catch' seems to be about once-per-wheel-rotation when slowing down, and transitions from 'shake' to 'catch' as you slow, it's probably pad material deposition. Your description sounds just like my experience with pad deposition on the rotor. You might be able to sand the affected area or turn the rotor, but the hardened material actually extends below the rotor surface, and it will recur. If you're into taking it apart a bit to diagnose, you could pull the calipers and check that the pistons and sliders function correctly, and remove the rotors and look for what looks like a shadow of the pad. On mine it looked like you made a stencil outline of the pad and dusted the rotor (using the stencil) with charcoal. This particular problem is caused by getting the brakes hot and then stopping with the hot rotor against the pads, probably with the brakes on. Dave

120K on my H6 2003 beaner, change the oil at 5k and keep the trans fluid and coolant changed at the prescribed intervals, and I think it'll last a long time. Serpentine belt pulley bearings should be changed if it hasn't been done. Dave

JB Weld is good, loctite sleeve retainer is a good choice also. With that it's questionable the key would see any stress at all. Getting it off for the next repair is the exciting part. Dave

Huh, I wonder if that's where my slight antifreeze smell comes from. No wet spots, no drips, no coolant loss, just the occasional whiff. Dave

Somebody has to answer these questions for the rest of us... As long as you press 'em in right and torque 'em the right way, they'll probably both last just fine. Dave

I tried to find the answer to that last year... I used a subaru bearing and left the factory grease in it, and have put 15-20k miles on it. Not the answer to your question, but an answer to one of the persistent wheel-bearing questions. Dave

My '03 front sensor was like that- lots of patience, PB Blaster, and wiggling it back and forth turned the trick. Dave

A breaker bar can indeed beat an impact if the nut (and what it is holding) can vibrate even just a little. It could be the impact with the tire on and the tire on the ground could be better than using the brakes. Most popes are about 5ft10, where to get a long one? Also, where does the handle from the breaker bar go? Dave

Sure you were turning it the right way? (dave ducks) Dave

Well, you could also do that with the wheel on and push/drive the car fwds or backwards. Just enough to get it started, don't put weight on the bearings with the nut loose... Dave

I had a bad wheel bearing that droned while driving, for a while did not change while turning, and was undetectable by turning the wheel manually until I raised both fronts, put it in N, spun a wheel like heck, and then put my hand on the strut spring. Placing something on the strut (long screwdriver or socket extension) and folding your finger over the end and then sticking your knuckle in your ear magnifies whatever sound may be there quite a bit. Dave

I got a new nut, and got all my parts from the dealer. Only bad part about re-using the nut (AFAIK) is if you need to stake it in the spot where it was staked before. What on earth could be different about the nuts? Same thread on both, axles are the same, hubs are the same, wheel bearings are the same as far as I can tell... Dave

I brazed 2 flat pieces of metal into the end of a piece of pipe to do my friend's inner tie rod ends- plymouth horizon. I wonder if it happens to be the right size? Dave

The preload is set when the two inner races contact each other as you tighten the axle nut. For me there were several-3-5 axle nut rotations that took a fair bit of torque, then the bearing races contacted each other, then the torque value was reached within 1/8 of a turn or so. Make sure you do not tighten the axle nut by putting weight on that wheel- the bearings can't see any load until they're fully preloaded. Have someone stomp on the brake pedal. If you're using a press make sure that what is taking the force is the correct part of the bearing/hub/spindle. I did mine last year, writeup is here somewhere. Dave

It's been awhile since I've done inspections, but I believe they should not be charging you again for re-testing if it's just a matter of waiting for the computer to be ready. Dave

You can still cut a slot with a dremel and use a flat-head impact screwdriver. Dave

It's the back end wagging back and forth on a flat, level, slick/icy road. Dave

So what you need is a low-effort positive-displacement pump driven by the same exact pump running backwards, metering new fluid in at the exact rate old fluid is pumped out. Could go in the return or in the fill hole. Dave