beenaroo_01

Oh snap! I'll have to take it to a shop for this then -- I don't do cooling systems because of disposal issues, since I don't have a garage and have to work in a parking lot. Oil is easy, since Pep Boys here in NJ take used oil, but not so for used coolant. Thanks for that info. Maybe when I get the new pipe, I will paint it to prevent corrosion there in the future.

That's the one!! Thank you so much. Pipe, oil cooler, Part # 21328AA053

We have an '01 Outback Wagon H6 (LL Bean), and I noticed on last oil change that the metal pipe transporting engine oil into/out the oil filter housing is rusting/rotting pretty seriously right in the middle. I don't know how non-H6 Outbacks go, but this one has oil filter below the engine, and this oil pipe I'm talking about is on the bottom, parallel to road surface, and must catch all the crud and water when driving. It seems to be secured on both ends with some rubber hoses and clips. The pipe looks to be about 3/8" OD. I was hoping to get this thing replaced when I do the next oil change, so I don't have to make a trip to the dealer. Can anyone with an electronic service manual tell me the part number for this pipe and rubber hoses fitted to its ends, please?

Ok, I call them studs with bellows, you call them pins with boots - same object. Sorry, I didn't take pics :-( Basically, my point was that the upper "pin", with also has a grease boot, slides in and out freely, while the lower pin was stuck in its position and would note slide out. So when I removed its grease boot and took it out, there was a rubber grommet near the tip of the pin, sitting in sort of a groove in the pin. Maybe there was excess grease in the bore, but the lower pin seemed to be held in by suction. When I cut out a portion of the grommet to get some clearance with the bore, the lower pin could move freely in the bore again. Does that make more sense?

Success!! I replaced front pads and rotors. It's one of those jobs where I wish I had a lift, but it wasn't bad at all - I made sure all the bolts can be loosened on both sides before proceeding ;-) I have to say those Duralast parts from Autozone are great! The rotors look quite high-quality and include two holes for 8-mm bolts to press them off. The pads came with built-in shims and were semi-metallic. I cleaned out the grooves and lubed the tabs on pads, and they went in just perfectly! There was one interesting development which caught my eye... Caliper bolts thread into studs, which in turn slide inside the bores of the caliper mounting bracket, and the studs are "sealed" with rubber bellows to keep lube inside the bores. The studs are supposed to move freely to allow the caliper to adjust and center. I found that on both sides of the car, the bottom stud would not extend, while the upper studs moved freely. I finally worked a lower stud to get it to move, but it would retract immediately, as if by suction. When I pulled the stud out, I noticed a rubber grommet around it near its tip. There was plenty of lube, but then I had a problem with pushing the stud in because it wouldn't stay in - it would come back out. It came to me then that the rubber grommet must have swollen from the lube and expanded, and the grooves that were molded on the outside of the grommet must have sealed against the bore as the stud was being pushed in, not allowing the air to come out of the bore and thus pushing the stud back out. I remedied this by removing some material from the grommet to create a deeper groove, and this allowed for free movement of the lower studs. It's interesting that the upper studs don't have these grommets on them, while the lower ones do. What's up with that? I think both studs must move freely for even pad wear, so the caliper can center itself with usage. Did anyone else notice this or had this issue?

I had to do my front brakes first on the other car, so didn't get to it this weekend. :-( One more question - how do the rotors fit on the hub? Are they bolted? I hear there are 8-mm bolts that could be used to press the rotors off if they are stuck on. Is that a correct size bolt, because I'd go to a hardware store and have 2 ready just in case...

Since fit may be a problem, and I hate when that happens, I might get pads at a Subaru dealer but get rotors at Autozone. If there is a possibility of aftermarket pads not fitting properly, I'd rather not take that chance. I have Mercedes caliper grease, which I got for my own car a while back, so I will use that on backsides of pads/shims and sliders. I must say Subaru caliper is designed in a somewhat unusual way from what I'm used to seeing. Usually, I see the entire caliper assembly mounted onto the steering knuckle by 2 bolts, while they chose the 2-piece design. Perhaps it makes things easier. I have a pad-spreader tool, which is essentially a modified C-clamp - one advice I read is to spread/reset one piston at a time, instead of both together. Thanks for reminding me about PB Blaster! As far as antiseize for the bolts, you don't necessarily want to do that. I've been advised by reputable Master Techs to use Loctite Blue on caliper bolts. It's a threadlocking compound, as you don't want your caliper bolts backing out! But this compound still prevents seizing when disassembling in the future. Can someone please point me to proper torques for the caliper (14 mm) and caliper support (17 mm) bolts, as well as the lug nut torques? So far, I found 37 ft-lb for 14-mm, 57 ft-lb for 17 mm, and 65 ft-lb for lugnuts. Anyone have a factory service manual? ;-)

Thank you for confirming this I would like to ask opinion about friction parts now. Autozone has very nice prices on Duralast parts - 30 bucks per rotor and 30-55 bucks for a set of pads depending on material. Their rotors looks fine: and I am guessing there wouldn't be a whole lot of difference between different brand rotors... Dealers would probably charge 4X for the same thing. What about pads - should I go semi-metallic or ceramic? I would like something that wear rotors slower but provides good stopping power... Ultraquiet Ceramic (Gold Cmax): Ceramic (Gold): Semi-metallic:

Hello folks, I am a Subie newbie, if you pardon the rhyme... I would like to replace front brake pads and rotors on my gf's '01 Outback H6 and looking for a few pointers: 1. Replacing pads and rotors for ABS and non-ABS systems is the same, right? I've never worked with ABS cars ;-) 2. I saw a DIY about front brakes on the Outback, but I am still unclear about how front rotors are removed. I understand caliper bolts and the calipers come out, but it looks like the caliper mount/support bracket is still in the way... Is that support removed as well? 3. How are the rotors attached and are any special tools needed to remove them? Thank you in advance.