unibrook

If I detected wobble/pulsation in the brakes before redoing them, I would assume at least one rotor was warped, so I would replace it....since they are fairly cheap....and some shops can't/won't/don't do a good job grinding them down for much $ cheaper. Pads I just went cheap, since they are easy to replace later if you want to do so. My reman caliper came with a bracket, but if it had not, I would just have used the new caliper with the old bracket cleaned up. Hope that helps.

Zen and the Art of Subaru Maintenance..........kinda has a ring to it.

Just to help other searchers, I think I found the fix after reading some other threads. The symptom got gradually worse, and recently was happening almost every day. As soon as I started to drive, the ABS modulator would buzz for 10 seconds, then the ABS light would come on and stay on for the duration of the trip....and the buzz would stop at the same time as the light came on. Thx to Porcupine's suggestions, I focused on the two ground wires coming out of the big wire harness that connects via a big connector to the ABS modulator. These 2 ground wires connect to a bolt that also holds a horn just below the air snorkel. I couldn't get the ABS connector itself off, so I just left it as is. I also just skipped the Ohm testing and went to work on the ground wire eyelet, bolt and ground base with a wire brush. The ground wire eyelet and bolt were a fair bit corroded. Then I dielectric greased the parts, bolted it back up......and FIXED! No more buzz and ABS light. Thx!!!

Right, with the knuckle ON the car.....holding it in place, you will be able to pound it out with the slide hammer. It might take 40 or 50 big whacks, but it will come out. I have only done rear bearings, which exit away from the differential. Front bearings exit towards the engine, iirc, so that might hinder use of the slide hammer, I dunno.

Ecco this. I get that code about twice per year. I just make sure I get my inspection when that code is at bay.

I've ordered once so far from RockAuto. No prob at all.

yep, you sure don't want to spill any tranny fluid in the back of your car...even on the rubber cargo mat....even if you take it into the shower and soap and scrub it to try to remove the stank. Ask me how I know.

Definitely replace the lower hose clamps if your car is approaching 10 yrs old. They will eventually corrode and break, thereby allowing hose to slip off and dump coolant, leaving you on side of road.

I would additionally recommend using the slide hammer to yank the outer race out of the knuckle too, rather than try to press it out with the HubShark/HF tool. The reason is that the friction fit of the outer race in the knuckle is SO FRIKKIN tight that you can easily deform the outer lip of the knuckle with the plates of the tool as you crank on it. Ask me how I know this.

Sent by PM: Hi Wdog, I have used the Hub Tamer a couple of times on my 2001 Forester for rear wheel bearings. I took very detailed notes as I went. I can email it to you if you want. email me at: nwlovell at yahoo. Nat

When you redid your engine, did you replace your front 02 sensor? If not, had it been replaced within the last 40k miles? If not, that might be it.

Well, I suppose we don't have to use the phrase torque bind, if that creates confusion. But on my 2001 Forester 5MT with 109k miles on her, only the front wheels were grabbing the pavement on slow turns when the car was warm, never when cold. Changing the front diff fluid fixed it. 5k miles later still running fine, no symptoms.

Think of it this way. When people talk about torque bind, everyone seems to assume they mean the rear wheels are binding. When, in fact, it might be the rears, or it might be the fronts. On a manual tran subaru, if the rear wheels are binding, the problem is most likely your center diff (no fluid change possible there). If it is the FRONT wheels binding, then the problem is your front diff. You simply change your front diff fluid to cure it. Or at least, this is the first thing you should do to try to cure it. (the fact that the fluid is shared by the gearbox is neither here nor there).

Just to clarify. Read carefully what I wrote........if you car is a MANUAL TRANNY, then you would want to change the front diff fluid. This cures front wheel torque bind. Rear wheel torque bind is a problem with the center diff.

Glad you resolved it. I will just add for future searchers that if your car was a manual tranny, with front wheel torque bind symptoms when warm, then the fix is to change out the front differential fluid.

Front 02 sensor if not done in last 40k miles?

Front wheel bearing? If not sure, then just wait a few months. It will grow louder to resolve all doubt.

Hi Hieu, I thought all these new bearings came pre-packed with grease?

God bless you for trying the rebuild yourself. But for all the trouble and time....I just opt for the AutoZone rebuilt caliper for $65. Done.

If you haven't seen the movie Repo Man from 1984, you need to.

I am going to guess a slide pin/s and/or a piston/s are sticking/frozen. This prevents your brake pads from retracting and letting the wheel turn freely. If your caliper and bracket bolts are not frozen, then replacing the whole bracket/caliper assembly is quite easy. Go to AutoZone (or like shop) and buy a reman caliper....comes with everything but the banjo bolt and bracket bolts. Cost about $65 once you net out the core charge. Easy fix. Oh, btw, expect to replace the pads while you are at it.

Dude, I battled this warped rotor, excessive/uneven pad wear, brake drag issue for 2 years on my front left wheel of my 2001 Forester with 113k miles. Let me save you tons of time and effort, and probably $. As Rooster2 says, just go to AutoZone (or your carpart shop of choice) and buy a remanufactured caliper....it will cost about $65, once you net out the core charge, and it comes with pad bracket and new pins/boots etc...it looked brand new to me. The only things I had to re-use were the banjo bolt and the bracket bolts. Piece de la cake. Plata de shrimp. Wish I had done this from the start instead of trying to polish and lube my old pins and coax the old sticking cylinder into working better.

According to ccrinc, who posts here sometimes--they sell Subaru engines, you should use turbo gasket to replace stock hg. Recent post about it here, somewhere.

Right up against it, as I recall. I measured all of this stuff as I did it to be sure. Also a good idea to measure the ABS tone ring distance from brake adjuster gear wheel, so you can reinstall it to correct depth.

My 2001 Forester with 113k miles on her has had all of the usual suspect issues so far, sans head gasket failure yet, knocking wood: weak windshield cracks easily if hit by pebble....replaced once so far. moisture gets in front of cabin and rusts driver seat bolts near floor. drivers side rear wheel bearing replaced drivers side front disc caliper needs to be replaced with a rebuilt one. front inner axle boots torn. replaced those axles. front 02 sensor replaced twice. Seems to want a new one every 40k miles. AC condenser and high pressure line replaced. clock pulled and resoldered the usual resistor, twice. Once every 5 yrs. Front diff torque bind, easily cured by changing out diff fluid. burns oil like a 2 cycle. I quart every 2k miles. replaced knock sensor. replaced rusted out coolant hose clamps Dunno if you consider that good or bad for 10 yrs and 113k miles.