brake pedal drop

[PAJ]

Hi all!,

 

It's been awhile since I've needed any of your sage advice so here goes.

 

My 98' Legacy OBW with 275k has been doing something odd since sometime shortly after I made the 2.5 to 2.2 swap earlier this year. It all seemed to start after a particular hard braking. There was a piece of junk along the side of the road that I just HAD to have. When I trounced on the brakes I felt and heard a loud CLUNK from the front, and thought "something definitely shifted here". I've checked under the beast thinking that there was something I forgot to torque, but everything seems to be tight.

 

Since then, the symptoms are that the brake pedal will drop almost to the floor, usually on a particularly hard stop or when shifting from reverse to drive. Most of the time the with the accompanying clunk from somewhere in the right front. One pump of the foot and the brake pedal is back to normal.

 

 

I looked at the ball joint but it seems ok. Can't be the wheel bearing cauz I've driven maybe 10,000 miles in this state.

 

Any ideas? I'm out of em and I'm sure the State inspection man will gig me good on this one.

 

Thanx dudes.

[lmdew]

Most likely not related to the engine swap. Check that you have the brake booster vacumm hose installed correctly, there is a check valve in the hose.

 

Then I'd move to a good inspection of the brake calipers and wheel hubs.

 

Strange that the rest of the time braking is good with a good pedal. The fact that the brakes come back after 1 pump indicates the brake master is good.

 

Under normal braking is it pulling one way or the other?

[95legwagon]

wondering if it has something to do with the abs assembly.......the one and only time i locked up the tires on my 95 lego it made a destinctive clunk sound ....not very loud and my pedal pulsed and stayed up from the floor..... im just wondering if it has seen its last days...... and thats @ the right front of the car.....

[PAJ]

I did wonder about the vac hose but it seems tight and it's just that right front.

She no pull to da left or to da right on braking. Only da normal slight shaka shaka shaka dat many of us experience.

I've never had a peep from the ABS.

 

It'z just gotta be somewhere in the suspension, but why the bloody pedal drop?

Nipper would probably have something to say.

 

 

I crawled under her today and found only tight bolts.

That and a trans drip from the one pan bolt that got sheared off when I over torqued just a bit...

 

I'll pull the wheel tomorrow and see if there be anythin up with dat chumpie.

Perhaps I missed something at the ball joint.

 

If all else fails I'll lash a kid to the fender to directly observe the phenomenon when I do a terminal brake check at 70mph.

 

 

Thankz.

Edited August 31, 2011 by PAJ

[nipper]

Hi all!,

 

It's been awhile since I've needed any of your sage advice so here goes.

 

My 98' Legacy OBW with 275k has been doing something odd since sometime shortly after I made the 2.5 to 2.2 swap earlier this year. It all seemed to start after a particular hard braking. There was a piece of junk along the side of the road that I just HAD to have. When I trounced on the brakes I felt and heard a loud CLUNK from the front, and thought "something definitely shifted here". I've checked under the beast thinking that there was something I forgot to torque, but everything seems to be tight.

 

Since then, the symptoms are that the brake pedal will drop almost to the floor, usually on a particularly hard stop or when shifting from reverse to drive. Most of the time the with the accompanying clunk from somewhere in the right front. One pump of the foot and the brake pedal is back to normal.

 

 

I looked at the ball joint but it seems ok. Can't be the wheel bearing cauz I've driven maybe 10,000 miles in this state.

 

Any ideas? I'm out of em and I'm sure the State inspection man will gig me good on this one.

 

Thanx dudes.

 

 

 

Well he should nail you bigtime on this one, this is a weeee bit unsafe.

 

Like the grand canyon is a wee crack in the topsoil.

 

At the mileage on this car everything has everything to do with nothing, so A doesnt releate to B.

 

My first bet is going to be a seized/frozen right front (or multiple) calipers.

[PAJ]

Ahhhhh.... I pulled the wheel and checked the caliper. The pads have nice even meat and they slide fine. The caliper itself seemd fine also. I looked again at the lower control arm (or whatever you call it) and could be that the bushings are worn out.

 

Alas, you're spot on about things wearing out. I shake & rattle more than roll these days. Perhaps it's time to pick up a Subie from the new millenium with a blown engine/trans and breathe new life into her.

 

The hard part will be thinking up what to name her...

[PAJ]

Ahhhhh.... I pulled the wheel and checked the caliper. The pads have nice even meat and they slide fine. The caliper itself seemd fine also. I looked again at the lower control arm (or whatever you call it) and could be that the bushings are worn out.

 

Alas, you're spot on about things wearing out. I shake & rattle more than roll these days. Perhaps it's time to pick up a Subie from the new millennium with a blown engine/trans and breathe new life into her.

 

The hard part will be thinking up what to name her...

 

: )

[Rooster2]

Ahhhhh.... I pulled the wheel and checked the caliper. The pads have nice even meat and they slide fine. The caliper itself seemd fine also. I looked again at the lower control arm (or whatever you call it) and could be that the bushings are worn out.

 

Alas, you're spot on about things wearing out. I shake & rattle more than roll these days. Perhaps it's time to pick up a Subie from the new millennium with a blown engine/trans and breathe new life into her.

 

The hard part will be thinking up what to name her...

 

: )

 

Suspension parts like bushings, tie rods, and ball joints, are inexpensive parts to replace. For not much money, you can breathe new life into your Subie, and enjoy her for many more miles.