My front right brake pads are locked up on my Loyale and I am unable to leave the parking lot..I tried removing the Caliper by taking the slide pin out but nothing is budging. Anything I should try before calling a tow truck?

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by Nowah9

Caliper piston is seized. It will need to be replaced.  You will have to decide if you can do this where it sits. 

GD

Soak it in pb blast and try some heat? I'm out of ideas except maybe start tapping this and that with a hammer or some light prying just to get the caliper to rotate up...

This is gonna sound wiseass but the parking brake is typically on the right front? Would having that engaged prevent any sort of action?

Good luck! Hopefully you don't need a sawzall or something silly like that

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by sparkyboy

Parking brake is on both front calipers.

Definitely worth checking to see if that is stuck.  

10 hours ago, GeneralDisorder said:

Caliper piston is seized. It will need to be replaced.  You will have to decide if you can do this where it sits. 

GD

I probably could but I might as well get some use out of my AAA....is there a way to tell if it's a seized caliper vs the parking brake being stuck? Thanks GD

4 hours ago, DaveT said:

Parking brake is on both front calipers.

Definitely worth checking to see if that is stuck.  

If this is the case how could get it unstuck? The pads are definitely still pressed against the rotor like the e brake is on, but I've took it off and put the car in natural. 

Does this model have the hill-holder feature?

23 minutes ago, john in KY said:

Does this model have the hill-holder feature?

I'm not sure to be honest...

Hill holder would have a valvery up near the master cylinder,  linked into the clutch by a second cable.

You mean you removed the e brake cable from the arm on the brake assembly?  When you did this, did the arm move ?  They noreally have some free play that let's the arm move enough to get the cable end out of the pocket.

Other option....  remove the 2 17mm hex head bolts that hold the entire caliper and sliders .  More way it can move to slide off the rotor.  Heavy soft face hammer.   Big screwdriver between outer edge or rotor and caliper C.

25 minutes ago, DaveT said:

You mean you removed the e brake cable from the arm on the brake assembly?  When you did this, did the arm move ?  They noreally have some free play that let's the arm move enough to get the cable end out of the pocket.

Other option....  remove the 2 17mm hex head bolts that hold the entire caliper and sliders .  More way it can move to slide off the rotor.  Heavy soft face hammer.   Big screwdriver between outer edge or rotor and caliper C.

No sorry I meant I even with the e brake handle off and down, the brakes were still engaged. 

I went back today to get the car and it had rolled about 5 feet overnight since I never set the e brake. The pads must have unsezied somehow while sitting overnight. I got it towed anyways but I'm still pretty confused on why it happened.

Calipers can seize when they get hot, and then un-seize when they cool back down. Since the parking brake is integrated into the caliper piston, a seized parking brake is very similar to a seized caliper and they aren't really serviceable without replacing the caliper anyway.

GD

though it seems to be exceedingly rare, it is possible for hydraulic hoses to fail inside by a layer partly coming loose and making a sorta-'check valve'.

40 minutes ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

though it seems to be exceedingly rare, it is possible for hydraulic hoses to fail inside by a layer partly coming loose and making a sorta-'check valve'.

I have not seen this with a Subaru hose, but some older stuff from the 70's I have seen this on. Had some caliper hoses on a '72 VW that were swollen shut inside and no fluid would go through them either direction. 

GD

1 hour ago, GeneralDisorder said:

Calipers can seize when they get hot, and then un-seize when they cool back down. Since the parking brake is integrated into the caliper piston, a seized parking brake is very similar to a seized caliper and they aren't really serviceable without replacing the caliper anyway.

GD

I think this is what happened. Going to replace both calipers and all the pads today. Thanks for the suggestions everyone !

I had one wheel lock up years ago. the ebrake mechanism on the caliper was stuck on.   I pulled the cable off and worked the mechanism by hand over and over and it freed up. Boot and all looked good and no obvious issue and no rust.  Maybe I got lucky, it never did it again. 

17 hours ago, Nowah9 said:

I think this is what happened. Going to replace both calipers and all the pads today. Thanks for the suggestions everyone !

 

In another post GD mentioned new castings from Raybestos were a better option than typical rebuilts - dunno if they're available for your car but worth searching for. I think he said RockAuto has them, maybe other sources too?

That's for newer Subarus. The EA's get no love for new products. Not enough market.

GD

too bad....

If the cables are crudded up they may be slow or sluggish to release at the end that matters. I would have suggested earlier if I read this...try flip the clip and cable end at the caliper before blame the caliper itself. The caliper is overhaul able . But tricky if in a hurry. Two stages to overhaul. Just the piston side is easy enough. The handbrake side I have done with success and that satisfaction that comes with that. Special tool was a 4" G clamp and ceramic tiling tile wedge and grease made for the job