Hi, on my 1996 Legacy Brighton wagon the CEL codes have come on again.  P301,302; P420.  The Auto Zone print out said likely a bad coil.  I switched out the spark plugs with NGK's today; I changed the fuel filter, as I was thinking maybe the slow starting was due to that.  I tried Techtron FI cleaner, again no discernible difference.  So I decided to order a coil, some sellers on ebay had OE used, as well as Herko for around $25 each delivered.  Is that the right way to go with this?

Also as the cat converter code P420 does not correlate with performance and it only comes up occasionally, is there any basic work around on that?  Thanks!

Another question on rear brake pads; as I hadn't done it on this vehicle, I ordered disc pads as they looked like the right one but once I pulled off the rear wheel it looks like they are drums.  Are those hard to get off and do?

Edited November 25, 20196 yr by ThosL

coil is possible - due to waste spark system, the specific pairs 1&2, and 3&4,share coil halves. Doesn't mean  somethingelse might not be going on.....

find a youtube video on subaru rear brakes - most newer models have a small drum that has the parking brake shoes, surrounded by the disc part. Your car 'may' be old enough to have drum rear brakes. Someone else will chime in with better info I'm sure.

Coil was put in maybe 3 years ago, so seems short term viability.  I guess there were drums and discs in same year.  

how hard the drum is to get off kind of depends on how worn it is inside.. if it is worn there could be a bit of a lip that will hang up on the shoes when you try to pull it off.

there is an adjusting wheel accessible from the back side that should allow you to adjust the shoes to give more clearance.

recommend getting a drum hardware kit as well as the new shoes.

The Brighton was a drum vehicle. Used a lot as a fleet vehicle.

Look for exhaust leaks before the first cat,. Is a possible cause. for 420.

Clear codes and swap wires to 3 and 4 and see if codes follow..

 

O.

The P)420 code can be eliminated by the spark plug fouler modification.  It places the rear O2 sensor further out of the exhaust stream to reduce the voltage sensed ending the code.  

I've fixed several Misfire codes by putting in used OEM coils from a pull and pay yard.  Make sure the wires are OEM or NGK.

A lot of good advice here and I will check out youtube on the brake drum service.  What a royal pain, why didn't they switch over all drum brakes to discs when it became economical to do so? 

Two major hurdles with drums, getting them off and knowing how to remove springs put in new parts and put them back in.  Too many challenges unless you are a trained mechanic! With disc brakes, you just take apart the front assembly after jacking the front up and push in the piston with a c clamp and change the pads.  

not really any more difficult with drums, aside from getting the springs off/on, lol. just pay attention to how things come apart, and put them back on in reverse. you dont need to be a "trained mechanic" to do this job.

my 2002 Forester has rear drums.

Once you have a drum off, and before you touch anything, take a quick photo of the brake assembly. Do both left and right sides; they are slightly different.

So if you have any doubt about how it all goes back together, you can refer to the photos.

Just back off the adjusting screw so that the drum slides on.

Rotate. If it rotates freely, tighten the adjusting screw until it starts to drag, then back off a little.

A new hardware kit will make life easier, but not necessary..

A regular pair of pliers to hold the cup against the spring as you rotate for the clip will work.

 

O.

I did the front pads, one side was near metal on metal, the other side was not as bad.  

I don't know what the likely wear will be on the rear drums once I get the drums off.  

Thanks for the advice.

The front calipers must be able to slide - sticking calipers lead to big differences in outer vs inner wear.

Most braking systems work the same. When you push the peddle the rear goes on first, then the front goes on but the front brakes harder than the rear.

Normally the rear shoes outlast several front pads. On our 95 RHD (mail car) I change the rear shoes every year or two, but I have to change the front (postal pads) every 8 months.