99 Leg. Outback with 101k miles and rising rapidly

 

I had the front brakes and rotors replaced about 20k ago because there was vibration with heavy braking. A week after that, a clicking sound started when i lightly applied the brakes (as in coasting up to a stop light), that went away under heavy braking. I took it back to the place, and they said everything was fine and not to worry. It only got worse (and of course i had moved 2000 miles away by then) and i took it to a local place. They said that the original brake replacers never lubed them, so this place did and the brakes were good for about 1000k. Now, they click again under most braking conditions, but mostly under light braking. Neither mechanic was too concerned with this problem. Is it unsafe to drive?

 

thanks,

andrew

 

ps. the suspect brake has a thin layer of yellowish corrosion and feels dry...does it need lube? what kind?

The clicking sound may be the pads moving around if it only happens once when you apply the brakes. No problem but maybe annoying. If it's a rythmic clicking it's something different.

 

Where is this yellowish corrosion? DO NOT LUBRICATE THE PADS OR ROTORS!

Yes a friend admitted he did it when he was a kid. He's still alive and still dumb as a rock.

 

The lubrication for your brakes includes the sliding pins of the caliper and sparingly applied lube to metal to metal contact surfaces of the brake pad backing and caliper.

 

A high temperature brake grease is used. Nothing else.

one of your rotors may be sightly out of round. If you can do your own brake work find out which side is doing it and put that rotor on other side, if the sound then goes there the rotor is bad.

I had the front brakes and rotors replaced about 20k ago because there was vibration with heavy braking. A week after that, a clicking sound started when i lightly applied the brakes

If you got aftermarket pads put on they probably left the shims out, never seen aftermarket pads come with them. They are available from the dealer but they will tell you it's a special order item. They do come with factory pads, which are $$$ but worth it. Get a seta nd have them put on with the shims, your clicking will be gone.

 

JT:drunk:

Yeah, it is a repetitive clicking...not just once per braking. I cant do my own brake work, but I will get this checked soon. I am going on a road trip tomorrow and need to know if this is a safety issue.

 

Thanks

If eveything is tight it should not be a problem, but you cant know that without looking at it. Some times hub caps will make a clicking noise if you have hub caps take them off and try it. Also check and make sure lug nuts are tight while hub caps are off. Brakes are very easy to do if you have a friend with mechanic skill and a Haynes manual see if he will help you.