Front left brake sticking? 1986 GL Wagon 4WD 5spd. hill holder.

[daviddare73]

Hello there.
I am having a problem with my left front brake making noise from time
to time, I took it to the Subaru guy here in Sacramento. He said they
were fine? It seems to make a scraping sound after the ebrake is
released and sometimes when I really press hard, it just sounds like I
need new pads or metal to metal. I wonder if these cars have piston
problems? Or if I should not worry about it.? The car is great
otherwise, go Subaru go. it has 164,000 miles on it. I think it's time
to overhaul the engine, seals atleast, it uses/leaks oil at about a
quart every 2 weeks or so. ECS light comes on, the mechanic said it was
a vacuum leak in the environmental controls, I'll fix this spring. Also
he said there was a trouble code from the Distributor system. He said
it could be a loose wire, nothing big he says. Should I believe him.?
Let me know if I should be more worried. Thanks-daviddare73

 

[Rick Courtright]

It seems to make a scraping sound after the ebrake is
released and sometimes when I really press hard, it just sounds like I
need new pads or metal to metal. I wonder if these cars have piston
problems?

Hi,

Do you know the history of the car and its brake maintenance?

At 20 yrs old, if the brakes haven't been flushed on a regular basis,
there will be a LOT of crud in the calipers and cylinders. So a sticky
piston is hardly out of the question. Are you pretty mechanical? If so,
you might want to get rebuild kits for the front calipers and rebuild
them. Check, clean and lube everything involved w/ the parking brake
system as well--a sticking cable could cause the same kind of drag a
sticky piston would.

A "cheap and dirty" fix in the front sometimes involves simply replacing
the pads: you have to screw the piston back into the caliper to create
the clearance for the thicker new pads, and once in a while just that
action will free a sticky piston. Consider it "temporary" though--you've
really gotta get the crud out of the system to make the fix last!

At the rear, you may be able to get rebuild kits as well, but
considering what cylinders have looked like on similar age cars I've
played with, you could be money ahead to simply install new cylinders.

Rick

 

[bgd]

heelo,
my car is 20 and fabulous. no crud, good lines, original
calipers/cylinders and possibly fluid. I live in a colder area which does
have its benefits. If you find the pads are good, it is the guide to let you
know pads are bad, when they aren't. The scraper can dislodge/misalign and
be a nuisance. One bolt out of caliper, tip it up , slide pads out and
you'll see the scraper. If pads are bad there is grinding. Just squeaking is
that scraper I referred to. A chiltons or haynes makes it very easy, I read
once, and never have to look again.
The crud would require very bad fluid and 150 degrees outside for a
decade. I have never heard of such a thing. Something physics like
electricity would have to be involved to turn it black like carbon..and that
can come from the car itself. That is not a happy car.On a bizarre note, the
electrical system likes the wheels/rotors and hubs if the fluid is black,
and that goes with a dirty habit of dirty car for long periods of time. oh..
lose the hubcaps it helps, just not pretty to look at.

 

[Rick Courtright]

The crud would require very bad fluid and 150 degrees outside for a
decade. I have never heard of such a thing.

Hi,

Never heard of such a thing? Stick around a while!

Just redid a "senior citizen" '88 Toyota p/u that came from a lady whose
husband bought it new and drove it until he passed away--everything in
the brake system was original as far as I could tell, and it had only
63k miles. But those were all "around town" miles and the brakes were
worn out, front and rear. Brake fluid was jet black, rear cylinders were
almost clogged, front calipers had enough crud you could spoon it out.
There was a little rust in the calipers, LOTS of rust in the cylinders.

I'd say that vehicle was "pretty typical" of older stuff I've taken
apart.

The contamination comes from use: brake fluid absorbs moisture which
causes the rust, and brake dust works its way into the cylinders and
calipers, which causes the black fluid... 'tis nothing magic.

Rick C

 

[daviddare73]

Hey there,
Thanks for the tips, I looked at the drive line today and noticed the
CV boot is missing a big piece of itself, must've ripped completely
off? This ombined with the stuff you wrote about will probably do the
trick. I know the mechanic completely rebuilt the rear brakes and
replaced the bearing/drive axle, clutch, and a few other things. I was
hoping the mechanic would flush it but I guess I have to be more
specific. I can do mechanical work, I had a bad back surgery can't get
around good. I do change the oil and stuff like that regularly. Thank
you, daviddare73