uneven brake pad wear

T

Thomas Hanno

Hey,
I just changed the front brake pads on my '97 Legacy Outback 2.5L with
146,000+ miles. I bought the car a year and a half ago and the brakes
have been squealing for about a year. I heard metal on metal grinding
the other day and decided to stop driving until I bought pads from the
dealer and replaced them. I got the new ones on and the squeak is
gone.

Here are two pictures of the pads I removed, the front left pads are
on the left and the front right pads are on the right. The furthest
pad on the right is the outside pad of the passenger side.

www.rpi.edu/~hannot/side.jpg
www.rpi.edu/~hannot/above.jpg

Should I worry about this uneven wear? My rotors seem fine, though
there are some minor grooves from the pad being almost completely worn
down. I used a drill and sandpaper attachment to grind them down as
much as I could. I suppose it's possible that someone replaced just
the driver's side pads before I got the vehicle, but after a year it
doesn't seem like the replaced pads would look that thick. Although,
writing that last sentence reminds me that the guy I bought the
vehicle from said he had replaced all the pads right before he sold it
to me...

On that same passenger tire, I noticed that one of the gaskets from
the piston (I think. The pistons are the cylinders you depress to
rotate the assembly back together...right?) looked like it had slipped
out a little. I would have grabbed a picture, but my hands were
filthy. It wasn't seated completely like any of the other ones,
anyway. Is this part of the problem?

When driving today, it sounded like the rear brake might have been
part of the squealing. I may pop the back tires off tomorrow to see if
the rear pads are in terrible shape as well.

Thanks for any tips.
 
Thomas said:
Hey,
I just changed the front brake pads on my '97 Legacy Outback 2.5L with
146,000+ miles. I bought the car a year and a half ago and the brakes
have been squealing for about a year. I heard metal on metal grinding
the other day and decided to stop driving until I bought pads from the
dealer and replaced them. I got the new ones on and the squeak is
gone.

Here are two pictures of the pads I removed, the front left pads are
on the left and the front right pads are on the right. The furthest
pad on the right is the outside pad of the passenger side.

I'd guess the previous owner or his/her mechanic
only changed the left pads last time.

I'd inspect the new ones 10,000 miles from now and
see if they are wearing evenly. If not, then I'd
wand to find the cause.
 
I agree it could be that only one side was replaced.

In any case I would:
- check the shims to make sure that the pads fit snugly and are not
lose to rub against the disk when no pressure is applied.
- replace the brake fluid and make sure that the piston goes easily
into the caliper.
- Make sure that the caliper slides easily on the tow posts that hold
it to the pad holder bracket.
- Make sure that the pads have the shims that cover the surfaces that
go against the caliper and piston

The seal you talk about is called a dust guard, the piston is the piston
and the body where the piston goes is called the caliper. If
dust/moisture etc., enter the piston/caliper assembly, the piston could
stick, thus not freeing the pads completely when the pedal is released.

Good luck!
 
Thomas said:
Hey,
I just changed the front brake pads on my '97 Legacy Outback 2.5L with
146,000+ miles. I bought the car a year and a half ago and the brakes
have been squealing for about a year. I heard metal on metal grinding
the other day and decided to stop driving until I bought pads from the
dealer and replaced them. I got the new ones on and the squeak is
gone.

Here are two pictures of the pads I removed, the front left pads are
on the left and the front right pads are on the right. The furthest
pad on the right is the outside pad of the passenger side.

www.rpi.edu/~hannot/side.jpg
www.rpi.edu/~hannot/above.jpg

Should I worry about this uneven wear? My rotors seem fine, though
there are some minor grooves from the pad being almost completely worn
down. I used a drill and sandpaper attachment to grind them down as
much as I could. I suppose it's possible that someone replaced just
the driver's side pads before I got the vehicle, but after a year it
doesn't seem like the replaced pads would look that thick. Although,
writing that last sentence reminds me that the guy I bought the
vehicle from said he had replaced all the pads right before he sold it
to me...

On that same passenger tire, I noticed that one of the gaskets from
the piston (I think. The pistons are the cylinders you depress to
rotate the assembly back together...right?) looked like it had slipped
out a little. I would have grabbed a picture, but my hands were
filthy. It wasn't seated completely like any of the other ones,
anyway. Is this part of the problem?

When driving today, it sounded like the rear brake might have been
part of the squealing. I may pop the back tires off tomorrow to see if
the rear pads are in terrible shape as well.

Thanks for any tips.

Was this vehicle used for postal or other curbside delivery? Sometimes
that will cause very uneven wear.
Or perhaps the caliper was sticking on the slides?

Carl
 
Was this vehicle used for postal or other curbside delivery? Sometimes
that will cause very uneven wear.
Or perhaps the caliper was sticking on the slides?

Carl


Carl, I'm intrigued in knowing what the reasoning behind your thought
is. Initially, I thought that what you said didn't make sense, but I
realized that you may know something that I don't. I always enjoy
learning.



Thomas, I'll come and help you. Email me privately for a good time.
 
Leonski said:
Carl, I'm intrigued in knowing what the reasoning behind your thought
is. Initially, I thought that what you said didn't make sense, but I
realized that you may know something that I don't. I always enjoy
learning.



Thomas, I'll come and help you. Email me privately for a good time.

Well, I once heard a letter carrier that used his own vehicle (rural
route I guess?) call into a 'well known automotive radio show' to ask if
it was OK to just change pads/shoes on one side of his vehicle due to
excessively uneven wear. Seems the tires that are in the gutter slide a
lot on gravel, wet leaves, snow,??? And the tires in the street do the
majority of the deceleration. But the OP's car would have to be
British/something I think for that to be the problem so I vote for
either a sticking caliper or, some type of damage/premature wear on the
other wheel requiring a new set of pads.

Carl
 
Thomas, in looking at the pics again, i saw that the worn out pads show
signs of rust. Is that side of the car exposed to a sprinkler or
something of that nature?
 
Carl said:
Well, I once heard a letter carrier that used his own vehicle (rural
route I guess?) call into a 'well known automotive radio show' to ask if
it was OK to just change pads/shoes on one side of his vehicle due to
excessively uneven wear. Seems the tires that are in the gutter slide a
lot on gravel, wet leaves, snow,??? And the tires in the street do the
majority of the deceleration.

That would have to be a 'patsy' (setup) question. To do all the
deceleration/braking with the wheel that's on the seal the outside wheel
on the gravel/dirt/grass would have to be not going round i.e. locked up
and sliding. With that wheel locked up it would gouge a deep rut in the
ground on the approach to the letterbox. As a result when stopped at the
box the back wheel is in that rut and struggles with traction.

I have delivered rural mail for the last 7 years, 6 days a week over 600
letterboxes and about 70 miles every day.

You don't roar up to a letterbox in a shower of sh*t and small stones
coz you gotta take off again from stationary, in the mess you just
created. Besides, it pisses off the farmer.

Brakepads are replaced every 4 to 5 months and both sides are worn by
the same amount.

(yes I know you are just repeating what you heard :) )

Just last monday I had to be towed 6 or 8 feet to get my back wheels
back on solid after I slid off on wet grass. Had to wait 30 minutes
before someone came along.

But the OP's car would have to be
 
Thomas Hanno said:
Hey,
I just changed the front brake pads on my '97 Legacy Outback 2.5L with
146,000+ miles. I bought the car a year and a half ago and the brakes
have been squealing for about a year. I heard metal on metal grinding
the other day and decided to stop driving until I bought pads from the
dealer and replaced them. I got the new ones on and the squeak is
gone.

Here are two pictures of the pads I removed, the front left pads are
on the left and the front right pads are on the right. The furthest
pad on the right is the outside pad of the passenger side.

www.rpi.edu/~hannot/side.jpg
www.rpi.edu/~hannot/above.jpg

Should I worry about this uneven wear? My rotors seem fine, though
there are some minor grooves from the pad being almost completely worn
down. I used a drill and sandpaper attachment to grind them down as
much as I could. I suppose it's possible that someone replaced just
the driver's side pads before I got the vehicle, but after a year it
doesn't seem like the replaced pads would look that thick. Although,
writing that last sentence reminds me that the guy I bought the
vehicle from said he had replaced all the pads right before he sold it
to me...

On that same passenger tire, I noticed that one of the gaskets from
the piston (I think. The pistons are the cylinders you depress to
rotate the assembly back together...right?) looked like it had slipped
out a little. I would have grabbed a picture, but my hands were
filthy. It wasn't seated completely like any of the other ones,
anyway. Is this part of the problem?

When driving today, it sounded like the rear brake might have been
part of the squealing. I may pop the back tires off tomorrow to see if
the rear pads are in terrible shape as well.

Thanks for any tips.
Most likely the pads were just hanging up on some rust on one side. This
happened to my '98.

Now I take the pads out every year or two, remove the clips and shims, clean
off all rust on the pads and calipers with a file, re-grease the sliding
surfaces, and put everything back together making sure the pads move freely.
This does not take long. I live an area with road salt........


Peter
 
In alt.autos.subaru, (Carl 1 Lucky Texan) wrote in
Well, I once heard a letter carrier that used his own vehicle (rural
route I guess?) call into a 'well known automotive radio show' to ask if
it was OK to just change pads/shoes on one side of his vehicle due to
excessively uneven wear. Seems the tires that are in the gutter slide a
lot on gravel, wet leaves, snow,??? And the tires in the street do the
majority of the deceleration. But the OP's car would have to be
British/something I think for that to be the problem so I vote for
either a sticking caliper or, some type of damage/premature wear on the
other wheel requiring a new set of pads.

Just stumbled across this: USPS apparently use right-hand-drive Subarus for
some delivery routes, as the driver can lean out and stick items into
postboxes without leaving his vehicle some of the time, and can exit on the
kerb side at any time. Subaru in the UK have used this to their advantage
at times, importing RHD US-made ones to the UK at knockdown prices.
 
Marc said:
In alt.autos.subaru, (Carl 1 Lucky Texan) wrote in



Just stumbled across this: USPS apparently use right-hand-drive Subarus for
some delivery routes, as the driver can lean out and stick items into
postboxes without leaving his vehicle some of the time, and can exit on the
kerb side at any time. Subaru in the UK have used this to their advantage
at times, importing RHD US-made ones to the UK at knockdown prices.

Yeah, pretty sure some guys over at www.ultimatesubaru.org have
mentioned owning the Postal version of wagons. maybe someone reading
here as well?

Carl
 

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