I was hoping that the brake job would be as easy as all the repairs I have done on my '95 Impreza L wagon and it looks like it is. Great job on the video and narration. Could not have been any clearer. Thanks!!
Finally a video on Subaru drum brakes.. I serviced the front & rear brakes including the brake cylinders on my ‘01 Forester about a year ago and those drums were quite some “fun”.. haha watching you work on your car, I’m sure glad I live in South FL away from the rust belt. Great video!
Fantastic! Helped me change my rear 2005 Forrester brakes in no time! Awesome video! Now if you could rebuild the Subaru engine and get them to not leak oil!
Great video! Don't know if you have Fluid Film there or not, you should try that for your vehicles up there. Stuff works awesome to protect and prevent rust.
Getting ready to replace rear struts and thought I'd do the rear brakes while I'm at it. Without having looked at it yet, I'm guessing I'm only going to need to replace the shoes but I'll get a hardware kit and replace the springs. In this video, you mentioned bleeding the brakes again after this service. I didn't realize you needed to bleed the brakes again after a shoe or rotor replacement. Oh wait, you replaced the lines - duh, I skipped that part! Anyway, I answered my own question. Next question - what paint did you use for the drums - high temp black? I'm probably going to do the same but I just have the steelies on it (04 Forester X). Great video like most others have commented. Very easy to follow and well-recorded!
You will probably want to replace the drums as well after trying to fit things back together. You can always wait to see what happens though, the drums would be re-useable. Make sure you get a spring kit as they have probably lost tension if not rusted completely. Any paint should do fine.
@@HomebrewSubaru I did it. Getting the moon clip off the ebrake handle was a challenge with my tools. The back spring was very slippery, but after some incessant cussin I got it hooked. Are the moon clips supposed to be bent in once on ?
The Subaru Justy does not seem to have an adjuster, it is adjusted atomically what I understand. But what to do when that does not function, completely install new inside drum material I suppose..
Well, I am hosed. This look pretty straight forward and I've done plenty of Drums in my life. Had to replace what appears to be the original cylinders...A hassle but no big deal. Took pictures to make SURE I put it together correctly. Watched this video a couple times too... When I reinstalled the new drums and shoes, I had to have the adjuster all the way in to get the drum on. the wheel turned ok, there was a light drag sound but I believe it's the backing plate, and not the shoes. when I install the wheel & Tighten the lug nuts, the wheel will not turn. It's the same both sides. and the Emergency brake no longer works and the Brake warning light is on... Any Idea WTF I did wrong?
I’ve run into this a couple times. First off make sure the parts looks correct in comparison to what came off. From the shape to where the holes for the springs are. Second, make sure the shoes are seated properly on the backing plate. That they are sitting straight and flush. As for the parking brake, it’s possible the cables are seated in the shoes properly and jammed up against the drum. Remove drums and try and find why they won’t turn. Slowly tighten the drums on without the wheels to see if the problem reveals itself. Good luck
@@HomebrewSubaru thanks...going to measure old drums versus new ones today...I really think that's the main issue...the e-brake...we'll see when it's apart. Great video & thanks for the help
@@HomebrewSubaru definitely the wrong drums. O'Reilly's drums are a full 1/4 shorter than the stock ones...locked everything up when I tightend the wheels down! Thanks for the tip, now to return these!
2 Questions 1 if the rear drum wheel piston shows fluild under the dust cover, is that a part to be replaced 2 do you use original Subaru parts for replacements vs other manufacturer. Thanks for all the video work 2007 Subaru forester 2x rear drum braks.
If there is fluid under the rubber boot, it's time to replace. The wheel cylinder seal is leaking internally. I mostly use aftermarket parts. In some cases I need to get something specific from Subaru.
Good guide for us do-it-yer-selfer's. I like going to you-tee for a quick roadmap on these kinds of jobs, look at the trail-blazers' works and avoid grieg, grief (good grief) Thanks ~cibb, chrisinbigbear(claifornia)
@@HomebrewSubaru It really helped. Now help me to make the rear shoes push out to the drums. I had to re-do a couple times (by the way, you left out the part about you have to bleed on the project, a blood sacrifice for insurance that it will work; which I did, but it doesn't work anyway), --I'll explain. When I looked at the parts, I failed to notice that forward shoes are in the same bag, and likewise, the rear shoes are..segregated. Thinking I was supposed to knock out the old anchors and install in the new shoes, that is what I did. Everything went back together fine; then I picked up the second pair, and noticed they both have the anchors for the parking-brake, Dohh! So I looked at them very close, all the parts, new and old, and the only difference I can see is the asbestos surfaces are offset - two more, and the other two, less - and further, it appears that both sides are a mirror reflection of each other, therefor each shoe can only go in one position, on one side OR the other. If there is a fifty-fifty chance, I'll get it wrong 100% of the time! So I got it all back together and, OH! I forgot to mention why I had to bleed the braeks. When I finally got the drivers' side done right (so I seem to believe), I put the drum on and pushed on the brake pedal and it went down..all the way, so I tried again. Same thing. So I went to the passenger side and saw brake-fluid. I had taken off the drum and so the piston pushed out and it leaked. I got the piston back in and it appeared to go in and out good enough, so I got everything cleaned up and back in place, and bled 'em and went to the passenger s, no the driver side and bled that and there were no bubbles (I figured that only air was in the line where I got the leak; however, I went back and bled it one more time, and got no bubbles). So I had Wife push on the brakes and there is no engagement at all. The passenger brake works but it is weak. It dove when I drove it forward indicating front brakes but no back brakes. What a mess!! The only thing I can think of is the adjustment is a little gappy because the parking brake isn't real responsive; but it seems like the cylinders aren't pushing AT ALL. So what do you think? Thanks in advance, cibb, crisinbigbear(california) ps: Wife is going to make me take it to the shop, GASP!
I couldn't remove the drum off. I have never had that problem but previously I had it inspected and they bled the brakes and adjusted it. They did this because after break inspection a month prior they forgot to put the brake fluid cap back on. So I took it back and I think the technician adjusted the pads and are really tight on the drum. I tried using the bolt method and it would not budge. I hope I didn't damage it using this method. I will drive it another 300 miles and see if that makes it easier to remove. They said I had about 1000 miles left on the pads and I've done about 700.
Make sure the parking brake is off. It's possible the drum surface where the shoes contact is worn and receding. It causes a ridge to form and the shoes get caught on that ridge. If the brakes have never been done, some force may be required to remove the drums
Nice video. My wife's car is the same as this and I believe I have followed your instructions carefully but for some reason the brake will not hold the vehicle stationary on a slope. I have done drum brakes many times and never had this problem before.
It would need more adjustment. It can be difficult to judge. If the park brake handle has a lot of resistance and doesn't pull up far, something may not be lined up 100%
@@HomebrewSubaru Thank you for getting back to me. I failed to tell you this was part of a project to replace the OSR brake pipe, the NSR wheel bearing, both rear brake backplates and both rear wheel cylinders. This involved removing the differential, rear suspension cross-member and the fuel tank. When I inserted the outer casing of the handbrake cable into the new rear brake backplates, I did not push them far enough in, thus losing 1 or 2 centimetres of travel on the cable inside. Being a bit slow on the uptake, it has taken me about 1 week to spot this. Fortunately I am retired so it does not matter too much.
Nice to see this vid, of course it was after I did front/rear in my daughters '03 Forester so this definitely would of helped. Question: after 6mos she is telling me that the peddle is near the floorboard. Thing is we bled each cylinder after replacing the rears, farthest to nearest, so does this indicate other issues? What is the distance for the peddle to the floorboard?
@@BrentRodeck with drums, brake resistance should be felt immediately when applying the brake. There is no allowable travel of the pedal without brake application
Really appreciate this vid bro,I know your drums weren't stuck,but maybe you can do a vid on an easy way to get them off using different tools if possible, mines gave .me H E double hockey sticks🤦🏾♂️🤣🤣,definitely subbed and liked bro,good money👍🏾👍🏾...
Where exactly can one find said brake lines? I currently have a 97 Impreza and it has the hard line that runs from the wheel cylinder, to a rubber hose, to the main brake line to the rear. I'm having a problem finding the hardline from the wheel cylinder to the rubber hose, could that line replace both the rubber hose and the hard line? Because that would save me a boat load! Currently the hard line is a discontinued part
The hard line would be considered old stock. In this scenario you need to either make a line or find a short pre-made line with the proper fittings. In most cases a custom length line needs to be flared properly. That said, I hate making brake lines but made and replaced all of them in my 240sx. It’s just something that’s normally done in the aftermarket
@@HomebrewSubaru For sure!! I don't wanna have to make my own lines per se, as I would feel more comfortable with a line I know that works. But I can do some research on custom lines, the problem I had was finding one with the right fittings. Perhaps I need to broaden my search! Thank you! Also great video! Really helped me out when putting the rear drums back together!
Depending on the drivers habits, brake shoes can get up to 150k kms or 100k miles. This also depends on the model and how often they are serviced for adjustment
No, it will be fine. Just make sure that the pistons don't pop out of the wheel cylinder while doing the work. No stepping on the pedal with the shoes off or you'll regret it ;)
Thanks. My new covers wpuldnt f8t no matter how much i retensioned the tension rod the inside lip just wouldnt slide over the inside lip on the outer disc. Rest went in fine though and since the outer case was mostly cosmetic and intact i dont care lol
The pin normally comes installed in the replacement shoes. If it isn’t then usually have to hammer out the old pin and hammer it back into the new shoe. It’s not the funnest thing to do.
Ah man! Thank you for responding. Great video. Changing my brakes on my 08 impreza and when I took the rear tires off. Bang! Drums! This video helped me so much, made it simple. unfortunately my replacements didn't come with a new pin, gotta hammer that sucka out. Thing is it's got a lock washer on it. Clearly a one time use, so I've got to order new ones... crazy that the little lock washer is nowhere to be found... well thank you man!! Subscribing.
Ah I know what you mean. If I recall correctly, if the pin still sits in there nice and tight it should be fine without the retaining washer. Not something you want coming apart and would need to be sure the pin is pressed in all the way.
I haven't done drums in 7 yrs, got a customer needing replacement but I'm going to pass on it. North east rust and im seeing a nightmare job on this one. Not worth the headache for me..
