97 legacy outback remove break line from brake caliper

[DavieGravy]

I need a new one on the passenger side as one of the pistons was sticking and it destroyed my brake pad and rotor.  I was going to get a used one at the junk yard but removing the brake lines has always confused me.  Can anyone give me some quick tips?

 

Thanks

[AdventureSubaru]

The lines are pretty easy unless there's a great deal of rust. Calipers are pretty simple. You probably just need the caliper itself and not the mounting bracket. To remove the caliper itself, there are two bolts on the backside of it and the single brake line. If you're pulling it from a junk yard, you don't have to be too gentle. If it breaks, no big deal. It comes to an end with I think an 10mm hex. I end up using vice grips most of the time but a wrench usually does the trick. Just righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. Back it out like you would a normal bolt.

 

Anytime I've gotten a used caliper, I make sure that the bleeder screw is not seized up. Just twist it back and make sure it can be bled out.

 

Pads and rotors are often as cheap to buy new as they are used. Rock Auto often has some killer deals on closeouts. Good luck!

[idosubaru]

 one of the pistons was sticking

 

are you sure it wasn't just the guide pins that were sticking, that's the case 99% of the time.

 

otherwise yeah the lines are never hard to get off even for us rust coast people - be sure to use a 6 point socket.  take a good quality hand metal saw (they can be quite compact) and you can saw through lines/brackets to make removal easier if you want to take some brake line with it, then you can unbolt at home on your own time.

 

hang old caliper aside, bolt new caliper in place, prefill it with brake fluid, and then quickly swap the brake line and you won't really need to do much if any bleeding and you'll only have to bleed one caliper.

 

rebuild kits are like $1 too. remove piston, clean everything up, put back together, it's really easy i just did one yesterday.

[Rooster2]

are you sure it wasn't just the guide pins that were sticking, that's the case 99% of the time.

 

otherwise yeah the lines are never hard to get off even for us rust coast people - be sure to use a 6 point socket.  take a good quality hand metal saw (they can be quite compact) and you can saw through lines/brackets to make removal easier if you want to take some brake line with it, then you can unbolt at home on your own time.

 

hang old caliper aside, bolt new caliper in place, prefill it with brake fluid, and then quickly swap the brake line and you won't really need to do much if any bleeding and you'll only have to bleed one caliper.

 

rebuild kits are like $1 too. remove piston, clean everything up, put back together, it's really easy i just did one yesterday.

I found that using a bungy cord is an easy way to hang the caliper, while working on other brake parts. You do not want to suspend the caliper from the brake line hose.

[jboymechanic]

Do yourself a favor and skip brake parts from the junk yard, saving a few bucks isn't worth the potential hazard.  Always do brake parts in pairs, so if you replace one caliper you better replace both.  Otherwise you will find your car pulling one way or the other when you apply the brakes.