roadsubiedog Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 99 OB was sitting for almost a year. have driven it about 250 miles. 40 miles at a time on the hwy. when I park I feel the front disks and they are too hot to touch. I don't feel any noticeable drag at any speed. have taken foot off throttle at 10-20 mph and don't hear anything or it doesn't slow down faster than normal. but this does not seem normal. haven't filled the gas tank yet to see if fuel economy has suffered. already checked the fluid which is fine and the lines. what kind of checks can I do? is this common after sitting for awhile? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 have you pulled the wheels off and checked the slider pins? gummed up pins are the most common cause of dragging brakes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pginter96 Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 (edited) Slide pins and/or piston(s) seized, and bad square cut seals. time for new calipers or a caliper rebuild. Edited December 18, 2014 by pginter96 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadsubiedog Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 thanks all. will check those components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogweed Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 the inside of the rubber on the brake hose can deteriorate and prevent fluid from fully evacuating the caliper. had what i thought was a stuck caliper only to have the problem remain after i replaced the caliper. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadsubiedog Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 hogweed. that's a good thing to check. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 (edited) I've seen that happen befire , the inner hose wall collapses letting pressure in but not out. Best way to test this is to push on the brakes, let off and crack the bleeder. If the hose is at fault there will be some pressure left in the caliper and it will push brake fluid out the bleeder when cracked. Brake hoses should be inspected and replaced if they are showing signs of age/cracking espicialy if the car sat for an extended period of time. Could try driving a short way and brake hard a few times, then see if the drag is gone. I've been able to do that a few times Edited December 19, 2014 by mikaleda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadsubiedog Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 mikaleda that's what I did. braked hard a couple times and now they are not dragging anymore. im still gonna perform some checks this weekend. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Nice, glad it broke loose. I would go ahead and regrease the slide pins anyway, they are the biggest issues on these cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 roadsubiedog, A 1999 is now 20 years old, and I'm willing to bet that your problem may well be that the piston in the caliper is likely corroded, causing the sticking. In the salt coated winter roads where I live in Southern Ontario, I see this a lot in the older cars I repair. The fix is to pop the piston out using an air gun (if the caliper is off the car), and clean up the piston and the caliper bore with 0000 steel wool and flush with lots of fresh brake fluid. Then check the piston and caliper bore for any rust pitting or scratches. If there are any, replace the caliper. If not, reuse it. Check the seals and dust cover as well. To get the piston back in, check out YouTube videos, particularly the one where a mechanic shows how to use an air gun the spread the dust seal over the piston. Really trick, and works like a charm. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Is it 2019 already?! 16 years is still pretty old for a car. Add some rust time from sitting for so long, the brake fluid in those calipers Is probably just nasty and full of water, which causes the calipers to rust inside. The slide pins are also a major source of brake problems, as was mentioned earlier. You might be better off to just put some rebuilt calipers on it with new slide pins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 (edited) Is it 2019 already?! 16 years is still pretty old for a car. Add some rust time from sitting for so long, the brake fluid in those calipers Is probably just nasty and full of water, which causes the calipers to rust inside. The slide pins are also a major source of brake problems, as was mentioned earlier. You might be better off to just put some rebuilt calipers on it with new slide pins. I wouldn't change out the calipers unless they are problematic. Ive had a lot of issues with aftermarket calipers. Flushing the brake fluid wouldn't be a bad idea though Edited December 20, 2014 by mikaleda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 (edited) why are you feeling the front wheels? can you smell them or something? if both sides are the same temperature - maybe it's normal? if it's not normal and being both sides, it's almost certainly the slide pins need cleaned and regreased. they would be the most likely culprits to have a double failure so to speak since they are so common. anything else I'd only expect one failure. clean and replace. f the pins are atrocious, replace them if you can't get them clean. caliper pistons do seize but doubtful to be both. I'm sure it happens but Subaru's have far less hose collapses than other manufacturers, i've never seen it on Subarus (but have other manufacturers) nor is it often seen in forums. two would be highly unlikely unless the thing sat with chemically tainted sewage in the brake lines for years. lol Edited December 20, 2014 by grossgary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I vote slide pins. Happened to my daughter's 93 Legacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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