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Can I disconnect My Back Brakes?

33K views 118 replies 21 participants last post by  teikyo30 
#1 ·
I have no idea if that's a stupid question or not, I'm a computer guy, not a car guy. When I was at Subaru recently they showed me my back brakes: almost gone. So now a few days later I notice that when I brake, sometimes from the right rear I hear what sounds like empty water jugs bouncing around. I can only assume it's my brakes.

I asked how my front brakes were and the guy said they're fine. I said I didn't notice any issue stopping and he said because the front brakes are doing all the work. I can't afford to do the brakes right now. Like I literally have $10 to my name. Can they be disconnected until I could fix them? What would happen if the rear brakes fail entirely?

I've heard a rumor that I have no idea if it's true or not that when brakes fail they clamp shut on the rotor locking the rotor and it can happen while driving. It sounds too stupid to be true, but like i said: I know computers, not cars.
 
#77 ·
You dont need an impact wrench to remove the lug nuts, just a good breaker bar. The impact is quicker and easier however. A torque wrench *should* be used for final tightening after you put them back on but you can just use the same ol breaker bar and just make sure to put some oomf into em as you tighten them backdown. Dont forget to tighten in a star pattern.
(you can rent torque wrenches from local auto parts places but for one that makes 90lb/ft it might not be cheap)

pads wise, just use the factory replacements. If you're not modded there's no sense in going nuts with brake parts. The factory spec stuff is pretty decent. Getting them from the dealer wont be cheap but they'll be exactly what the car came with. Going to autozoo or the like will get you oem quality stuff (after market mfr's have to maintain same as oem standard or exceed it by federal law) a little cheaper but may not be exactly the same composition of friction material (might make more or less dust...but will stop just as well).

Personally I hate working in the cold.. but if you can get some way to keep your hands toasty (dexterity will help the job go quicker) thats all the better. I'm sure with all the recent snow working on the ground is going to suck.. if you can get the car into a garage thats favorable but if not, see if you can score some cardboard or old carpet to sit on while working on the car. Sitting on cold/wet ground gets old fast even if its a short job.

You'll also need a floor jack and jackstand (stands come in pairs.. but generally are not very expensive) Make sure you properly and securely support the car. A long handled 3/8" drive wratchet too.. I highly recommend the long handle. Leverage is your friend.. especially if the caliper bolts are pesky. Penetrating oil.. pb blaster or liquid wrench. both work really well and should be applied to any/all rusty bolts prior to loosening. Let it chill for a little while before you have at it. This keeps the possibility of breaking a bolt to a minimum.
You may want to snag up a Allen head set (3mm-8mm or so) for your wratchet.. as well as a set of torx bits. (if you dont use either set durin the job I'm 100% sure you will use them at some point.) These are all available at autozone or sears.

While at the auto parts store, along with one can of penetrating oil also get two or three cans of brake cleaner. I prefer the cheapy autozone generic stuff. You'll want to hose down the brakes to get the gunk off before you start in.. as well as hosing off the new rotors to get any coating or oils off of them.

as much as I hate to feed the retail monster, the antiseize packets they try to sell you along with the pads are actually usefull. smear it on the back (NON friction side) of the pads on isntall and it stops them from squealing. That stuff is also good to use to lube the caliper bolt threads and any sliding/moving parts.

Once you finish this job and get back to us you'll be a new man .. I'm tellin ya, once you're finished and it works you'll have much more confidence working on your own ride. We've all literally been in that spot, unsure... uneducated.. that first step and the courage to take it are the most important.

Oh! side note.. I do this with drum brakes because they're like puzzles.. shoot pics as you go a long, especially if you're unsure how something might go back together (usually not a problem with disk brakes but it can be helpful) .. and do one side at a time. Not only that but if you need help you can upload the pics and we can better see what step you're at. ;)
 
#80 ·
My mechanic friend tried to tell me today that rear brakes are completely different from front brakes. I said I don't think so. The DIY videos I checked out didn't look any different. He's wrong, right? He seems to think it's a completely different process doing the back.
 
#82 ·
The actual pads/calibers/rotors are in fact different in dimensions, but in terms of how they work and how you would work on them/replace the pads, it's the same. The rears are generally smaller than the fronts in 99% of cars.
 
#84 ·
Hey I have a question since we're on rear vs front.. do the pistons in our rear calipers have to be threaded back in or can they be pushed in manually?

I've come across cars in the past that worked both ways.. and my old GL wagon front calipers had to be turned/threaded back in.

I'm probably quite a while off of needing to do brakes on my '10 so I figured I'd ask for the op's benefit.
 
#85 ·
No, they don't. Only calipers with an emergency brake built in will need to be threaded back in. Our cars have small emergency brake shoes inside of the rear rotors. Your old GL had the emergency brakes built into the front calipers. It's the only car I've ever seen that has that setup.
 
#87 ·
/\Maybe thats Subaru's older version of the "Hill Holder" option with the EB in the front?

Hill-holder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not all had the hillholder, but all of them did have the Ebrake on the front wheels. Subaru really was weird and quite half ass in their designs for years. They only started to almost conform to the norm in the early 90's. It's no coincidence that is the time period they started to build steam and become popular.
 
#88 ·
Alfa Romeo Alfasud, two Citroens, and I think the 70s-80s in-house Saabs -- not the 9000s that were cost-shared with the FIAT Chroma, Alfa 164, and Lancia Thema -- had the front wheels connected to the hand brake too.

Subaru were in good company (quirky, beloved cars that generally didn't run).

You have a way of bringing back memories, TR! Thanks.
 
#92 ·
why cant they just use a bolt on flange type like everyone else does? .. would be so much easier.

Oh well.

we're digressing pretty bad here lol..

so are those brakes done yet? :D (pokes with stick) ..
 
#97 ·
No, not yet. I have to wait till Monday when I get a pay check. I think I'm going to find a shop for this one. It's too cold here in CT to be sitting outside doing this stuff. Plus, I really don't have anywhere to go to do it. I'd have to go find a parking lot somewhere...but with the air temperature below 30 (i think today's low is 12), it's not my thing. I promise when it's warmer out, like springtime warmer, I'll try my own. I did manage to download the manual for the 2008 WRX Sti off TPB so I plan to skim through that to see how much is the same between the STi and my car.
 
#94 ·
Speaking of axle nuts and brakes and such, I have a theory... This assumes I am not alone in noticing the passenger side axle comes off with great difficulty, whereas the driver side is decent to deal with, and the same is sometimes true of brake discs etc.: my theory is that it's sprinklers over time as the car is parked near curbs on the passenger side that make life difficult.
 
#100 ·
OP: Since you are doing brakes, unless something has changed, the way the brake pads (the friction material) are secured on the regular WRX and the WRX STi differs, in that the latter uses pins.

If your car does not use pins, search on this forum for a brake pad how-to thread, started by member Pace in antiquity. It has pictures and will give you a general idea. The number of pistons your brake setup uses does not matter much, in that you can simply use a spanner or the old pad to cover all of them and generate a single surface onto which you can apply gentle but firm force to compress the pistons into the caliper. Some manuals talk about slowly compressing each piston a little bit individually and varying which one gets pushed until they are all uniformly back in etc.

Just a point to consider, and I don't even know how valid it might be since I've not worked on 08+ cars at all.

Trainrex said:
I bought my computer to look at b00bs, but still learned the basics to better understand the machine I was using.
.

Superb analogy.
 
#107 ·
Lots of places say you need new rotors or at least to have them turned when you change your brakes. I've never bothered to even have a set turned. As long as the surface isn't horribly grooved, then just slap on the new pads and go like he said.

Normally you get two sets of pads to one set of rotors. Of course a lot depends on the particular rotors, pads, your driving style, and more. But in general on any OEM car with OEM brakes, you'll get 30k miles out of a set of pads and 60k out of a set of rotors.

I use a set of giant channel-lock pliers to push the pistons back in. Works like a charm.
 
#108 ·
I have given up on turning rotors also. If they look decent I change the pads. If they do not look decent I change the rotors and pads. With the price of blanks relatively low these days I'm OK doing this. So far so good.
 
#110 ·
My problem now is if I take the car to a shop a lot of them will try to say you can't leave with the car if the brakes are too messed up. I'm def metal on metal. That's the sound I'm hearing from the right rear. I know pads would be fine till the weather gets warmer and I can do it myself, but if they try to tell me I need to whole nine yards I'm screwed. I can't afford all that. One shop did that years ago, and neither I nor my parents knew any better and wound up spending $700 on a Ford Tempo's brakes.
 
#114 ·
WHAT? dude.. no shop can Keep your car before work is done. Period.. Thats extortion and they should have been dealt with by the authorities.
Now they can keep it after they've done the work.. to make sure they get paid, but you have to sign a document that says you're willing to pay before that happens. I hate to say it but you got screwed on the tempo deal man.. that shop hosed you guys good.

Do you have any buddies with a garage that you can roll the car into and do the work? .. all you need to do is get out of the cold and be able to jack the car up/move around it. If you're down metal to metal you're going to groove the rotors in short order .. so you'll have to replace them. Not much more work but extra $$.

Are there any subaru guys close to you that can help? .. gotta be someone local that can give a hand/lend a space or at least point and laugh :D
 
#113 ·
Right? His statement implies I can just use my other car, but my other car is a city bus which I wouldn't be able to use for deliveries. lol.

Besides, my front brakes are fine. I'm going to go to a place around here called Brake Center of America because they have payment plans without credit checks.
 
#115 ·
No... that's untrue. If the car is truly unsafe to drive... they can disallow you to drive it off of their property due to liability. If you get a tow, that's a different story.
 
#116 ·
Meh.. Regardless the vehicle CAN leave the premises. Besides I'm 100% sure the shop used that as scare tactic and forced them to pay for a job that was well and beyond what was needed. $700 for brakes on a TEMPO!!!???? gotta be fkn kidding me.

This is why I wont ever ever ever bring my car to a independent shop for maintenance work. Crooks n scumbags are everywhere and every one of em trying to reach into your pocket. For every good honest shop there are 10 willing to put it in your butt. I've had two specific experiences at two different shops where they tried to hose me saying my brakes were close to shot. One while in for an alignment.. the other to have tires put on. The tech at the first place not knowing any better thought he had me until I told him that the brakes on the front of the car were not only new but from a european model that wasnt even available in the states.. (merkur/sierra rs) and that I had already changed the whole front suspension over to use those bigger brakes.
.. that punk wanted to shaft me for a brake job that was no where near needed.

The second guy tried to hit me up saying my REAR brakes were shot.. again, just shortly after I changed over to disk brakes (merkur's have drum rear in factory trim) so everything was less than a month old. So I asked if he could get rear brake parts for it.. "cuz its a rare car" .. The look on his face was awesome when he found drum brake applications only. Then explained that I converted the brakes myself.. he picked the wrong guy to pull the wool over and I chewed into him good about trying it. I was so pissed I even lit into his manager about it.

I referred both places to the local bbb with a formal complaint. I cant imagine how many people they must have hosed over for unneeded services that just didn't know any better. They use scare tactics regarding safety equipment because they know they have the unknowing right by the short hairs. Its bull****.

Oh, and btw in most states they aren't liable unless they actually do work to the car. This varies by state law but I'm very sure that if the customer leaves disregarding the shops advice its under their own responsibility. I know FL and NY to be that way, same with here in Va. Ct I'm not sure about but its worth checking.
 
#119 ·
So I went to Brake Center of America. A Place near me that has a solid A+ rating on the BBB and is voted #1 year after year by our local papers. I had a $50 coupon from online and I also talked to the owner via email about working out a deal if I couldn't afford it. The rear brakes were $116.49 installed, so I was a happy camper :)

Here's the thing: they said it wasn't to the metal yet, but very close, but the sound I heard was probably from the E-brakes. Sure enough after I left and braked I heard it again. Why would I hear that sound when applying the regular brakes? Wouldn't I only hear the E-brake if I were using it while driving? I don't drift, so I only use it to park.
 
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