DIY Fail

Discussion in 'Modifications And Maintenance' started by pinjasaur, May 29, 2022.

  1. pinjasaur
    Offline

    pinjasaur Active Member

    Likes Received:
    219
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Been wanting to do the 4/2 piston brake upgrade for a while. Bought reman calipers off RockAuto and painted + decaled them. Centric blank rotors. Wanted to try the Hawk HPS pads, never had an expensive brake pad before. Even bought stainless likes and that ATE fluid that seems popular.

    Today was the day. Started with fighting with the front upper caliper bolts being somewhat blocked by the lower strut bolts. Had never messed with the soft line / hard like brake junction before. The front left came off easy. The front right less easy. Ended up leaving both of the rears after a few times of heating with torch and cooling with penetration fluid.

    PXL_20220529_182818981.jpg

    Finally ended up getting all the calipers torqued, rotors & pads installed, and bled the system with the fancy new Speedbleeders. Which I would recommend btw.

    PXL_20220530_022526296.jpg PXL_20220530_022542405.jpg

    Checked everything over again and put the wheels back on, lowered the car, torqued the wheels. Go to start it up for a drive to bed in the new pads. Immediately start spewing brake fluid from the right rear caliper where the case halves meet.

    Looks like I can't upload native video. Here's a link (NSFW, swearing): https://photos.app.goo.gl/8J8eBqUhhNHDvZWZ7

    Anyways. I used like 2 cans of brake clean on the car, wheel, and toolbox adjacent to the car which got sprayed too. Notice the trajectory in the video?

    Bonus photo: POV of me sitting across the garage, defeated. PXL_20220530_032119129.jpg

    I did submit a warranty replacement with RockAuto, but that's a few days out so I don't see a solution of my FXT driving anytime soon. Particularly frustrated because I spent all the time painting, decaling, and clearcoating the calipers.

    So that was my Sunday. Any words of encouragement? Relatable stories?
     
  2. pillboy
    Offline

    pillboy Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,614
    Trophy Points:
    348
    You should have gone to church instead.

    $h!t never goes as planned.

    Stay stock, stay happy.
     
    predavore and pinjasaur like this.
  3. predavore
    Offline

    predavore Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    644
    Trophy Points:
    298
    Never ever ever ever ever ever expect a project to go well over a long (any) holiday weekend... Also... maybe test fit everything BEFORE you paint it... as you are aware. Also... don't die under old HF jack stands.
     
    pillboy, tangledupinblu and pinjasaur like this.
  4. euro
    Offline

    euro Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    1,045
    Trophy Points:
    348
    I too like to ask god if I'm worthy with hf jackstands. Generally speaking though i bench pressure check my calipers before i stalling new/unknown ones.
     
  5. Butthau5
    Offline

    Butthau5 Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    364
    Trophy Points:
    148
    Can you just slap your old calipers in the rear back on in the meantime?
    Is that the cherry blossom red paint from grimmspeed?
     
  6. pinjasaur
    Offline

    pinjasaur Active Member

    Likes Received:
    219
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Y'all are giving me a hard time over my jackstands when the 2 recalled models were Pittsburgh and neither of mine are.

    Unfamiliar, how does one do this?

    The old parts are in questionable shape tbh.

    The caliper paint? It's G2 in purple. https://www.g2usa.com/product/G2.html
     
    Butthau5 likes this.
  7. euro
    Offline

    euro Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    1,045
    Trophy Points:
    348
    I have a master cylinder mounted to a flex line with a flared fitting for calipers.
     
    Butthau5 and pinjasaur like this.
  8. Butthau5
    Offline

    Butthau5 Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    364
    Trophy Points:
    148
    I'm intrigued tell me more, pictures?
     
    pinjasaur likes this.
  9. euro
    Offline

    euro Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    1,045
    Trophy Points:
    348
    The rig is at my dad's right now but here's a general diagram. I just cap(metallic threaded cap) the line I'm not using. It bypasses fighting other calipers, air in lines and abs pumps when using dry calipers and wheel cylinders. I just throw a block of wood between the pads to stop the cylinder from over extending.
    20220603_081148.jpg
     
    pinjasaur likes this.
  10. pillboy
    Offline

    pillboy Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,614
    Trophy Points:
    348
    There are too many things that look like penises in that drawing for my liking. Are you sure you didn't draw your penis extender device by mistake?
     
    joebush44, pleiades, Butthau5 and 3 others like this.
  11. euro
    Offline

    euro Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    1,045
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Multi purpose, i don't like wasted space
     
    pleiades, tangledupinblu and pillboy like this.
  12. LASERBLUE135
    Offline

    LASERBLUE135 Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    243
    Trophy Points:
    248
    I feel awful for you. THIS is why I (almost always) fork over the money to pay someone to do work on my cars. Internet bros be like "save money and learn something!" and I be like "I have done this before and after 10 hours things were put back together, close enough to work, never will look 'right' to me and I'm never doing that again!". My wife was asking why I had a shop rebuild my engine when her coworker did his own. Because it took me 4 hours to swap in a cold air intake!!!! That's why!!! I am always amazed and bewildered at garage mechanics. You all are my heros. I will never be one of you sadly.
     
    pinjasaur and tangledupinblu like this.
  13. Krazylegz1485
    Offline

    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,518
    Trophy Points:
    348
    There are many, many days I wished I made enough money to just pay someone to take care of my vehicle woes. That or just buy a nicer vehicle that would hopefully come with less woes. I enjoy using tools and typically get some accomplishment from fixing something myself, but there's also been plenty of frustration and defeat...
     
  14. euro
    Offline

    euro Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    1,045
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Yeah, I'm finally buying my first sub 100k miles car this year hoping to spend less time wrenching on daily driver bs. It does get old
     
    pinjasaur, Butthau5 and Krazylegz1485 like this.
  15. pinjasaur
    Offline

    pinjasaur Active Member

    Likes Received:
    219
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Aha. I did it! I think there's a thread on here somewhere talking about how the 4/2 pots are a pain to bleed. I need to read that again.

    I'll try and remember to get better photos of the complete install when it's light out.

    PXL_20220603_230437793.jpg
     
    tangledupinblu likes this.
  16. Krazylegz1485
    Offline

    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,518
    Trophy Points:
    348
    When I did mine I basically just cracked each bleeder one at a time (going from inside to outside) and let them sit there open while I was doing something else (tightening caliper bolts, putting pads in, etc) until they started oozing out from gravity. Seemed to work pretty good and made bleeding quick and easy.
     
    pinjasaur likes this.
  17. pinjasaur
    Offline

    pinjasaur Active Member

    Likes Received:
    219
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Why inside to outside? I thought bleeding went from farthest to the master cylinder to closest. Although, now that I explicitly look it up, I'm seeing references to the FSM stating front right, rear left, front left, rear right. Something about it being a diagonal system?

    https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=886219
     
  18. pillboy
    Offline

    pillboy Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,614
    Trophy Points:
    348
    I'm 65...I've changed pads before, but never even cracked open a bleeder screw in my life - and my old man was a mechanic. Some things (like brakes) are important enough to me that I'll pay someone to do it right.
     
    pinjasaur likes this.
  19. Chux
    Offline

    Chux Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    1,453
    Trophy Points:
    398
    Yep, Subarus have the 2 circuits on diagonal pairs. So it's a decent idea to bleed them in that order.

    Truth is, I bleed them in whatever order I have them apart. I push more fluid through then is probably necessary, just to make sure.

    Nothing special about 4-pots. The only time I've seen trouble bleeding 4-pots, they were on the wrong side of the car (bleeder screws on the bottom...). But that could happen with floating calipers, too.
     
    pinjasaur likes this.
  20. Krazylegz1485
    Offline

    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,518
    Trophy Points:
    348
    They suggest a specific order as far as the corner goes, but I meant the inner and outer bleeders on each corner. I look at it as you're gradually trying to work the fluid into every section one by one. When I did mine I replaced the lines, too, so I connected the stainless line and then let it sit open until fluid came out. Then connected it to the caliper. Open the inside bleeder and wait until that oozes out. Then open the outer one and do the same. Just keep pushing the air and subsequently the fluid further and further.

    That's my opinion/reasoning at least.
     
    Butthau5 and pinjasaur like this.
  21. predavore
    Offline

    predavore Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    644
    Trophy Points:
    298
    I knew a guy that would bleed with cheaper fluid and then finish it with a blue race fluid. So bubbles are out and once the blue came through, it was done. But yeah, farthest to closest as the length of the lines go.
     
    Butthau5 and pinjasaur like this.
  22. pinjasaur
    Offline

    pinjasaur Active Member

    Likes Received:
    219
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Finally remembered to post a complete photo.

    PXL_20220605_182816345.jpg
     
    tangledupinblu and Krazylegz1485 like this.
  23. pillboy
    Offline

    pillboy Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,614
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Small caliber gunfire that didn't pierce the door?

    I'm sorry, but no matter the condition of the rest of the vehicle, I would have had to have that ding pressed out right after it happened. I could not walk up to the car and stare at that every single time. Or maybe just drive at night.

    Otherwise, I like the overall look. Glad you overcame the issues and got it back on the road. That might just be my favorite gen of Forester.
     
    pinjasaur likes this.
  24. pinjasaur
    Offline

    pinjasaur Active Member

    Likes Received:
    219
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Ha, it was like that when I bought it. What's the PDR recommendation from folks on here? I'd consider it for the future. :)
     
  25. pillboy
    Offline

    pillboy Well-Known Member

    Likes Received:
    3,614
    Trophy Points:
    348
    This is who I have used for over 25 years. Never has disappointed me.

    http://www.juergensdentkraft.com
     
    pinjasaur and tangledupinblu like this.