I actually managed to get over to the mancave today to complete the service on the legacy!! So we jacked her up to remove the engine and transmission sump plugs. Levelled the car and allowed them to drain!! All good. Then replaced both engine and transmission filters, interestingly both cartridge type but well labelled with their destinations! Then it was time to fit new washers to the plugs and refit them ready for refilling. Refilled the engine first with fully synthetic 5-30 as specified, I used Shell, and the transmission with Subaru's own ATF made for the car and cost a fortune!! Then it was time to check the front and rear diff oils and both had very clean clear oil to the right level so I decided to leave them as they had obviously been replaced recently. _ Pub O'clock had arrived so we slipped off to our local for a sandwich and light refreshment.
Returning to the cave after lunch it was time to finish the job by replacing the front discs and pads. We jacked the car onto axle stands and removed the front wheels. We settled down in front of one wheel each and set about removing the calipers - no problems for either of us. On removing the pads we both found them badly worn with severe grooves which did not surprise us as we had seen the state of the discs!!
Time to remove the caliper brackets which Dave did first, as we only had one breaker bar between us, and then it was my turn. I removed the top bolt as normal and then the trouble started. The bottom bolt was frozen solid. Lots of penetrating fluid and numerous efforts on the bar finally yielded a result. Shame it wasn't the one I wanted. The head of the M12 fine thread high tensile bolt sheared off leaving the bolt still through the caliper bracket mount and screwed into the bracket. So at this point the only option was to remove the disc and bracket together and then roll the disc out of the bracket leaving the frozen ex bolt, now stud, protruding from the bracket. It was then a job for vice and blow torch and after much straining the "stud" finally gave in and unscrewed leaving the bracket thread undamaged. Phew!! that was a relief, all that was needed now was a replacement bolt and the job could be completed. So I removed the old disc which you do by screwing 2 M6 bolts, I think they were, through the disc threaded holes which then push the disc off the interference fit hub boss. I prepped and fitted the new disc and set about the broken bolt problem.
Then the real problems began because although we must have hundreds of bolts in stock we did not have an M12 fine thread 35mm high tensile bolt or anything we could adapt! None of the suppliers I called had the required bolt in stock, so we decided plan B was the best option. I refitted the stud in the bottom of the bracket and slid it home and installed the top bolt. So the carrier is securely bolted to the top mount and effectively has a screwed in "dowel" through the bottom which will stop it from twisting around the top bolt. Then I used the piston compressing tool to push back the twin pistons, installed the new pads and shims and refitted the caliper. Dave had completed his side so we refitted the wheels and jacked the car off the axle stands and I gently reversed it out of the work area and parked it in a bay out side. I then borrowed the red mini which Dave has finished rebuilding but not got around to selling yet, luckily for me!, and drove the 30 miles home. Tomorrow I will be going to my local Subaru dealer, in Cambridge!!, and hopefully getting a new bolt to go and insert and the car will be ready for my three longish trips planned over the next couple of weeks!! Heyho!!
despite what I said about Continentals it turns out that there were none the right size available so my man has supplied me with a pair of mid range brand new tyres for the same price. I now have a pair of Marshal MH12's on the front which do stand up quite well in the Euro ratings. Having driven 60 miles of mixed driving this afternoon I can confirm that they are very quiet on the high speed stuff and grip and track very well so I am happy with them!!:
so I got up anyway and had an early breakfast! On arrival my first job was to unpack and then reverse the door hinges. It is a Whirlpool fridge so the instructions are in the form of the "IKEA" style line drawings. Basically I had to move the top right hinge to bottom left and bottom right to top left!! Simple you may well think, but when you discover that the screws will not screw into the holes on the left and after several attempts you discover you are just flattening the threads on the bolts you realise this is not going to be quite as straightforward as it should be!! However to cut a long story......out with the tap and die set and installed M5 tap and dies into their appropriate holders and re threaded the bolts and retapped the holes and we were ready to go. How many people have the kit handy for doing that one wonders? 