Below is a video on How To Replace The Rear Pads And Rotors On A Subaru
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Today we will be showing you how to replace the rear pads and rotors on a Subaru. We will be showing you on this 2007 Subaru Outback.
The first thing we need to do is park the car on flat level ground as we don’t want to have it roll or move when we jack it up to remove the wheel. Once we have the car parked on a flat level surface we can grab a 19mm socket and a breaker bar and loosen the rear lug nuts on both sides. Once we have the lug nuts broken free we can grab a wheel chock and place it behind the passenger front tire just to ensure the car can’t roll.
With the wheel chock in place we can a 19mm socket and a breaker bar and break free the lug nuts. In our case we are going to use a 18v Dewalt Impact driver. Once we have all the lug nuts broken loose we can grab our jack and put it under the rear lift point right in front of the rear wheel. We are starting on the driver’s side first. Well jack the car up just high enough to get the rear wheel off the ground.
Something to note is to make sure the e-brake is not set or engaged as the e-brake pads are within the rotor we are going to be removing and replacing. If the e-brake is set or applied the pads will be pushed out and it will be much harder to remove the rotor.
Once we have the tire off the ground we can loosen and remove the rest of the lug nuts and then the wheel/ rim. We can roll it out of the way and set it aside. Now with the wheel off and out of the way we can now grab a 14 mm wrench and loosen and remove the two 14 mm bolts that hold the caliper in position. It helps if its a ratcheting wrench . You may also need a 17 mm wrench to hold the caliper slide bolts from turning so you can get the two 14 mm bolts out.
Once we have both the caliper bolts out we can grab a flat screwdriver or a small pry bar and put it up against the caliper bracket and pop free the caliper and well set it out of the way. With the caliper removed we can no remove the brake pads. To do this we can use a flat screw driver and put it against the rotor and pop them out. Once the pads are removed we can also remove the stainless clips. For the bottom one just pull upward and it should pop free. For the top one pull downward.
Once we have the pads and the clips removed we can now remove the brake caliper bracket. To do this we are going to need a 14mm socket, 12″ or so extension and a decent length ratchet. These are a bit of a pain to remove as you need to go though the hub to get to the bolts. Well locate the top bolt if you follow the top trailing arm to the hub just under the bolt that holds it to the hub you will see the hole to access the top caliber bolt. For the bottom one if you look right below the rear sway bar link you will see the hole to access the bottom caliper bolt.
So well grab that 14mm socket, extension and ratchet and remove the two caliper bolts. Sometimes they are hard to get out and is easier to remove if you do it from under the car. If you do go underneath the car be sure to use jack stands to ensure the car can’t fall on you. Now that we have the caliper bracket removed we can grab a hammer and give the rotor a few taps to break it free.
Well grab and pull the rotor off. You will see your parking brake shoes. Now is a good time to inspect them and see if they also need replacing. These are about half way so we won’t need to replace them. Next we can open our new rotor. One thing to mention is to take brake clean and clean the silver part or the part where the pads will come into contact with the rotor to remove the oil to keep them from rusting. You don’t want that oil getting onto your pads.
With the rotor cleaned up we can slide it onto the lug nut studs. Once we have the new rotor on we can grab the brake caliper bracket and a wire brush can clean the flat spots where the pads move back and forth. Its best if you can sand blast them. You will also want to check the caliper slide bolts to make sure they are not rusted and have a good amount of caliper grease on them so they can move freely.
Once we get them wire brushed we can grab some anti-seize and coat it just to slow the rust down and stop it from pinching the pads or making them unable to move back and forth. Once we have the anti-seize on we can reinstall the brake caliper bracket and reinstall the two 14mm bolts. Once there hand tight we can grab the ratchet and 14mm socket and snug them up.
Once we have them tight we can grab the stainless clips and reinstall those top and bottom. Now that we have the clips in we can open our new brake pads. You will notice that they are different. Two of them have nothing on them or are smooth and the other two have a bump or numb those two with the bump or numb are the inside pads. You will also notice that one of the inside pads have a silver tab. That tab is the tab that makes noise when the pad get low and needs replacing. Now that we know which pads go where we can install them into the brake caliper bracket.
No that we have the pads installed we can grab a pair of channel lock pliers and use them to squeeze the caliper piston back into the caliper so it will fit over the top of the brake pads so we can put it back into position. Once its pushed in we can put it back into position and grab the two bolts and put some anti-seize on them and start them by hand. Once started by hand we can grab that 14 mm wrench and snug them up.
Once the caliper bolts are snugged down we are now ready to reinstall the wheel/ rim. So well grab it and align the holes with the lug nut studs and put it on. Well grab the lug nuts and start them all by hand a few threads to ensure they don’t get or become cross threaded. Once hand tight we can snug them down with the 18v impact driver and then lower the car and remove the jack. Once we have the car back on the ground we can grab a torque wrench and torque the lug nuts to the proper torque doing it in a crisscross pattern. It also helps to put a small amount of grease on the mating surface of the lug nut to reduce friction so you get an accurate torque measurement.
Now with the driver’s side done we can repeat the process to complete the passenger side. Once we have completed the passenger side we can get into the car and apply or set the e-brake. Next we can start the car and pump the brakes a few times to push the caliper back out to touch the pads and take up the slack. Next we can shut the car off and pop the hood and check the brake fluid level to ensure we have the proper level. When we push the caliper piston back into the caliper we are pushing that fluid back into the reservoir. You may need to use something like a turkey baster to remove fluid if your over the max fill line. If it low you can add some new fluid to get you to the max fill line.
Once we have checked and ensured we have the proper amount of brake fluid in the reservoir that’s it we have just shown you how to replace the rear rear pads and rotors on a Subaru.
