parking brake creaking?

So the parking brake mechanism on the drivers side of my car makes a creaking sound if I rock the car when stopped (by getting in/out, etc.) - it's definitely the parking brake mechanism (release the brake and the noise is gone, even when rocking the car). So I figured it's a drum brake which has a gazillion contact points, so I'd just pull it apart, lube it up, and be good to go - however, checking the service manual and it looks like there are a couple of routines you need to run with the SSM - the first is a break-in procedure, the second is a force calibration... the first one looks to be just when you replace the brake pads (for the parking brake) but the second is for whenever you remove the parking brake, adjust pad clearance, etc. - so does anyone have a feel for how necessary the latter one is? I was thinking there shouldn't be a lip on the drum part of the rotor, so releasing the parking brake should allow me to remove the rotor without adjusting the star wheel, so if I do that, I can clean/lube the things that are making noise (it sounds like either the strut/strut spring, o or maybe the return springs, or perhaps one of the hold down springs/pins... the strut gets my vote, though...) then everything should be right where it was when I reassemble... right?

What do you think? Normally, I'd just mess with it then swing by the dealer and plead with the service guys to help me out and run the routine, but I'd rather not go down there if I don't have to given the current climate...

When I had my Brembos put on, we messed around a bit with the rears trying different rotors, we pulled them a few times. We were not able to do any of the special routines for the EPB and have not had a problem so far.

Of course now that I mention this, something will probably come up with them.

So the parking brake mechanism on the drivers side of my car makes a creaking sound if I rock the car when stopped (by getting in/out, etc.) - it's definitely the parking brake mechanism (release the brake and the noise is gone, even when rocking the car). So I figured it's a drum brake which has a gazillion contact points, so I'd just pull it apart, lube it up, and be good to go - however, checking the service manual and it looks like there are a couple of routines you need to run with the SSM - the first is a break-in procedure, the second is a force calibration... the first one looks to be just when you replace the brake pads (for the parking brake) but the second is for whenever you remove the parking brake, adjust pad clearance, etc. - so does anyone have a feel for how necessary the latter one is? I was thinking there shouldn't be a lip on the drum part of the rotor, so releasing the parking brake should allow me to remove the rotor without adjusting the star wheel, so if I do that, I can clean/lube the things that are making noise (it sounds like either the strut/strut spring, o or maybe the return springs, or perhaps one of the hold down springs/pins... the strut gets my vote, though...) then everything should be right where it was when I reassemble... right?

 

 

What do you think? Normally, I'd just mess with it then swing by the dealer and plead with the service guys to help me out and run the routine, but I'd rather not go down there if I don't have to given the current climate...

Well if you do go to the dealer, you could argue that the Parking Brake is under warranty (if you got the notice in the mail).

So I ended up not backing them off, but instead went in through the inspection port - as you rotate the wheel around it lines right up with the ends of the strut - looked pretty much dry, so I put a little dab of never seize on both ends as well as where the spring for the strut secures. Seems to have silenced that side (the passenger side was loudest, now just the drivers side makes a little noise - if the noise on the passenger side doesn't come back, I'll get in there and do the drivers side next weekend if I feel inspired.)

I was sort of curious what the force sensor calibration procedure did - it says you are supposed to do it any time you adjust the position of the shoes, but as long as you get the position where it was, it seems loads would be the same when the brake is applied? who knows. Good to hear things work without doing, though, as if the noise comes back I'll need to pull things apart.

I had the actuator replaced under warranty back in August, so I don't think it was that (though maybe they cleaned, but didn't relubricate when they put it back together... who knows)

Hey, where did the thanks button go??

Thanks DrD123!

Did you change the forum display theme you're using? I think only some of them show the thanks button, although I'm still hanging out on the default (I think?) 3.1 theme, so I couldn't tell you which ones do and which don't.

I use the dark theme and the Thanks button is there...

Well, the noise never really went away (it got a lot quieter, then gradually got loud again), so I figured I'd take a look at the parking brake and pulled it all apart (it's a pretty standard drum brake design, except instead of the wheel cylinder at the top, you just have a stud/pivot point for the pads) - everything was bone dry, as I figured - no grease at all! I lubed the three contact points for each pad, as well as the ends of the strut that goes between the two pads above the axle, then buttoned everything back up. I marked the auto adjuster so that everything would be together as it was before. Did both sides, and now there is no creaking when I get in/out of the car. I am guessing when they did the parking brake actuator recall, they just cleaned everything with brake cleaner, then slapped it back together without lubing it up.

I might see if the service department at the dealer will run the force calibration thing, but everything seems to be fine.

Sounds like the same problem I had on my 4th gen awhile back, I wonder if your 5th gen looks the same. Pictures below in case anyone is curious

https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4879909&postcount=3

There was parking brake recall by Subaru. Ask your dealer to check it before asking repairs.

I know - I pointed out that I had the recall done (which was for the actuator) and that my thought was that they cleaned things up, but didn't lubricate when reassembling. The service manual requires a force sensor calibration routine be run, but you need the SSM to run it, so I might have them do that, but otherwise, all is working properly (and quietly) now

Sounds like the same problem I had on my 4th gen awhile back, I wonder if your 5th gen looks the same. Pictures below in case anyone is curious

https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4879909&postcount=3

Pretty much all of the Subaru's (and other cars, for that matter) that use the drum-style parking brake look the same - so yup, same thing! I lubed the three contact points for each drum just like you did (I used never-seize instead of regular grease) and also added lubricating the ends of the strut and where the strut meets the lever (the autoadjuster was still all greased up, so other than a dot on the tab on the bottom of the brake shoes, I left that alone)

It's pretty much a standard drum brake (which used to be pretty common on cars, but is a bit of a rarity now) except that in a regular drum brake, instead of having the round stud that the top of the brake shoes rest against, you have a wheel cylinder (the hydraulic part - works just like a piston in a caliper, pushing out on the top of the brake shoes, forcing them into the drum)