The way the sprocket or the star wheel is set behind the dust cover, there’s really no way to get at it with your fingers so even if it was easy to adjust by hand, no way I could get my hands inside the little access hole Subaru provides when you remove the rubber grommet. Once you get going, you don’t even need the mallet but the mallet is good to get it started.  Not a bad idea about the antiseize either way though.

As far as the bearings go, I have not driven the subaru much really because I haven’t been out kayaking too much and I bike (as in bicycle) to work. I have an MR2 which gets 35-36mpg highway so obviously I drive that much more than the 23-24mpg Outback (turbo). But I think it was just a seating of the brake pads and the shiny new rotors, at least I hope so..

Jay

Jay,

Re: this:

The way the sprocket or the star wheel is set behind the dust cover, there’s really no way to get at it with your fingers so even if it was easy to adjust by hand, no way I could get my hands inside the little access hole Subaru provides when you remove the rubber grommet. Once you get going, you don’t even need the mallet but the mallet is good to get it started.  Not a bad idea about the antiseize either way though. 

As far as the bearings go, I have not driven the subaru much really because I haven’t been out kayaking too much and I bike (as in bicycle) to work. I have an MR2 which gets 35-36mpg highway so obviously I drive that much more than the 23-24mpg Outback (turbo). But I think it was just a seating of the brake pads and the shiny new rotors, at least I hope so..

Jay

I hear ya--"they" don’t make it easy.  But if you did have fingers fingers that could reach the “star” wheel through the adjusting hole, I’d say your Christmas cards must be mailed from a planet slightly further from the Sun than Earth--LOL.

Here is brake adjusting tool (or “spoon”?) but it may be too big for the e-brake hole?  I’ve not looked at “Herself’s” and she’s got the car, but I would bet it would still work.  This one is a little curvier than the one I have, but same idea:  http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/kd295.html

I hope you’re right about the noise just being the new pads/rotors, but you should probably jack (and block) up your car and try wiggling the wheel, grabbing at E-W, then N-S.  Any movement is too much, on these types of bearings.  With no movement, you may be okay--with movement--ungood.

Good for you, re: the biking!  I’ve got a bad knee, which limits biking to the flatlands, but I love it anyway, so I’m jealous.  Green is beautiful!

That MR2 mileage isn’t bad either!

The g.f.’s ‘97 Outback is finally getting some good mileage, at 28 mpg (2.5l, no turbo, slushbox).  I think it took the first 150K to “loosen up"--lol.

TruePatriot

Wow, that tool looks like something my dentist would use.. ouch.... 

I don’t recall any movement in the wheel when I had my car up to do my rotors. I had to whack the ends of the old rotor with the mallet to get it free too, so I think if there was a lot of play, I would of seen it but I’ll keep that in mind. I’m on vacation for two weeks so I wont be back til the end of august…

Bummer about the knee, I really enjoy biking and have been commuting by bike since 2001, at first it was training for some long distance bike tours but I enjoyed it so much, I never stopped… If you like the flats, check out Rail Trails, they tend to be fairly flat since the trains would demo. hills and stuff all the time… I find if you go early enough, you limit the crowds on the nicer weekends and it’s always fairly easy..

Jay