Brakes - from the shifter to the rear

[ppodlas]

1992 Legacy 2WD sedan 190K- I can't figure this out. Rear wheels seem locked like the emergency brake is on, but it is not. I pulled handle up and down fast to try to unlock. I proceed to go/move forward, hearing groaning sound from the rear wheels, about 5 miles later the brakes released and are normal. (ABS?) But as I Come to a stop I have to pump the pedal to get it hard. (Now I said oh its the master cylinder.) I took off the rear wheels , no leaking fluid - I thought the cylinders are bad......
And on top of it now, I can't start the car, I have to push down the shift lock button in front of the shifter, put it in neutral to start the car. It will not start in park, but then it will run, I shut off, then sometimes it will start in park.( Switch on the brake pedal?) What happened? Wow what a nightmare all of a sudden. Thanks

[Legacy777]

Welcome to the BBS. Sorry to hear about the issues.

Does your car have ABS?

You probably have a caliper that is stuck/frozen. It will work it's way loose with driving, and then when you come to a stop, you have to depress the brake pedal several times.

Other thought is you may also need to bleed the brakes, you may have air in the system, or just old/bad brake fluid.

As for the starting issues, you may have a problem with the starter solenoid contacts. They wear over time, and can cause issues starting the car. I think the fact you moved the gear selector to neutral doesn't really have anything to do with the problem, just coincidence that it started in neutral after trying to start it in park a few times.

You can replace the copper contacts for a few bucks. There's a couple threads if you search with info on where to get the contacts.

If you remove the starter and pull the end cover on the solenoid, it will be obvious whether the contacts are bad or not.

http://main.experiencetherave.com/subar ... enoid1.jpg
http://main.experiencetherave.com/subar ... enoid2.jpg
http://main.experiencetherave.com/subar ... enoid3.jpg

[ppodlas]

Yes I do have ABS. I 'll pull the hub off again to make sure all is well. But lets say for argument sake everything looks fine. Can the ABS system lock the brakes up in the rear ?

[Legacy777]

You would hear the ABS motor running if it were something with the ABS system. I really doubt that is the problem.

To check for a stuck caliper, you really need to try and remove the caliper from the caliper bracket and make sure it moves freely.

[tahiti350]

Did you drive on slushy or wet roads then leave it parked with the E-brake on overnight? on my Dodge truck the E-brake cable freezes in the liner and stickes...

Is it both rear wheels or just one?

[ppodlas]

Thanks guys - no - no caused by the weather or wet roads- I will look into the stuck caliper - I did have the hub off and no leaking fluid - but I'll try to get the caliper off - original still on - probably a tough go .......rust.....