petey Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Anyone shed any light on this as its starting to baffle me a bit. Its a 98 legacy 2.0 GL wagon that belongs to a friend and in the last 3 years ive had to fit 4 new driveshafts to the front right wheel as it keeps chewing the outer cv joint off...... The last 2 times its done it its made no warning noises,clicking etc just snapped them clean out,then it refuses to move,just sits there spinning the broken shaft..... Any ideas? its not getting used particularly hard,no towing or anything,never been in an accident to misalign anything,slightly bumpy track up to where it lives but thats about it... How is it that it doesnt attempt to move using the other 3 wheels? i know on an ea82 itll still move if you remove the broken shaft and pop it in 4wd,is it just a newer soob thing with it being permanent 4wd? Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Automagic or manual trans? If it's manual then the center differential is probably worn out and is not transfering any power to the rear wheels. Generally broken axles are due to shock loading (wheel hop, neutral drop, landing on throttle), or extreme operating angles. Has the car been lifted at all? Taller struts.springs, lift blocks? Where are you buying the axles? Are they aftermarket or OE Subaru replacements? If they are aftermarket, I'd recommend finding a real Subaru axle to replace it with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petey Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Nope,its a bog standard manual 5 speed box,standard suspension,wheels etc drives perfectly once shaft is replaced,have been replacing it with new aftermarket ones,genuine subaru ones here are more than what the cars worth!! As said before,no extreme use,just a slightly rutted track up to where it lives and thats only about 500 yards long. Left side hasnt been replaced once that i know of,just find it odd it likes the right side ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Even if you can find a used Subaru axle it's still better than an aftermarket part. Very common for aftermarket axles to fail after short periods even if no offroad or rough driving is involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I would go with a GOOD axle, like Autozone or better. Check the wheel bearing, hub and frame. Make sure all the bushings are good in the suspension. I had a much older one do this, and rust was tearing the frame apart so axles kept failing, some rather spectacularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (I'm guessing you mean legacy 2.2 ?) Make sure to torque the axle with the wheel OFF the ground. I used a giant screwdriver in the rotor vents - rotated around to the caliper to 'buck-up' the axle while torquing. probably work OK with someone standing on the brake pedal. I suppose there's no reason to suspect you're getting the wrong part? (wrong length?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petey Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Nope its a 2.0 lol,we get them and the 2.2 over here theres no rust in the frame to speak of,in fact it just had its very first plates put on the outer rear sill edges only yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 bad axle is most likely. aftermarket axle industry is terrible. i would find a used Subaru axle and reboot it - then replace with that. that's how i replace axles here. like you said new is insane price wise and the used aftermarket industry is terribly ripe with bad products, so i avoid the issues by rebooting used subaru axles. the OEM subaru axles are very robust, it is best to keep them and never replace. next time you have to replace the axle you could entertain throwing the new replacement on the other side that's never been replaced and that one on the right which is eating axles. this will determine if junk axles are the issue or something at that wheel is actually wonky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 next time you have to replace the axle you could entertain throwing the new replacement on the other side that's never been replaced and that one on the right which is eating axles. this will determine if junk axles are the issue or something at that wheel is actually wonky. I almost posted this same thought. It would be interesting in terms of diagnosis. And, if the boots are in good shape, the majority of pressure/wear should be opposite on all the races. The axle has the potential to last a long time. When they rebuild axles, even if they use the $100,000 machine to cut down through the pits/wear properly, there's no case hardening after treatment. You could consider EMPI or maybe Raxles.com - if available to you. But the consensus on most of the forums is to stick with your own axles if possible. (no problems with EMPI on my wife's 03 H6 OBW - so far) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Another good possibility is MWE axles in Denver, CO. Rebuilt Subaru OEM axles but at a much better price than dealership rebuilts. Petey--please add UK to your location name so people know you're not in the US! Edited February 1, 2012 by Olnick Request Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petey Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Petey--please add UK to your location name so people know you're not in the US! Good point,done Will see whats going down and let you all know,just heard its possibly going to be scrapped anyway as the mounting bolts for the rear trailing arms sheared their captive nuts inside the sill when being removed for replacement earlier :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Autozone axles are also very good, they get them from a subaru rebuilder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bork Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Autozone axles are also very good, they get them from a subaru rebuilder. They take your old core? I thought they were supposed top be new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Yes they took my core, they are rebuilt, from what I have been told, at the same place subaru had thiers rebuilt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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