heartless Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 1995 Legacy L wagon, AWD, automatic - this is the car that had the trans swapped - twice... car has a little over 206K on it - not sure of the mileage on the transmission, but I think Miles said in the 180K range? Sub-zero temperatures yesterday morning - around -5 or so - went out to start the car to warm it up before leaving for work - a little bit sluggish to turn over - about 5 revolutions before firing up - not what I would call problematic given the temps. Immediately on starting I hear a squealing noise coming from under the center console area - defintely NOT from under the hood/engine area. Lasted for close to a minute before disappearing. I had heard it for a few seconds the day before as well, but it went away pretty quickly (not quite as cold then, temps just above zero) Any thoughts or ideas on what might be causing the squeal? So far it only seems to do this in extreme cold situations (have only been driving the car for a week) Tranny had new seals put in before installation - both front axle outputs and the rear output seal were changed (front seal was left alone as TC was fully seated and it was nice & dry in that area. Aside from the squeal on start up it runs and drives well, shifting is smooth as silk, nothing unusual happening - just the squeal when it is really cold. If temps are above 20 or so, it hasnt done this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 nobody has a clue? anything? Well, I guess I live with it & wait & see what happens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 1. when it's making the noise - does anything change as you shift through gears? Subaru AT's will chirp when low on fluid. yours doesn't have a real ATF filter from the factory but if there's an aftermarket one in place make sure it's not old/clogged. there's a lower metal access plate held in place by 2 10mm bolts and it's very thin. if it gets tweaked at all during installation it can rub and squeal or chirp. i can't imagine how that would be temp related though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 (edited) this happens on cold startup only - not while driving - and it goes away after a second or two - length of time depending on just how cold it is outside. First time I heard it was just for less than a second - not long enough to really tell where it was coming from - temp was around zero (F). Second time it was for a couple of seconds - long enough to determine the area it was coming from - temp was about 10-12 below zero (F). Seems the colder it is, the longer the squeal will last - warmer temps it doesnt do it all - the first few days I had it, temps were in the mid to upper teens above zero over night, and no squealing on startup. tranny was just installed all of 2 weeks ago - new "filter"/pickup screen and new seals - all new fluid, too. When driving it makes no odd noises at all, shifting is very smooth and easy (no harshness) no funny vibrations - absolutely nothing that would cause me concern. just that odd squeal on really cold mornings... Edited December 8, 2013 by heartless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 very comen the speedo head has two rotating meatal pieces that come very close to each other is fairly normal to have it make noise when its cold My impreza dose this till it warms up and my justy and my 79 wagon and my 81 brat anytime its under -10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 ivans might have you covered with the speedo head? i would think it's not transmission related. it sounds like a rotating part which would often suggest a bearing - like belt tensioner, alternator, etc. what makes you think it is - because it didn't do it until the trans was swapped? might be coincidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I've had speedo noise like that in the winter when I lived in Minnesota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 very comen the speedo head has two rotating meatal pieces that come very close to each other is fairly normal to have it make noise when its cold My impreza dose this till it warms up and my justy and my 79 wagon and my 81 brat anytime its under -10 I've had speedo noise like that in the winter when I lived in Minnesota. Ok, that sounds plausible - and makes me feel a bit better too! Thanks guys. Was just a little disconcerted by it - never heard such a noise from that area before. Car spent the night in a heated shop (50 degrees F) overnight while in the processes of doing a timing job - got it all buttoned up today and no squeaks, no squeals, just that distinctive Subaru boxer engine sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presslab Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 '93 on has an electronic speedometer head, there are no spinning pieces. In any case it can't be speedo related if the wheels (and speedo) aren't turning, if as you say it happens while not driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 '93 on has an electronic speedometer head, there are no spinning pieces. In any case it can't be speedo related if the wheels (and speedo) aren't turning, if as you say it happens while not driving. Good point... anyway - I may have inadverntently discovered what is making the squealing noise... Started the car this morning and didnt hear the squeal right off... when I got ready to leave, I turned the heater fan on and...yup, it squealed... this was the first morning that the blower was shut completely off when I started the car - every other time it had been turned on, set at level 2... not sure why, but I had shut everything off last night when I got home - blower fan, radio, lights - everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 my 98 impreza has cable to speedo head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presslab Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 The blower motor makes sense, the one in my Vanagon did the same thing, needed to remove the whole dash to fix it. You should be able to do yours after removing the glove box. Yeah the Impreza kept the speedo cable a lot longer than the Legacy. Because it's cheaper, maybe? I still can't believe some manual trans Subarus came without a tach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 The blower motor makes sense, the one in my Vanagon did the same thing, needed to remove the whole dash to fix it. You should be able to do yours after removing the glove box. Yeah the Impreza kept the speedo cable a lot longer than the Legacy. Because it's cheaper, maybe? I still can't believe some manual trans Subarus came without a tach. So does fixing it entail replacing the blower motor? or is there something else that can be done? if replacing is necessary, what other models can I potentially get one from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Sometimes you can oil the bushings and the squeaks will go away for a little while. I'd try that before replacing it. Things is, its such a pain to get out I'm not sure I would want to remove it just to have to do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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