Wallis_93 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I was wondering what is wrong with my car. Sometimes at slow speeds when I turn the wheel I'll feel a vibration very briefly that is accompanied by a slight noise. The noise is very low pitched and the vibration I can only describe as if something was catching the wheel. This only happens at slow speeds usually around 5mph but occasionally at higher speeds such as 15mph. It also usually happens when I'm taking sharper turns. It's starting to happen more often now and I'm curious as to what might be causing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) car details? could be torque bind, search for info. try idling through tight circles on dry pavement. maybe give 'slight' amount of gas. If you feel jerkiness in the car - that's often torque bind, 1 or 2 other possibilities. if your car is an automatic, try using the FWD fuse and test again. are all the tires the same model and wear-level? Edited April 2, 2014 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 I have a 2003 subaru outback sedan H6. The problem is that it doesn't always happen. It happens a lot but not always. And after I've been driving for a while it won't happen. Could you give me more info on torque bind and how bad is it exactly? How do I fix it if it is torque bind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) if the AWD system tries to engage on dry pavement, instead of tires slipping , those forces start building-up in the drive train. I'm not certain from your post exactly what you are experiencing, but idling thru some tight circles on dry pavement while trying to feel/listen/sense 'jerkiness' - then doing the same after inserting a spare fuse into the FWD slot in the fuse box under the hood, will help diagnose the car's problem maybe read some here; http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/143241-flushing-tranny-for-torque-bind/?hl=%2Btorque+%2Bbind when you reported something "catching the wheel" - did you mean a feeling in the car, or the steering wheel?. There can be air in the power steering system that can make a whining noise and/or cause pulsing in the steering wheel. lots of info if you search using ' torque bind ' or ' noisy power steering ' or ' air in power steering ' , etc. Edited April 2, 2014 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 The feeling of the tire catching is felt in the steering wheel. It does not actually catch but feels like it's just powering through whatever is causing it to feel like it is catching. I'm at work right now but I'll idle through some tight circles in the parking lot when I get off and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 Well I think it may have something to do with my power steering. Starting today there has been a small whining noise at full turn. Now I just need to know exactly what needs to be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 Another question. If it's not the power steering and the problem persists could it be a ball joint problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarl Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Try checking the power steering fluid to see if there are bubbles. I read somewhere (here?) that tightening too much the P/S belt cover when doing work on the alternator may push the P/S reservoir to one side, allowing bubbles to get in.As a matter of fact the site was still on my browser history Here you go:http://allwheeldriveauto.com/why-is-the-power-steering-making-noise-on-my-subaru-outback/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 It actually said that only applies to the H4 engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 How many miles? When was the last time the accessory drive belt was changed? Has the PS fluid ever been changed? Has anyone looked at the condition of the balljoints? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 It actually said that only applies to the H4 engineI can tell you several people, including myself, have had air in the PS system of our H6es. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 My H6 has about 138,000 miles and I just replaced the drive belt about 500 miles ago along with two pulleys. I haven't changed the power steering fluid since I've owned the vehicle (bought at 125k miles). I've never looked at the condition of my ball joints before either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 first - check power steering fluid level and condition! if level is low, add fluid to full mark. start the car & slowly turn wheels from center to lock, to opposite lock and back to center - maybe even do this a couple, three times. check fluid level again. repeat as needed until level stays where it should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 did you drive tight circles on pavement? have you looked inside the PS reservoir for bubbles while idling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 I have driven tight circles on pavement and I'm pretty sure it's not torque bind. I have not checked for bubbles but I will do that. I think I will also change the fluid and see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 A bad PS pump can cause this but lets rule out the simple stuff first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Well I checked the power steering fluid and it's not bad. There were no bubbles at all in the tank and everything seemed like it was working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Well I checked the power steering fluid and it's not bad. There were no bubbles at all in the tank and everything seemed like it was working.just to check, you looked while the car was idling? some people have had the u- joint (double cardan joint or w'ever) get stiff in the steering column. I think you may be at a point now where you need a good mechanic to test drive the car. Maybe ask in a new thread if anyone can recomm. a good shop near Great Falls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallis_93 Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Yeah the car was idling. I checked right after I had changed my oil and I had it running for 5 minutes before I had checked the power steering fluid. Anyway I guess I'll see if I can find myself a mechanic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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