2006 Turbo OBW vibrates upon acceleration

[DebMe2]

I purchased my 2006 Outback Wagon Turbo one year ago. I've never owned a turbo before.Upon any acceleration there is a vibration that I thought was the Turbo engine, but my daughter and son in law said the tires were out of balance.

 

I had the tires balanced and the vibration still happens. The mechanic suggested it was the carrier bearing. He said it is not a serious mechanical issues, just mostly annoying.

 

Does anyone know what may cause this, as I have researched the carrier bearing issue and I am not convinced. If it is something that needs attention, I want to repair it. I love my car and want to keep it a long time.

[1 Lucky Texan]

axles will sometimes cause vibration.

 

you could post a new thread asking for a good soob-experienced mechanic near your city. Have a different opinion after a test drive of the car.

 

it is imperative the tires all be the same size/brand/model and near each other in wear. any change in the tires before this began?

 

any jerking/bucking when driving tight circles on dry pavement? maneuvering in parking lots?

[Crazyeights]

Is it a manual transmission? If so it could be a broken or damaged Dual Mass flywheel. If it's an Automatic transmission car I am not sure. Good Luck

[Fairtax4me]

How many miles are on the car?

 

Is it a fast vibration, or slower, shaking feeling?

 

Does the vibration become more prominent with higher speed?

Does it only happen at certain speeds, or do you notice it more at certain speeds?

[DebMe2]

How many miles are on the car?  It has 96,500

 

Is it a fast vibration, or slower, shaking feeling? Slower shaking feeling, sort of like front end is out of alignment

 

Does the vibration become more prominent with higher speed? No

Does it only happen at certain speeds, or do you notice it more at certain speeds? No. But it does happen any time I speed up. Then at a level speed it stops and seems fine. If I want to pass another car and accelerate it vibrates then stops at level speed again.

[DebMe2]

axles will sometimes cause vibration.

 

you could post a new thread asking for a good soob-experienced mechanic near your city. Have a different opinion after a test drive of the car. What is an soob-experienced mechanic?

 

it is imperative the tires all be the same size/brand/model and near each other in wear. any change in the tires before this began? No

 

any jerking/bucking when driving tight circles on dry pavement? maneuvering in parking lots? No

[idosubaru]

Check your front differential oil.  That's unlikely because you'd probably also have some noises but given the cost I'd check just to be sure.

 

Are the inner axle joints green, like this?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/mschmidt/DSC05728.jpg

 

That picture is from underneath.  They can be seen from peeking around the wheel, but with good lighting you should be able to peer through the engine bay too.  Post a picture here if you're unsure. 

 

If they're not green - then it's likely aftermarket axles causing the issues.  Aftermarket axles have all sorts of issues - i've even seen brand new ones blow apart in 50 feet after replacement...little balls rolling all over the ground and everything.  Noises, vibrations, you name it.  of course there's plenty of good ones but they have a rather high failure rate.

Maybe they were run with broken boots for a long time but that seems unlikely if we just make guess from what information you've given us.

 

If it is axles, but used axles and have them rebooted with Subaru boots (aftermarket boots only last 2-4 years):

www.car-part.com for cheap used axles everywhere. 

 

FWE in Denver sells excellent quality axles if you want an off the shelf option.  

[wtdash]

^+1 on axles. For whatever reason the '05-09 seem to wear out axles about 100K. Yours may be due or were done w/cheap replacements.

 

soob-experienced mechanic = Subaru experienced mechanic. Many on here, myself included, prefer a seasoned/trained/etc Subaru mech/tech to work on our cars. Subarus aren't hard to work on, but to save time on diagnostics - and return trips for repairs - you'll be ahead of the game. And not necessarily a dealer, but an independent (indie) shop.

 

And PLEASE change your OIL often - every 3K miles, make sure the filter screens on the oil lines to the heads and turbo are removed, use the best  Top Tier fuel w/the 92 Octane (or highest avl. in UT),  and do some more research on keeping that turbo engine (EJ255) healthy. If the turbo starts to make noises, do NOT wait to replace it (VF40 model). The turbo in yours doesn't have the best reputation for longevity and when it starts to fail it can throw its broken parts into the engine. - not good.

 

Td

[nipper]

I'm going with the career bearing or universal joints, and your mechanic is wrong, it should be a priority to get fixed. . At the least its an inconvenience, at worst it rips out the drive drive train.