goblinsgarage Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 (edited) Hello Suby world! I have lurked the Ultimate Subaru forums many times to diagnose and repair various problems with my 1996 Impreza Outback. She has racked up almost 310k and been the only car I have ever owned since I got my drivers license. It's fair to say that I'm very attached to this car.... Here's are the issues/symptoms: ONE: When turning sharply at a slow speed (parking, 90 degree, U turns, etc) a prominent 'clicking' noise is very loud. Seems at its worst when turning right; very audible from the front passenger side. Lately I have noticed a very light swaying sensation when accelerating. I am assuming that the front right CV axle needs to be replaced? How do I determine if the whole axle needs to be replaced or just the boot? I can get an aftermarket complete CV axle assembly for $65 including shipping here: http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1990/subaru/legacy/driveshaft_-ar-_axle/cv_axle_assembly.html?brand=usa_industries. Truth be told, my poor old Suby has a growing list of minor problems and the major ones that require attention and $ are coming up more and more as she racks up the miles. Is it a waste of money to get the cheap re-manned assembly from Parts Geek, or should I invest in OEM/MWE? I can see green boots on there now, so I know she still has OEM right now. I'm not in a financial position to dump more than about $300 per major problem (which is why I have become my own mechanic...with y'all's help of course). Should I be concerned about torque bind? Should I do the 'fuse test' just to be sure? Should I flush/change the front differential fluid to see if the clicking goes away before I buy parts, or is it past that point? (I don't remember the last time it was changed, embarrassingly enough) TWO: When going over the slightest bump in the road, the back end right in the rear axle area 'clunks' very deeply. It's very sensitive to bumps and 'creaky' over all, especially in 'cold' temps (40 degrees or less...Texas...). If you happen to be sitting in the back passenger side seat, it feels like the rear end of the car is falling off and your butt is going to hit the pavement. Sound like rear CV axle is toast as well? I haven't checked the struts yet.Any thoughts/expertise/answers are welcome and appreciated! -Erica Edited December 20, 2016 by goblinsgarage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Its a cv coint. The boot can be fine but the cv can be bad. No need to be concerned about TB. Change the fluid just to change it. The rear there are a few bushings that can be guilty. That would take a phyisical inspection. There is a differential bushing that goes bad on these and can make a deep noise over bumps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 What you describe is a dead CV joint. If by some chance, you guess the side wrong, swap the removed one onto the other side. I don't know your specific model, but everything I've seen regarding CVJ / axles is OEM only. There used to be a few aftermarket ones that were ok. Get a used OEM axle at a parts yard, get a set of boot kits, and reboot it. Probably good to change all the lubes at least every 100Kmiles, but it's got nothing to do with a failing CVJ. Check all of the suspension bushings, mounts, links, ball joints, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmithmmx Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 The clicking is most likely an axle. Do not use aftermarket. I think we all agree here on that. Get a used oem axle off ebay or here. Typically green color on the outer sockets. The rear noise is most likely suspension. Is it original? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 1. get a used axle. www.car-part.com they're only $15-$35 each. Get a 2001 Subaru Outback (legacy) front axle. Knock the tone ring off and install that. They have better outer boots that last a lot longer. Can run it as-is or reboot the inner boot before you install it. 2. the rear issues are probably struts. 310,000 miles on original struts? that's a bit excessive to say the least. At this point the springs sound like they've taken a beating from the bad struts so I'd replace both rear springs and struts. there are used struts on ebay for $30. use the site i mentioned above. I scored some super cheap KYB FWD legacy rear struts and installed them in an AWD legacy just because they were cheap/new/KYB. they were on ebay i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Or get Forester Struts and give yourself a lift, about 2". I've done several and love them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Or get Forester Struts and give yourself a lift, about 2". I've done several and love them. That's a great suggestion and what is listen too. The OBS (Impreza Outback sport) sits low anyway and often suffers from rear sagging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 do the Forester swap, you wont be sorry! but yeah, sounds like the rear suspension is done. If you can, get a set of the Forester strut assemblies - the WHOLE works - strut, spring and tophats. Pull the old out, stuff the new in and done. You may need to loosen the rear sway bar at the frame mounts to make installing a bit easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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