Need some help

[jocnatpa]

Hi everyone,

 

I am a tech and found out about this forum from iatn of which I am a member. They have led me to his site. Stating how great this group is. I am having aproblem with a 98 outback awd automatic trans with 107000 miles. Hoping someone can lead me in the right direction. I have been browsing through the posts and have seen a lotof posts about torque bind. I think I may have a car with this problem not sure though.

 

The car came in for for new struts. we replaced the struts, spring mounts, left steering knuckle and new ball joints. We also did a wheel alignment, change the rear differential fluid. Customer brought the car back two weeks later. Her complaint is that on a hard right turn only has a noise that sounds like a bad left outer cv joint. I went over my work did not see anything obvious and it will not make the noise while on the lift. I installed a rebuilt axle but it did not correct the noise. Could this be a torque bind issue? Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Adam N.D.J.]

Welcome aboard. IATN is a good place, out shop uses a lot of info we get off there, very helpful place.

 

Did you replace the left knuckle with a used unit (wrecking yard?) complete with bearings. It is possible that the bearings may be an issue. Not too likely, but possible. Also a lot of us have run into a quite a few instances where a rebuilt axle wasn't properly rebuilt, especially with NAPA. You could try swapping the front axles and seeing if the problem moves.

 

Also check the TSB's out there, I do believe that there is one that involves the sway bar that is described as a left CV problem. (Might actually be the first thing to do.)

[jocnatpa]

Adam,

Thanks for replying, Knuckle and bearing were new oe parts, check tsbs in alldata, nothing about stabalizer, axle was replaced out of desperation. I could actually feel the clicking through the left strut while driving. A couple of questions for my knowledge? WIll the torque binding occur on only a right hand turn? What type of noise or feel should expect if there is a torque bind? Do these cars have issues with the front differential spider or side gears and bearings? Can the front diffrential be repaired without getting in to tearing down the trans? Again thanks for responding.

[Adam N.D.J.]

Not sure on the "torque bind", this is something that I have never experienced, could be that mine is limited to manual trannies.

The transaxle can have problems with the front diff, although they aren't common. I can't remember if the newer automatics have an separate fill for the front diff, as the old ones did, they take gear oil in the diff. Getting to the front diff is a simple as removing the trans assembly, the removing the bellhousing, the transmission part is then behind all that.

[cookie]

rear drive you can eliminate torque bind as a possibility. Check the owner's manual for what to do when installing a spare wheel.

[RallyKeith]

I've had several cases where either the end nut on the half-shaft wasn't tight enough, or there was some sort of misalignment that wasn't causing the half-shaft to seat properly and in turns made it sound like a bad CV joint. I assume in that situation it is slack in the bearings of the knunkle that cause the issue. I've had this on Legacys, Loyales, and a Justy. I don't know if there is a torque spec for that end nut, but in my experiance a 16" breaker bar with a 3' pipe and all my weight down on it was what it took.

 

Also, torque bind is called that because the car binds up and un-naturally slows it self down and wheels shutter. I don't think you have that problem, but like cookie said, try putting in the FWD fuse.

 

Keith

[cookie]

I also suspect it is not torque bind and more likely a misaligned or defective half shaft. This is just a guess from so far away, but I have made funny half shaft noises by mistake myself.