2.5Turbo

Brake job's done, new pads and rotors and the brakes are butter smooth now, but everything else is still the same. Also had a coolant flush and diff service done. I asked what he thought it was and he said he couldn't find anything on the lift. At first he thought the chirp was heat shields (drove around with him for a while to listen to it), but all were sufficiently clamped and secure. He also thought the vibration might just be inherent in the engine combustion, but I don't think that's the case because it isn't RPM dependent and hasn't done it the whole time I've owned the car. I'm about ready to take it down to the stealer and have them drain my wallet...

I've got the stock alloys. As speed increases, the squeaks seem to become more frequent, but the sound isn't cyclical in nature like a brake squeak. Brakes are silent otherwise. If I simulate a heavy load and try to accelerate while lightly applying the brakes the squeaks occur just as if I'm climbing a hill.

The reason why I think it might not be brakes/tires is because the frequency of the vibration is higher than the rotation of the wheels, probably at least two times the wheel rotation. I'll get the brakes done soon and we'll see what happens when my mechanic looks it over.

If you're having a hard time hearing it, there's a pretty good squeak/chirp half a second before the 1:00 mark, then they're more noticeable between 1:12 and 1:20. If you're able, it helps to turn down the bass when you're listening. The car does need a brake job, the rotors are not in the best shape (wobble when braking at high speed). The noise is definitely outside. I can hear it a bit with the windows closed, but the fact that the noise reflects off guardrails tells me it's coming from somewhere outside. The vibration only occurs at certain speeds, and only when the drivetrain is relatively loaded (accelerating or maintaining speed on a hill). It does not vibrate or squeak when coasting in neutral or in gear, nor when engine braking down a hill. Also not there when revving in neutral. The squeaks/chirps aren't always accompanied by the vibration; the squeaks happen from about 15-20mph on up (road/wind drowns them out above about 45), while the vibration is only between about 20-30mph. My air box is pretty well sealed and secure; I can put my hand over the intake pipe and it will create and hold vacuum in the air box. Both hold down bolts and all clips are tight. The noises I'm hearing are very quick chirps, not a continuous whistle. The squeaks don't get worse as I give it more gas, they seem to subside a bit or get drowned out by the engine under heavier throttle. I did take off the heat shield this evening and pushed and pulled on parts of the driveshaft. No noticeable play in the U-joints, but the rear joint as well as some spots on the shaft itself were rusty. The carrier bearing seems to turn OK, but there is a good amount of radial play in the rubber bushing. The rubber seems to be in good shape, it's just easy to move around. Some photos of the driveshaft and U-joints (I squirted some oil in the joints to see if they were squeaking, didn't change) Front joint Front side of the carrier bearing Rear side of carrier bearing Rear U-joint

My 02 Outback wagon with the 4EAT emits a recurring, random chirping noise when accelerating. It seems like it does it from about 20mph up. Does not do it when coasting or engine braking, nor does it do it when loading the drivetrain in gear with the brakes applied. At first I thought it was belts, but I took both off and drove around the block a few times and it still chirped. FWD fuse doesn't change it either. If it helps I'm also trying to track down a vibration that occurs between about 20 and 30mph on acceleration; think it might be a DOJ going bad. The frequency of the vibration seems to be about two times the rotation of the wheels, which is kind of weird. Also doesn't go away with the FWD fuse in. I put a video up on Youtube to assist with the diagnosis: All but the first five seconds or so are driving uphill. You kind of have to listen for it, but it's there. Excuse the taken apart center console...I'm in the middle of installing a ham radio transceiver in there and it's not quite buttoned up yet I'm used to working on diesel Mercedes so Subarus (and AWD cars in general) are relatively new territory. Any ideas?