brendan_ward

'91 Legacy Wagon, 2WD, Auto tranny. I have a funny driver-side noise (sounds like a worn bearing) that becomes evident when driving above 30 mph. Doesn't appear to be related to the engine, because it is undetectable at idle, but still right there in neutral above 30 mph. It is there regardless of steering direction, and seems to increase intensity/frequency with speed. I've poked around underneath and in the engine compartment and can't find anything rubbing or that would otherwise cause a noise like that. CV joint & boot seem just fine on that side. The noise appears to be coming from somewhere just in front of the steering wheel. Any thoughts?

Well, after 3 cold chisels, 3 drill bits, and more than 3 hours - I got the bloody axle nut off! Cold chisels alone just didn't seem to do the job, so I tried an old woodworking mortise-slot cutting trick - drill a series of holes and then use those as weak points to split it. And it really made the difference - just have to be very careful not to drill through to the hub... After that, it was all downhill - the axle was easy except getting the spring pin in and out (access from the engine side was difficult at best, and the oxygen sensor was right in the way from below). Next time this axle will be easier! I can't wait until the other one goes out since it looks like it was the same vintage as the one I replaced.... I can only imagine that it will be just as hard to get the nut off on that one! Thanks to all of you for your help!

So if I get it torched, I risk the seals. If I take a cold-chisel to it, what do I risk besides fingers? Any chance this will trash my bearings, hub, etc? So the informal poll: Who votes for torching and who votes for splitting the nut with a judicious wacking? MorganM, I'm in Madison, certainly too far from the Twin Cities to be worth a trip. Thanks everybody!

I found one generous shop today that tried to loosen it for me with an impact wrench first, and when that failed, a long breaker bar. Didn't even budge it - the shop tech. said he'd never seen a nut that tight, and he was much burlier than me! And I've been soaking it in penetrating oil for 4 days now! Do y'all have a trick for getting the oil into the threads, since the nut/axle is pointed very slightly downwards causing anything I squirt in there to drain back out. Now it is on to another shop to try torching it, along jcniest5's suggestion. Why are these nuts so bloody tight??? For a '91 with >160K, I can't imagine that the axles are original. The nut is not rusty on the surface, but the threads definitely seem seized since it hasn't so much as budged. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!

So can I just take it to a shop and have them do it with an impact wrench? I certainly didn't call every shop in town, but my impression from the few I talked to was that they wouldn't do it for liability reasons. What would be a fair charge for them to break it loose for me? jcniest5, your link did not come through correctly. Thanks everybody!

Well the time has come to replace my right front driveaxle on my '91 Legacy Wagon, but I cannot get the bloody axle nut off!! I have unstaked the nut and been squirting it with penetrating oil for days. Used an 18" breaker bar and a 2ft piece of metal pipe to no avail, and broke the breaker bar! I've been trying to work it clockwise and counter-clockwise just to break it loose. Tried a sturdier 25" breaker bar with 2ft pipe, with two people standing on it, and the nut didn't even budge. I've tried using a smaller socket & hammer to give the nut a good shake, didn't help. Tried heating it with a mini-torch, then jumping on the breaker bar, still nothing. Any ideas? What's the trick? Obviously many of you have gotten these off just fine. I don't have access to an impact wrench, and I thought that they were discouraged for Subaru axle nuts anyway. I thought about having a shop break it loose for me, but the few I called refused due to liability issues. I'd like to do the rest of the axle replacement myself rather than just turning the whole operation over to a shop (read: poor starving grad student).

Well, I finally solved it. After pulling the plugs out for the third time, I noticed that one looked a little funny as I was getting ready to put it back in - turns out the insulator was loose and when the plug is held terminal up (as it would go into the engine) and shaken, the insulator would slide down and cover the gap. If you held it sparking end up (the normal way to look at it??), the insulator slid back and it looked just fine, so now I know why I missed it. Just glad I didn't start gutting too many of the electronic sensors, etc, in the search for the problem. These were brand-new platinum plugs - obviously this says something about quality control, doesn't it?

Another subie newbie here - I have a recently acquired 1991 Legacy Wagon 2WD AT, with MPFI; 161k miles. While I've had the car, the engine purs like a kitten, albeit a rather large one. After replacing the spark plugs (just routine maintenance, right?), I have an idle surge at ~700-1100k, until I put it in drive which causes the surge to go wider in range and lower ~250-1000k. Even putting it back in neutral or park does not seem to change the surging. It goes from just about stalling out to slightly revved up, then back again. Cycle is about 1.5 - 2 seconds. This surge gets so bad that it literally rocks the car! The surge does not appear to go away with increased rpm's or while driving, just less noticable. No apparent loss of power. Pulled all the plugs again, they look fine and are gapped correctly. All the wires seem fine, and pulling any given one seems to decrease the performance of the engine more or less evenly between all 4. I can't find any problems with the vacuum line system (no obvious disconnected hoses, cracked hoses, etc.). I do note, however, that the exhaust smells strongly of gasoline vapor, as if the combustion chamber is too enriched (too much throttle?) - it is noticable even up even by the driver side door. I have not had any check engine lights, nor has the car had any history of overheating, etc. Any suggestions on things to look for?