PerryC

The washboard sound MIGHT be coming from the driveshaft. My 2011 forester with 100,000 miles has a bit of a shake at certain speeds. I pulled the driveshaft off and the u-joints are ALL stiff. This is because they press them in and deform the yokes to hold them in place, thus putting too much pressure on the ends of the u-joints. I looked at a driveshaft at the junk yard and it had the same problem. Just a suggestion.

I bought the car 6 months ago and replaced all the rotors and the pads with ceramics. Then replaced the master cylinder and bleed them twice. They still went almost too the floor. They stopped fine, just really spongy and a long travel on the pedal. This seems to be the fix for me.

I had been getting very frustrated with the brakes on my '11 forester. They went almost to the floor and felt very spongy. I replaced the master cylinder and blead them a couple times with no improvement. Then last night I tried something radical. I adjusted the brake pedal. It only took about 10 minutes. I pulled the pin that connects the pedal to the brake booster connecting rod, loosened up the brake light/pedal stop and unscrewed the U bracket on the end of the connecting rod about 3 turns. There is a lock nut behind it. Then I adjusted the pedal stop the same amount. This moved the pedal away from the floor about 3/4 of an inch farther. I had to do a bit of adjusting to make sure that the car still rolled and the brakes were not locked up. When I got it back together and did a test drive OMG it was like brake Nirvana. Sure, you have to move your foot a bit farther to get from the gas pedal to the brake pedal but the brakes now stop the car at a level that feels normal and it is much less spongy feeling. Amazing how such a small adjustment can make a BIG difference.

Yeah, they probably are fine but they are causing a vibration between 55-65 mph. The vibration feels like a tire out of balance but about 4 times faster and from the bottom of the car. So that led me to the driveshaft. It's just annoying.

This is a job that will wait for warmer weather. I'll live with the minor vibration for a few more months.

Update: So I went to the local recycler and had them pull out a driveshaft from a low mileage (40,000) car. I was not too surprised to discover that the u-joints on this driveshaft were just as stiff as the ones on my car with 100K. I am guessing that the u-joint staking process somehow puts too much pressure on the end of the u-joints and wrecks them from the word go. So I emailed Dorman who rebuilds driveshafts (thank you RockAuto) and they actually machine slots in the yokes and use c-clips rather than re-staking them so they don't have that issue. A rebuilt driveshaft on RockAuto is about $250. For the piece of mind of getting a professionally rebuilt shaft I think that is the way I will go.

Thanks for the replies. I've never used www.car-part.com until today but I see a couple used ones in my area for under $100. So that seems like the best option. I can get one and see how the u-joints are. Even if the joints are bad on that one I can get accurate measurements and new joints from Rockford, do the rebuild myself and it's still cheaper than a rebuilt. CHA-CHING.

Hello all, I am hoping someone has some experience with this. My 2011 Forester has a slight vibration so I pulled off the back of the driveshaft and sure enough the staked u-joints are tight and rough. So I am 99% sure that is the issue. As you all know the U-joints are not supposed to be replaced. However Rockford driveline sells u-joints with internal clips for Subies but they cannot confirm that they will fit the later model Forester. I tried to measure the distance between the yoke ears this weekend but under the car, still attached, I could not get an accurate or repeatable measurement. So...has anybody used the Rockford u-joints on a late model (2009-2013) driveshaft? I would rather spend 50 bucks and a little garage work than 250 bucks for a rebuilt driveshaft. Thanks for your replies.

Hello all from southwest Michigan. I just sold my old 98 Grand Cherokee and bought a 2011 Forester. The gas mileage increase is awesome! She's got close to 100,000 miles but seems in very good shape, save for a few minor issues like rattling heat shields and an occasional shudder between 1st and 2nd gear. Based on some other posts I have yet to see about the oil consumption. Winter is just around the corner but it came with an awesome set of Pirelli snow tires so I'll see how it handles the michigan winters. Looks like there are lots of great tips and tricks here so I can't wait to poke around on the forums some more. P.C.