cgates30

No update on the pins holding the axles. However, I did do some cleaning of the engine compartment to see if I can find any leaks. The result was not good. I got some water that is causing P0302 cylinder 2 misfire. In troubleshooting that I discovered the plug wires had been pulled out by the wire and the clamp over the wire insulation was mangled. Subaru didn't have new wires and I didn't want the Duralast from Autozone, so I'm waiting till this evening for my amazon delivery of NGK wires/plugs. Also, I was able to get a recording of the sound I hear. It starts at about 5-6 seconds into the recording. https://photos.app.goo.gl/xHjHNLYaMwh7wVRM9

Yeah, I think it is the strut. There's that knocking sound that comes/goes but is more prominent when veering to the left and then there's a clanging sound when I hit bumps. The left side is worse than the right, but I think it comes from both sides when hitting bumps.

I swapped the axle shafts and am still getting the sounds on the left side of the car. All of the bushings "look" good, but some easy/cheap to replace, so I'll do that next. I'd like to see if I can diagnose the strut mount. By the way, one of the axles is most likely an aftermarket model. The hole in the collar that slides over the inner spline doesn't perfectly line up with the hole in the spline shaft. When I removed the pin it came out in parts. Also, try finding an M6x45 roll pin on a Saturday. Not around here, not even the local Subaru dealer had any. I ended up using a 7/32" (which under normal circumstances would be too small, but the misalignment just mentioned was enough to require a good bit of tapping to get it in). Long term I may replace that axle (now on passenger side), but for now I guess it is where it is.

The knocking sound is coming from the left front of the car when I hit bumps in the road and when I'm turning to the left. There might be some rattle on the right, but not very noticeable and not when turning. I'll squirt some simple green under the car to see if I can clean it up and then start watching for leaks. I haven't changed the struts yet, so if I can isolate the problem to the axles first then that's where I'll start. Will start looking for OEM axles...

While taking a look at the suspension components, I got a better view of the front differential. Looks like it is leaking on both sides. In the records I have, it looks like they changed the gear oil ~50k miles ago.

Out of curiosity, when you raised your car did you have to do anything with the drive axles? I know people raise/lower cars all the time so there must be enough slack in the geometry to handle it. Edit: I've done a little searching and see there are many lift kits. I'll do some further reading...

That make sense, thanks for pointing that out.

I'm thinking mine look pretty good... Wow, 330K, that would never happen on my other car. I have a BMW 530i (e39) and at 150k miles they were pretty much shot. Of course, it's a much heavier car with a large engine sitting up front.

I'll definitely look at the control arm bushings before jumping into the struts/strut mounts. Strut mounts, being the mounting point visible at the top of the strut in the engine compartment? "avoid anything but Subaru" I take that means to avoid the KYB as well. Not a problem, but just wanted to be clear since I'm building my shopping cart, etc. What's the best way to inspect the strut mount? Just a visual from under the hood? They look good from the top. I've seen them on other cars where the bushing material was deteriorated, etc.

One item on my to-do list is to replace the front struts. I found these are eBay. I don't usually buy things on eBay, but the price looks good ($135 including shipping for both fronts). Does anyone have any feedback on these? KYB 2 Excel-G Front Suspension Struts I'm guessing new strut top mounts and the boots with rubber stops should be replaced at the same time. Is there a DIY on doing this, maybe with suggestions of what all should be replaced at the same time?

Yes, it's a '97 model Legacy. I believe it is the 2.2 and its a really basic car, so if the Brighton was the base model then that's what I think I have. No difference in the steering during the screech. There's some seepage on the top side, but really the top looks pretty good. While there's more seepage on the bottom side it isn't enough that I've noticed anything hitting the driveway after sitting overnight. I did get the $11 knock sensor from Amazon and the light hasn't been on since (replaced it during my lunch break and drove it about 30 minutes afterwards). Now I have to start looking at the belt tension and the other pointers mentioned above.

The car is a Legacy and it's basically a base model. Manual window cranks and doors. The PO was in his mid 60s and owned it for 15 years, so from what I can tell and based on his descriptions it was pretty well maintained. However, he hauled his dogs around in it, so the interior is decent but not super. The body is straight and the engine compartment is clean, however, I can see some oil seepage around the oil pan. I haven't noticed any red dust, so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I'll check the belt tension and locking bolt, etc.

Thanks for the hints! I really appreciate it!

New to the board and tried the search, but my search terms might have been wrong. Just bought this car for my daughter from the 2nd owner who kept the car for 15 years. Overall it's in good condition and had the timing belt and clutch changed about 50k miles ago (now at 200k). However, I have noticed a couple of issues during our first week of ownership. 1) When driving over small bumps (think expansion joints in the road or 1-2" potholes) or coasting (in neutral or not under load) I notice a slight knocking sound coming from the right front of the car. I jacked the front of the car up and looked at the suspension and ball joints and I didn't notice anything obvious. There's no play in the wheel when lifted. The CV joints on the axles look to be in good condition, etc. The sound is somewhat faint inside the car, but with the window down it is more noticable. Is there a common problem that sounds like this description? 2) When the AC kicks in, sometimes I hear a loud screaching. During test drives, it didn't do it (of course), but the PO warned me that "sometimes" the belt whines. It doesn't sound like a whining belt to me, more like a screach. Is this a compressor issue? 3) On the way home... the CEL came on. Autozone was on my way home so I stopped in and got them to read the code. P0325 for the knock sensor. From what I've read, the knock sensors fail on these cars and a simple replacement solves this problem. Does the ECU use feedback from this sensor to adjust timing or something? I.e., is it a bad sensor or is it indicating something is wrong with the car that needs other attention? I already bought a sensor, so I'll find out soon enough. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the car. I have a P-car with a flat 4 and am excited about the engine design combined with AWD.