A few weeks ago my dad's '97 Outback was having what seemed like some torque bind issues. I put the AWD fuse in and he has been running it in FWD since then. The car was running well.

Last week he told me the CEL was on and I checked the code. It was an EGR issue. I cleared the code and he kept driving it. It was running OK then last week he tells me it is running rough.

 

Today I take it for a ride and it started and idles fine. When I put it in gear it began to idle rough. I checked the trans fluid and the level was fine. When you first start out it accelerates OK until about 20 mph. At that point the entire car seems to shake and shudder. The trans is shifting fine the entire time.

 

Later this week I plan on changing the trans fluid and filter and inspecting all the driveshaft compnents.

 

Any other ideas?

How many miles and have the valves ever been adjusted?

 

How about plugs? Sounds like gapped-out plugs to me.....

 

The shaking over 20 mph could be a bad wheel balance.... bad axle.... etc.

 

Hard to say - you seem to have symptoms of multiple problems in there.

 

GD

150k miles. Plugs and wires not too long ago. At idle I pulled each wire from coil pack. Not plugs or wires.

 

Didn't think vavles were to be adjusted on 2.5?

 

Not a wheel balance issue. Could be axle but all boots on front axles are not ripped.

Valve adjustment is required every 105k on the 25D. Compression test will show if an exhaust valve is burned.

 

GD

Edited March 29, 201115 yr by GeneralDisorder

once i've seen an automatic (97 OBS) freak out and not shift right due to EGR related issues. it was really bad, would barely make it up a steep incline. i replaced the EGR and nothing changed. turned out to be the little tiny quarter sized shaped filter on the passengers side of the engine bay. there's a vacuum line going from the engine to that area and in the middle of it is a quarter sized 1/4" thick white plastic-ish filter that costs like $7 from subaru. i replaced that and the EGR code went away and shifting went back to normal. that issue hasn't returned in years, my friends relative is still driving the car.

I noticed today that under acceleration it would have the wobble. When I would coast the wobble would go away. The wobble would then come back under decceleration.

 

I crawled under car to have a look. When I grabbed the driveshaft it had some lateral play. Driveshaft support bearing?