markcp Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 i have a 91 loyale wagon, 4wd, manual that i have had for 13 years. love this car!!! it recently started making a very loud noise (i would call it banging or rattling) when accelerating. anytime the throttle is applied it makes this noise and it gets louder with speed and in the higher gears (guess these two go together). it does not make the noise unless you are accelerating, when coasting there is no noise. took it to my favorite local mechanic and he said it is the front differential which he said means a front transmission replacement at a cost of $340 for just labor. my questions are: - does this sound correct on the diagnosis and the fix? - the price seems fair to me, does it to others? - the clutch has 80k miles on it, should i do it again as long as he is in there? - i can find a number of used ones in the area for around $200-$250. thanks in advance for any help you can offer!! -mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 make sure the inner DOJ joint of the cv axle isn't bad - classic signs of a failing inner DOJ are noises/vibration on acceleration. $340 for swapping a trans is a great price. mechanic can make a judgement call on the clutch. i'd definitely replace the bearings - throw out bearing and pilot bearing. only a few dollars and couple minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drugh Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 +1 make sure the inner DOJ joint of the cv axle isn't bad - classic signs of a failing inner DOJ are noises/vibration on acceleration. I just had this problem a month ago and it was a bad CV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoodsboy Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 In my experience, banging/rattling is a bad CV Front diffs tend to whine and groan more than bang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deener Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I had a toasted front diff once on an EA82. The symptoms before it completely ruptured were just that...it gave a high pitch whine that sounded very similar to what a remote control car sounds like when I drove. At the time I didn't know that the gear oil there was supposed to be clear/gold...mine was black. What color is your fluid? There's a little dipstick on the passenger side about 6 inches behind the bellhousing, kind of underneath the spare tire. Check it. If that fluid is not gold/clear and up to the correct fill level, then one of the bearings may have failed and when those bearings fail so does the front diff shortly thereafter. However, if the level and color looks decent, you may just have a bad CV axle as the previous posts suggest. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarutex Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 The Seattle area has a lot of reputable Subaru only shops. If you have not had one of them look at it, it may be worth a 2nd opinion. Smart Service (shoreline and mukilteo) All Wheel Drive Auto (kirkland) Pacific Import Auot (Tacoma/parkland) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I had a front diff let go in my highly abused lifted wagon. It, like the rear diff I smoked before it, gave some pretty loud warning noises before it fully grenaded. Rattly-popping grinding noises that would quiet down under load and get way worse when coasting/engine braking. When the rear diff finally exploded 4 miles from where I initially broke it, the carrier split, the crosspin sheared, and the spiders were annihilated. The front diff, when it let go 20 miles after it started complaining, blew a hole through the transmission case. Chucked it in 4wd and left a gear oil trail of shame back home. Had to rock it back and forth at first to get the spare parts to clear out of the ring and pinion. Check the CV axles before pulling the trans. Slop in the stub axles sticking out of the diff is normal, so don't assume the diff is the culprit if you can wobble the axles around. Check to make sure the inner CV cup turns easily and in synch with the outer CV, there shouldn't be any backlash between the two. If the inner CV is a tripod design, the bearings spit out from inside the 3 rollers or seize and cause all sorts of vibrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markcp Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 thanks everyone for the help. i am considering a second opinion but honestly i am not real confident in driving it right now as it sounds really bad and i don't want to find myself stranded half way to a different shop. i will have to weigh the option on doing it or not, i sure would like to have smart service give it a look tho. i would hate to spend over $500 for the transmission swap to only find out it was something else. i will feel around in there tonight and try to make a call on it. i am working with Andy's on 80th and aurora and have had pretty good luck with him. anyone else know of andy? he said they went over the CV joints, etc and all were fine. i have had a torn boot on one side for a couple of years. that is what i assumed it was originally. mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Front diff noise will be different depending on what is damaged/worn. Carrier bearing noise will make a growling type sound. Worn ring and pinion will make a high pitched whine that will change with engine load and speed. If a tooth or teeth are chipped or missing from the ring gear you will have a knock/pop/thud with every revolution of the diff. This will be combined usually with the car jerking/jumping at the same time as the noise. Worn/broken spider and side gears will make noise when tuning. They make a rattling type sound and can jam making a pop click and making the car jerk around. Also when that happens the car may feel like it is not turning, the tires may screech, and the front of the car will lift up as the suspension is put under stress from the axles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 My front left CV boot ripped and I didn't notice and when it was apparently unhappy with it's current situation it started making the "clicking" noise. The wierd part about it was that it was after going over a railroad track it clicked like cards in bicycle spokes (going straight) but even though I coasted home (I was about 2 blocks away) it did it gas or no gas. Minekee said it was either the CV or the ball bearings.. I took the CV option and they replaced it, problem solved (I chose correctly) The wierd thing is, it never acted like a traditional CV.. it did it straight or turning.. getting louder and faster the faster I went. Sometimes it's not what you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 CV joints will make noise constantly when they're on their last leg. You were literally minutes from failure with that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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