bust7015 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I have a 2001 Forester with 213K that I just purchased with a 5 spd. Pulling into a parking space turning left, I felt what seemed to be the right front axle binding like a bad CV joint. I also heard a whining from the right front as I was driving. I am relatively new to Subaru also having a 99 Forester for my daughter. Question is, are the CV axle shafts the same despite manual or automatic transmission? Also, does the front diff use regular gear lube or is there a friction additive? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Front diff and trans share GL-5 gear lubricant. Binding could be torque bind. Try making tight circles in both directions and see if you get the same feeling. With the manual trans it may not be noticeable when the trans is cold, but will become noticeable with the trans warm. Or if it is noticable cold it will be worse when warm. What kind of whine? Cat fight? Or lower pitch like an airplane propeller/engine? Axles differ slightly between manual and auto. The inner joint is different, though they are both the same size physically, and will both mount up and the same. Using a manual axle on an auto trans may lead to vibration issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust7015 Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 The whine is similar to a propeller, constant but gets much louder when turning the wheel to the right at speed, say as in around a bend in the road. If I were in a different make of car, I would suspect a wheel bearing. There is no vibration and the car tracks straight. I believe you are correct with torque bind. It gets worse when the car is warm. I made tight circles and it is worse when circling to the right. I could feel the bind transmitting from the front of the car and possibly from the driveshaft. Again, If I were in a different car, say a rear wheel drive, I would suspect a u-joint. But as I am learning, Subaru is a horse of a different color. All 4 tires are identical Yokohamas and nearly new and none of the brakes hang up. I hear a little transmission syncro and bearing noise, but I expect that at 213K. I don't want to throw parts at this car trying to solve the issue, which is why I posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Propeller type whine is a wheel bearing. These are tricky to diagnose. The easy way is to use an IR temp gun to check hub temperatures after driving. Compare left to right and the warmest is likley to be the side with the bad bearing. The failsafe way to tell is to pull the axle out of the hub and spin it by hand. You can easily tell which is bad by the feel when spinning the hub. The problem with this is it takes quite a bit of effort to get the thing torn down so you can remove the axle. It does sound like you have torque bind. The only fix for that with a manual trans is to replace the center differential. Used is a good option since this isn't a common issue on the MT. Transmission bearing noise is likely the mainshaft ball bearing. Common issue with that trans and it usually fails around 200k. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later depending on maintenance habits of the car's previous owners. Its replaceable, but requires tear down of the trans, removal of the mainshaft (not as bad as it sounds) and a press or very large puller. New bearing is around $60 from Subaru. Combine bad center diff with bad MSB and worn synchros, you may be better off getting a whole used trans with lower mileage. U-joint problems on these have symptoms very similar to other vehicles. Vibration at 35-40 mph, then again at 70-80ish. You don't often hear them make noise, but they can click or knock (especially on a manual trans) when transitioning on/off throttle when in gear. Check for play the same as you would for any other u-joint. U-joints are very unlikely to cause binding on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust7015 Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 FairTax4me, Would you happen to know what years transmission fit my 2001 Forester? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Car-part.com has a pretty good interchange. You should be able to use 99-03 Forester 5 speed trans at least, maybe up to 06-07 but I'm not sure about transmission changes after 04. You can also use a Legacy Outback 5 speed trans from 2000-04. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.