as the title says.. bad rear u-joint on the beast.. 181K on the odometer

looking for options, part numbers, etc..

we know the u-joints are staked in, but also know that others have done replacement, so it is possible

or would we be better off getting a "new" driveshaft and just replacing the whole works (would eliminate possible future issues with front joint and center carrier)

discuss.... comments, suggestions, etc..

Part numbers would be greatly appreciated.

My center carrier bearing was shot so I ordered from PartsGeek. Have 190K miles on the car.

2005 Subaru Outback Driveshaft - 65-7001 A1 Cardone - $241.98
went for the cheapest options as recommended by board members.

Yours is a little pricier. Hunt around for discounts/coupons.

your model link

Edited October 13, 20187 yr by brus brother

sent you a Partsgeek coupon code for a whopping $5

hey, $5 is $5, LOL

search google for partsgeek coupons. There may be a better code (or maybe you can combine since what I sent you was for doing a post purchase review)

There is a $15 off $300 available online and hey $15 is $15

these days, every penny counts.

2 hours ago, brus brother said:

My center carrier bearing was shot so I ordered from PartsGeek. Have 190K miles on the car.

2005 Subaru Outback Driveshaft - 65-7001 A1 Cardone - $241.98
went for the cheapest options as recommended by board members.

Yours is a little pricier. Hunt around for discounts/coupons.

how bad was it to get the old one off?

it's only like what? 6 bolts or so? I know center carrier is 2, back end would be 4? then slide it out of the tranny tail housing, right?

You need to remove the heat shield first , then its 6 bolts.    I would change out the whole thing.  I have bought several  used take off drivelines over the years , run around $100 so far not one has come back. 

yeah, I think he has pretty well decided to swap the whole thing out.. he hates dealing with needle bearings, lol (has to do joints on PTO shafts at work on a fairly regular basis)

He does want the replacement to be serviceable however - for any future issues.

Well I have bought a new rebuilt one thru ebay,  over $400 but is in the wifes car has grease-able ujoints and has performed 4-5 years now.    So have some of those used ones as well.

I have heard mixed reports about the cheaper driveline's most say they are fine a few have said they are not balanced properly.

I have never even checked what a Subaru one would cost. 

a new genuine Subaru one is ridiculously expensive. Plus, it would have staked in joints just like the current one does.

He is looking at several options from several different sources - ebay, rockauto & partsgeek to name a few.

 

2-0430DL Duralast U-joint from Autozone. Greasable, Lifetime Warranty, like $20ea. You'll need a dremel and a press to get them apart, it's a finicky job, for sure, but not terribly hard. Just make sure to mark all the parts so they go back in the same orientation. I did both joints on our '04 Outback in August, and have put about 5k miles on it since then. I just did the rear in my '00 beater Outback (I had both joints, but my dremel quit, and I was running out of time so I only did the nasty one) a couple days ago and then put 500 miles on it.

 

Or look for a driveline shop. We have 2 here in Duluth (not a huge market, so I assume there are places like that everywhere) that can do them. I know the one shop here sells the joints for like $35ea with a basic install (no balancing).

Edited October 15, 20187 yr by Numbchux

I have handed a shop the shaft and Ujoints and let them install them as well.

Remove it and see how many feel lumpy, given how rarely they fail, easier to remove, and how many 200k+ originals I’ve seen, I’d be tempted to just replace the bad one if the others feel fine and money is on the radar.  

3 hours ago, idosubaru said:

I have handed a shop the shaft and Ujoints and let them install them as well.

Remove it and see how many feel lumpy, given how rarely they fail, easier to remove, and how many 200k+ originals I’ve seen, I’d be tempted to just replace the bad one if the others feel fine and money is on the radar.  

This must be a regional thing. I've pulled several from the local junkyard for my own cars, and the rear joint in all of them were tight. One of my co-workers at Subaru ordered one from a junkyard, and it took at least 3 to find one that wasn't junk when it got there (the benefits of a professional relationship with a junkyard, only paid for the good one). And he ended up having it rebuilt about 6 months later anyway. And we had several cars at the dealership where the u-joint got so bad it wrecked other things, usually the pinion seal/bearing on the driveshaft, but one the output on the transmission....

i kinda have to agree with it being a "regional" thing on the chances of them going bad or not.. to be perfectly honest, this is the first time either of us has had a Subaru driveshaft issue - out of roughly 7-8 different cars since 2000, all with varying mileage.. some well over 250k with no apparent problems. Heck - my 2002 Forester is creeping up on the 250K mark - no problems with it so far..

plus, cant really afford to have the car down for long.. a few hours to swap out with a replacement on the weekend is one thing.. but taking it out, taking it to a shop, waiting a day or 3 for the shop to do their thing, then putting it back in.. yeah, no.

Plus, we are both getting to the age where we are more inclined to take the easier route when possible.

yes, we could take the whole car to a shop, and have them deal with it, but again.. would be without the car for a couple of days. Gas is too damned expensive to be driving the pickup around... especially when it has its own problems, but i wont go into those here.