Hello,

 

I purchased a 1990 Subaru Loyale wagon two years ago from a private owner. At the time of purchase one of the cv boots was torn, and my mechanic rather than changing just the one recommended replacing to whole front axle as I would then get 2 new cv boots for about the same cost. I did this, it ran great, etc... Now two years later, I'm living in Denver where there are dips everywhere used as "traffic calmers" and I imagine my axle is getting a workout. I have noticed a slight shimmy in the steering wheel in the last couple weeks at about 55mph, that then smooths out at about 65 mph. Also, I'm hearing a moaning when I'm turning the steering wheel at slow speeds (like when pulling out of a parking spot) and it goes away once I've straightened out. My girlfriend had an old GL wagon that had the same problems and she's convinced that we must have bent the new axle somewhere along the way. I noticed that one of the cv boots was starting to crack and I had this replaced two weeks ago, but the problems still persist. My question is: Is the shimmy due to bad tire balance/old tires/underinflation etc that can be fixed by getting new tires? (they do need replacing). Or is the shimmy and the moaning part of the same problem, namely the front axle, and if so how can I determine this? Please respond if you have any ideas, we just bought our first house and money is really tight right now, I'd hate to go chasing after the wrong thing.

 

Thanks, Steven

Hey Steven

 

In my experience when tires get close to the end of their life they often (almost always) develop balance problems, try rotating the tires and see if the shimmy changes or moves to a different part of the car.

 

CV joints certainly can cause vibration, even before they give you any other signs of wear, but when they do start “talking” to you its normally a clicking sound when turning sharp and slow.

 

Low speed moaning with a higher speed vibe sounds like it could be wheel bearings, the fronts aren’t to spendy and are pretty easy to do if you have a few tools. Maybe some other board member there could help diagnose/repair it with you.

 

Good luck

Gary

If the moaning is just when doing real low speed stuff while turning the wheel (like pulling out of a parking space), it could be the power steering pump/fluid.

 

 

Hey Steven

 

In my experience when tires get close to the end of their life they often (almost always) develop balance problems, try rotating the tires and see if the shimmy changes or moves to a different part of the car.

 

CV joints certainly can cause vibration, even before they give you any other signs of wear, but when they do start “talking” to you its normally a clicking sound when turning sharp and slow.

 

Low speed moaning with a higher speed vibe sounds like it could be wheel bearings, the fronts aren’t to spendy and are pretty easy to do if you have a few tools. Maybe some other board member there could help diagnose/repair it with you.

 

Good luck

Gary

Congratulations on your acquisition of the finest Subaru ever made.

 

Start with tires. Get a whole new set. Tiresdirect.com has some good prices (can often beat local prices, even with additional charge for local mounting).

 

Be there when the tire people mount and balance your new tires. When the Loyale is on the lift, spin all four tires (make sure its in neutral and p-brake off when they lift it). See if you hear "moaning" or crunching sounds. If you hear any scraping or crunch sounds, make sure that the tinny splash guard on the inboard side of the rotors and drums is not making contact. These can be bent back (or torn off) if necessary to eliminate grating sounds in turns. If you hear crunching/scraping sounds and no splash guard problem, wheel bearings might be shot. Front bearings on this car are actually more difficult than rears for reasons I won't go into now.

 

Old worn out rotors in the front will also cause shimmy. I replaced mine recently, and the shimmy at highway speeds largely disappeared.

 

My guess is tires first, then rotors.