Greetings fellow subaru enthusiasts-

My 87 GL10 has an issue.

 

Lately when driving, there is a tick, tick sound emitting from what I guess is the rear axle (4wd). As I speed up, the tick speeds up, as I slow down...so does the tick.

 

The sound reminds me of when I had a VW with a broken emergency brake cable. And after some time the cable had worked it's out of the cable housing, and was catching a groove in the drum, which would make it spring back and forth causing a tick.

 

But the soob has disks all the way around, and the emergency brake is on the front wheels. Any ideas where to look? The diff seems to be full. Any help would be appreciated.

if your lug nuts are covered by a cap, be sure one didn't shear off and is rattling under the cap.

if your lug nuts are covered by a cap, be sure one didn't shear off and is rattling under the cap.

 

That's not it cause I have really ugly subaru alloy wheels. I will check the center caps though. I have put the soob on jackstands and tried to replicate the sound...but she wouldn't cooperate.

My 82 had a sound that was vaguely like a card in the spokes of a bike. I thought it was wheel bearing, tore it apart and bearing was fine. Replacement arm and bearing (I was impatient) made same noise. Made that noise even with both rear axle shafts completely removed. I still do not know what it was.

check the tightness of the axle nuts in back. they should be around 145 lb/ft, or snug then 1/4 turn

 

the washers play an important role. there are a cone washer, then a flat washer, then the nut

 

the flat washer is actually slightly curved, the curved side faces out so it clamps down on the outer side of the cone washer

 

maybe this is why you cant replicate the sound on jackstands as the car would have to see the weight of the vehicle to make this noise

 

also if the torque checks out suspect the wheel bearings

 

if the bearing is bad and the wheel sits off camber because of that the rotor will hit against the caliper bracket, same applies for the front wheels