Ok subie guys tell me whats going on with my subie wagon

 

92 loyale 4wd converted

 

As I'm driving sometimes it feels as if my right front wheel is falling off! it will make a wobble noise and some minor vibration, then it disappears. I can't make it happen and i can't predict it.

 

I am stumped to what would cause this type of noise! I have tighten everything on the front of the car and the noise is still there. My only guesses are a bad cv axle or bad tie rods. but i don't think tie rods would make this kind of noise. that and it is not all of the time just off and on. their is also no play in the wheel itself. so i think bearings aren't it. do cv's make these kind of symptoms?

 

any help would be great!

My guess is you have a loose axle nut. I've had mine come loose afew times. I never really found a solution because my engine blew up first, but I think it helps if you have GOOD cone washers and lightly grease em too when you install them. They are like $7 each new. Or I can check my garage... I may have some lightly used ones I could sell really cheap.

Yeah, I'd check the main castle nut. I had a similar problem, and couldn't find anything else loose, so I took it to the shop to have new wheel bearings put in because it was the only thing I could think of, and they tightened up the big nut for me and it was fixed.... a little embarassing that I didn't think to check that first....

 

I also had similar symptoms on my older suby just before the axle stripped out. The castle nut was still plenty tight (seized actually... took some work to get it off), but the axle ground out the splines in the hub. Not sure why, but it had the same feel as a loose nut until it stripped and I had to put it in 4wd to move....

Check all your castle nuts

 

Prolly about tiem to check all the nuts and bolts touched for your 4WD conversion. I know after I did my 4WD conversion I had a few left I found that needed to be tightend up.

yup, check the castle nuts, and make sure the washer below it is oriented the right way. I should be slightly bulged, and you want the convex side of it towards the castle nut.

only other thing I can think of is maybe a CV...might make an unpredictable wobble/click like you describe.

checked the castle nut, it was tight as a drum, cotter pin and everything.

 

would it not wobble all of the time, if the castle nut was loose? I'm just wondering because this noise is intermittent and unpredictable. but the cone washer is cracked, maybe thats it?...

 

even better news is that the car shakes badly when ever i hit the brakes as if the rotors were warped. problem is they where fine before the lift was installed. Am i just missing something?

 

wait... *checks for roll pin in axle..* nope its there... I checked all the bolts for the front of the car. everything is tight so i'm stumped.

Do cv's make this type of noise/vibration?

Just because the roll pin is there doesnt mean the nut is tight.

 

Try yanking the pin and torquing up the nut.

 

I managed to strip out a hub and have my nut loosen several times with a good cotter pin in place at all times.

 

The cone washer wearing down and maybe the bearings seating is probably what caused my problem.

I'm sorrry i should have specified which pin i was talking about. it is the inner roll pin next to the tranny which hold it from lateral movement. since i did a recent 2wd to 4wd conversion i could have left this pin out, but i didn't. if only that was the problem....

 

I have torqued it and triple checked it. the castle nut is not loose on any wheel.

I appreciate the prompt replies, It's just not a castle nut, i wish it was that easy!

 

any other thoughts? ideas? jokes? I'm up for anything

Have you checked the bolts that hold the disc to the hub?

Can you shake the wheel back and forth if you grab and pull on it?

 

My vote is for wheel bearings or maybe a stripped hub at this point.

Have you tried a different set of tires on the front? I had a perfectly good looking set of tires, that made a horrible vibration at lower speeds. Not quite what you're reporting, but it couldn't hurt to rule that out.

Have you tried a different set of tires on the front? I had a perfectly good looking set of tires, that made a horrible vibration at lower speeds. Not quite what you're reporting, but it couldn't hurt to rule that out.

 

yea, but I think that would be a little more predictable. but you still might want to try getting them balanced or something

I had similar symptoms after doing my first brake job. So I replaced the front-divers bearings and noted slightly worn axle and hub splines. A month later it started slipping. Thought I blew a CV joint. Car gets disabled in the road - nasty grinding, no wheels spinning. Get it towed home and taken apart. Axle and hub have no splines left, completely stripped.

 

Turns out I put the cone washer on backwards.

I had similar symptoms after doing my first brake job. So I replaced the front-divers bearings and noted slightly worn axle and hub splines. A month later it started slipping. Thought I blew a CV joint. Car gets disabled in the road - nasty grinding, no wheels spinning. Get it towed home and taken apart. Axle and hub have no splines left, completely stripped.

 

Turns out I put the cone washer on backwards.

 

Hmmm. When mine went out only the splines in the hub stripped out. Axle looked okay so I just put a used hub on it and called it good. I also drove another 50 miles to the junkyard to get the used hub... Rear wheel drive.

well I got the tires replaced, (one was out of round, and when removed the noise decreased, but it is still there) I rotated tires and the noise never changed. so I don't think it's wheels or tires at this point.

 

I have checked the disc to hub bolts and they were tight, I also shook the wheel and it seems to be tight so i don't think it's bearings. I have not actually pulled the bearings apart but it dosen't feel like it is loose.

 

A little thing i noticed today was that this noise occurs often between shifts on the highway or freeway, or if their is no load being applied to the axle, a.k.a neutral/coasting. does this help any?

 

I will be checking the hub splines tomorow to see if they are stripping but beyond this i'm not sure what it is.

I thank you all for the replies.

A little thing i noticed today was that this noise occurs often between shifts on the highway or freeway, or if their is no load being applied to the axle, a.k.a neutral/coasting. does this help any?

 

 

Check to see if all the engine and tranny mounts are tight. A long shot here, but I'm wondering if the change in torque on the engine from shifting gears is moving the engine around and causing it to feel like the wheel is moving????

my doj (inner joint) was worn as when I reinstalled and it made some wierd noises on decell/getting off trottle/downsifting and vibrations by the end of its life and like when ever it wonted to. I then bought a reco axle and realized how tight the joints where new. Like when I held out the new axle out horizontaly the cv and doj hardly bent down. When you did your 4wd swap were the axles worn?

my doj (inner joint) was worn as when I reinstalled and it made some wierd noises on decell/getting off trottle/downsifting and vibrations by the end of its life and like when ever it wonted to. I then bought a reco axle and realized how tight the joints where new. Like when I held out the new axle out horizontaly the cv and doj hardly bent down. When you did your 4wd swap were the axles worn?

 

Well i found the problem... It was a broken strut hat

I had no idea they did that! so i went to the junkyard and got new strut all is good now. except for that damn tire drone