Drivetrain Shudder 1999 Automatic Outback Wagon.

[Crunch]

I must have read 50 posts on this topic and tried a number of the solutions with no luck so far.

History, 1999 Subaru Outback Wagon Auto with 125,000 miles.

At 50,000 they replaced front axles due to a ‘gentle wobble’ feeling in steering. I feel like car has always had a very very slight shudder during takeoff.

 

Last week had a CV front passenger side noise.

- Degreased engine bay big time. Cleaned with foam and high-pressure water.

- Replaced both front Axles with aftermarket ones. Cleaned up brakes.

Take car for a drive and has this big time wobble/vibration/shudder somewhere in drive train during acceleration. I can feel just a hint of it cruising.

I am thinking you got water in spark plugs, engine misfiring. It will clear on way to Subaru dealer to have auto serviced.

Get auto serviced. ( I did axles, but auto fluid is a pain to deal with and they flush better than I could I am guessing, so use the dealer.)

Drive home still there. Gentle acceleration equals gentle shudder. Hard acceleration equals greater shudder. At any speed up to 70 mph coasting has no vibration. Only there when applying power, more power greater the shudder. So thinking not engine misfire, time to visit USM and read up.

 

You think he didn’t have this before axle change out, must be front axle, but I can’t feel this through steering it feels like center of wagon which is the reason I first thought it was a engine problem caused by too much water from my cleaning.

It is not like the wobble we had through steering wheel at 50,000 miles.

 

Check tire pressure, Ok and all 4 are same and half worn.

Put fuse in, go front wheel driving. Still there, first time I ever spun the front wheels on my Subaru in the dry so I know fuse is working.

This morning went out for another test. Still there. I stop on way home to talk to neighbor, stopped with car in drive, foot on brake, it feels like the wobble is there in the engine while I am stopped. Drive 100 yards home, stop in garage, leave in drive with foot on brake and the shake I just had in street is all but gone. Yippee, go for a drive still same…

In park engine has a slight vibration at about 2000 rpm +/- 500 rpm, always has.

Help where should I look next?

Any other tests?

 

Kevin

 

[mwatt]

I must have read 50 posts on this topic and tried a number of the solutions with no luck so far.

History, 1999 Subaru Outback Wagon Auto with 125,000 miles.

At 50,000 they replaced front axles due to a ‘gentle wobble’ feeling in steering. I feel like car has always had a very very slight shudder during takeoff.

 

Last week had a CV front passenger side noise.

- Degreased engine bay big time. Cleaned with foam and high-pressure water.

- Replaced both front Axles with aftermarket ones. Cleaned up brakes.

Take car for a drive and has this big time wobble/vibration/shudder somewhere in drive train during acceleration. I can feel just a hint of it cruising.

I am thinking you got water in spark plugs, engine misfiring. It will clear on way to Subaru dealer to have auto serviced.

Get auto serviced. ( I did axles, but auto fluid is a pain to deal with and they flush better than I could I am guessing, so use the dealer.)

Drive home still there. Gentle acceleration equals gentle shudder. Hard acceleration equals greater shudder. At any speed up to 70 mph coasting has no vibration. Only there when applying power, more power greater the shudder. So thinking not engine misfire, time to visit USM and read up.

 

You think he didn’t have this before axle change out, must be front axle, but I can’t feel this through steering it feels like center of wagon which is the reason I first thought it was a engine problem caused by too much water from my cleaning.

It is not like the wobble we had through steering wheel at 50,000 miles.

 

Check tire pressure, Ok and all 4 are same and half worn.

Put fuse in, go front wheel driving. Still there, first time I ever spun the front wheels on my Subaru in the dry so I know fuse is working.

This morning went out for another test. Still there. I stop on way home to talk to neighbor, stopped with car in drive, foot on brake, it feels like the wobble is there in the engine while I am stopped. Drive 100 yards home, stop in garage, leave in drive with foot on brake and the shake I just had in street is all but gone. Yippee, go for a drive still same…

In park engine has a slight vibration at about 2000 rpm +/- 500 rpm, always has.

Help where should I look next?

Any other tests?

 

Kevin

 

 

You mentioned "but I can’t feel this through steering it feels like center of wagon which is the reason I first thought it was a engine problem....."

 

This makes me wonder if the universal joints for the rear driveshaft are beginning to fail. I've read descriptions of symptoms similar to this on a few other posts and replacing (as I recall, Subaru does not offer rear driveshaft u-joints as separate replacement parts) the rear driveshaft was the correction on those vehicles.

[Dickensheets]

Inspect motor mounts.

 

 

rd

[Crunch]

Thanks mwatt and Dickensheets.

 

Looked at engine mounts and mount at end of transmission and they seem fine. Jacked engine up and saw no movement in engine mounts. Levered rear mount and it had a bit more movement then front ones, but then it is smaller.

Grabbed hold of drive-shaft and moved it wherever seemed fine. I looked at the other bushings in suspension arms etc, all seem OK.

 

When you use the fuse to change to FWD where does that disengage things, in the transmission or at the rear axle? If it in the transmission and no load is then applied to drive shaft and rear end surly that would rule out rear end/drive-shaft problem?

 

I do notice that where front axles goes onto shaft/spline at transfer box that there is a very small amount of movement up and down for that shaft. Should that be rock solid or is a small amount of movement normal?

 

Thanks Kevin

[nipper]

the fuse just kills the AWD, so you only have FWD.

 

Rotate the tires and see if the wobble moves.

i was going to suggest the center universal joint and carrier bearings.

 

"I do notice that where front axles goes onto shaft/spline at transfer box that there is a very small amount of movement up and down for that shaft. Should that be rock solid or is a small amount of movement normal?"

 

SUbarus dont have tansfer box, they have transaxles.... i think that is what you mean. There should be no movement at all between the axle and the CV joint.. is that what you mean?

 

hrm

With the car running, look at the pullies on the front of the engine. Pay special attention to the crankshaft pully. Is there any wobble in any of the pullies? Try removing all the belts and start the car and see if the wobble goes away.

When was the timing belt replaced.

a wobbel at idle is indicating some sort of rotational mass is out of balance, and there really arent many things that qualify for that attached to the engine.

 

 

 

nipper

[Crunch]

Timming belt changed at 110,000. Thinking on it the wobble at idle may have been engine speed got too low when I was sitting in drive with brake on!

 

Rotated tyres twice.

 

Yes at transaxles. There is no movement on the shaft between the axle and the splinned shaft as the roll pin holds it tigh. However the splined shaft that comes out of 'transaxle' has a bit of movement like the bearing that it runs on is a bit worn. I can grab the whole axle at the 'gearbox' end and riggle it in all directions maybe 1/32 inch, very small amount.

 

I also wondered about (center universal joint and carrier bearings). That is why I was asking about what the fuse did. I did get my hand and a light up in there to have a look. Saw/felt nothing out of the ordinary.

 

I agree some mass is out of balance or getting movement under load and I need to narrow it down. I read another forum about (duty c failure, torque bind) I am assuming my problem is not in this area? We have never had miss matched tyres on, run on a flat etc that I am aware of in 80,000 miles.

 

What about torque converter or flexiplate, do they give problems?

 

Thanks Kevin

[nipper]

Timming belt changed at 110,000. Thinking on it the wobble at idle may have been engine speed got too low when I was sitting in drive with brake on!

 

 

im suspecting a vibration damper/ pulley coming loose. Do the belt thing and let us know what happens

 

nipper

[bustedbolt]

just to keep it simple and share from my mistakes.

I changed a front axle in my minivan once -took it for a test drive and imediately felt this HUGE wonk in the drive. checked the tires, rotated around with the spare and went back to autozone for a replacement 2x's drove me crazy for a week trying to figure out what i had done to my car, measuring axles...

gave up went for a road trip and after 100 miles blew a back tire. <grin>

biggest relief actually.

 

i swear i never felt this whump before and had checked each tire and swapped them out with the spare but i guess i missed one in the frustration!this was in a hot florida driveway with two scissor jacks and logs for jackstands.

 

i learnt.