Hello all, my name is Dale and I live in Colorado. I just purchased a new 1991 Subaru Legacy wagon 4WD automatic.

 

It has 225k miles but is in pretty good shape.

 

I recently noticed a metallic rattle or clanging sound coming from under the vehicle at highway speeds. I think I have traced it to the driveshaft area and the carrier bearing. However, the shaft does not appear to have excessive play, nor is the boot on the bearing torn.

 

Can I safely drive this vehicle on a long road trip with the FWD fuse installed? BTW, I tried this today for diagnostic purposes, and the noise was still there. Does that eliminated the driveshaft as the culprit?

 

I know that's a lot for one post, but I need help fast.

 

Thanks

Dale

Hi Dale welcome to the site. Need a little more description of the noise. Subies are known for metal ratteling noises as you described,usually a heat shield of some sort got bent and is rattling against exhaust but again a more descriptive explanation would help. John

Hi Dale welcome to the site. Need a little more description of the noise. Subies are known for metal ratteling noises as you described,usually a heat shield of some sort got bent and is rattling against exhaust but again a more descriptive explanation would help. John

 

John,

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll try to describe the noise as best I can. At first I thought it might be a heat shield noise, but I don't see it. It is definitely metal on metal, it is speed related. The faster you go, the more prevalent it is. You can cause it to go away momentarily by feathering the throttle, but not completely. When I was in FWD mode, it was still there. It sounds like it is coming from the engine compartment underneath to the the transmission and driveshaft.

 

What else can I say. At first it had the sound of a pulley that was not secured to its shaft. It also kind of sounds like the noise you get when you take a metal wheel cover and spin it on a concrete floor. As it gets closer to the floor, it makes a sound kind of like a cymbal.

 

That's the best I can do right now.

 

Dale

I would not recommend running the FWD fuse for extended periods of time.

 

The driveshaft is still going to spin, even with the FWD fuse installed, since the rear axles & diff is spinning.

 

I'd also recommend checking out www.bbs.legacycentral.org