Hey guys. Thanks for the help with the CV joint this past week. Appreciate it.

 

Got some slight issues I may need a little help with. Hope you guys can pull through again. When driving at slow speeds, prolly around 20mph, the wheel seems to shake back and fourth. Not fast but rather at a slow pace as if something is off and I am not sure what it is. Tire Pressure is good. Front tires were new in the spring.

 

Other problem is when breaking. The wheel shakes pretty good when I am breaking. The faster I am going the more it shakes. Breaks are new about the time of the tires. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

if you are refering to the steering wheel when you say "wheel" i would say go ahead and check your brake rotors to see if they are warped that is most likely the reason your wheel shakes when you depress the brakes and come to a stop....just my experience:) If you can get under the car any way i would also do a through inspection to see if anything is bent/loose..

Sometimes the wheel bearings dont surive a axle change, depending upon how you got the axle out of its happy home in the hub.

 

Also check to make sure the lug nuts are tight, as well as the axle nut. Compare left side to right and make sure one sides match the untouched side.

 

Next is rotate the tires on one side of the car and see if it moves.

 

 

nipper

this sounds like maybe a bent rim or tire with a broken belt

 

 

you might try the front wheels/tires on the back and see

if the feel changes

Did any of these issues exist before replacing the axle? What brand replacement axle did you use?

 

Here's a Subaru brake troubleshooting chart:

Sometimes the wheel bearings dont surive a axle change, depending upon how you got the axle out of its happy home in the hub.

 

Also check to make sure the lug nuts are tight, as well as the axle nut. Compare left side to right and make sure one sides match the untouched side.

 

Next is rotate the tires on one side of the car and see if it moves.

 

 

nipper

 

Hey man. How is it going?

 

This actually was going on before the axle was changed. I didn't do it myself. I had a mechanic do it. I don't really know a thing about cars.

Hey man. How is it going?

 

This actually was going on before the axle was changed. I didn't do it myself. I had a mechanic do it. I don't really know a thing about cars.

 

howdy

 

i had the same thing happen to me. A very slight vibration before a mechanic changed an axle, then a heavy vibration afterwards which they didnt even nostice

 

grrrrr

 

it will get worse with time if its a wheel bearing. get it checked out.

 

nipper

I hear ya. The thing is I don't think it has changed any since the axle was changed. He did note this to me when I picked up the car. Said it may be the a bent rim or something with the tires not being matched correctly or something like that. I just wanted to jump on here to see what anyone else thinks. The steering wheel going back and fourth when im driving slow doesn't really concern me as much as the heavily vibrating wheel when im breaking. Does that seem to sound like its the rotor? I believe they are as new as my breaks which were done in the spring...... I feel so hopeless with these cars. I just want something to run nice.

 

Ok first thing first, it is CRITICAL that all the tires match and are worn equally. You may have torque bind, which your just not describing properly. Torque bind can destroy your AWD unit. Is this a manual or an automatic.

 

Make sure all the tires match and are inflated properly.

 

Go out to a parking lot. Make a tight circle, and see if the car will do it under its own power smoothly, with no or very little gas DO this first, so we can rule it out.

 

If this is an automatic put a fuse in the FWD holder under the right side of the hood, near the firewall. See if the issue goes away. We can help diagnose after we rule this out.

 

nipper

ISaid it may be the a bent rim or something with the tires not being matched correctly or something like that.

See post #4

"something like that" could be a broken belt

 

I just wanted to jump on here to see what anyone else thinks.

I see a lot of ideas, hope you choose the correct fix.

 

The steering wheel going back and fourth when im driving slow

I think you could if you have the time

Jack the front wheels off the ground,

spin each wheel while looking at it from the front

 

A bent rim/broken belt will be obvious.

 

Hope this helps.

See post #4

"something like that" could be a broken belt

 

 

I see a lot of ideas, hope you choose the correct fix.

 

I think you could if you have the time

Jack the front wheels off the ground,

spin each wheel while looking at it from the front

 

A bent rim/broken belt will be obvious.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Like skip says, broken belts and bent rims are really easy to see. Another way is to slowly drive away from a freind in forward and reverse while he watches each end of the car. He may see a wobble.

 

Better question, hit any huge potholes or curbs lately?

 

nipper

No. Haven't hit anything like that recently. I guess my wife could have but I haven't. I am pretty sure there is that tourqe bind, but it will run me about $800 to fix I believe. The mechanic I was at showed me all that was involved in the binding.

No. Haven't hit anything like that recently. I guess my wife could have but I haven't. I am pretty sure there is that tourqe bind, but it will run me about $800 to fix I believe. The mechanic I was at showed me all that was involved in the binding.

 

Well that can be causing everything your feeling. Also the binding can do damage to the carrier bearing, the universal joints, the tires, and make the car handle oddly in the wet.

 

nipper

$800 is a lot to dish out though for this fix....

 

I wish it was a lot more simple then this.

$800 is a lot to dish out though for this fix....

 

I wish it was a lot more simple then this.

 

Actually its a very simple fix (for a shop), and thats an excellent price. It will get worse and cause more damage with time (sooner then later).

 

 

nipper

someone in cincinatti recently had his done for $500 (i thought he said at the dealer - he posted on the boards here about it). maybe you can get a better price?

 

you can also run it in FWD - there are people doing that right now with torque bind. remove the rear driveshaft and just leave it FWD, that's free.

I think this has become over blown.

 

You said the shakin was there before the axle, and comes with the brakes?

 

I'd say replace you're you're brake rotors. Start with which ever axle was not done recently. I had nasty vibration in the front from pitted and flaking( ) rotors on the back. And BTW, the outboard surfaces looked fine, it was the inboard side, against the dust plate that looked like Freddy Kruggers face.

I don't have the options really to change stuff or to look and inspect my car. I am pretty bad when it comes to cars. I am just a computer tech really. So when you guys tell me to look at things or inspect things I am lost. I normally would need to take the car to someone to look at and that I cannot always do. I do appreciate your help and don't take this as any sort of attack but I need things said in a dumbed down way.

 

I think this has become over blown.

 

You said the shakin was there before the axle, and comes with the brakes?

 

I'd say replace you're you're brake rotors. Start with which ever axle was not done recently. I had nasty vibration in the front from pitted and flaking( ) rotors on the back. And BTW, the outboard surfaces looked fine, it was the inboard side, against the dust plate that looked like Freddy Kruggers face.

 

"No. Haven't hit anything like that recently. I guess my wife could have but I haven't. I am pretty sure there is that tourqe bind, but it will run me about $800 to fix I believe. The mechanic I was at showed me all that was involved in the binding."

 

 

Since none of us can see the car, and this mechanic has, i dont think this has gotten overblown.

 

So we have a diagnoses.

 

nipper

The mechanic I was at showed me all that was involved in the binding."

 

 

I took this to mean the meachnic showed him what was involeved in fixing the binding. Not that the mechnaic actually drove the car and experienced binding.

 

And Torque bind still wouldn't make the car shake from braking in a straight line.

 

Shake with the brakes applied is almost always rotor related.

My .02

 

Warped brake rotors should not cause the steering wheel to move back and forth while driving slow not using the brakes.

 

A bad cv joint will.

 

When brakeing, yes the shake is most likely warped rotors.

 

You have more than one problem here. IMO

 

You had this steering wheel movement before your axle broke?

This is an automatic with torque bind. Torque bind will kill axles. I'm sure that is what killed the first one. The other one is very possibly on the way out.

Possibly seized or sticking caliper could be issue with wobble under breaking. If its bad enough to cause brake pads to drag on disk you can test by driving the car for a distance, dont use the breaks and coast to a stop. Get out and (carefully) feel temperature of each wheel/ brake disc. Should be the same and no heat - if you stopped without brakes. If one feels warm or hot then that would be problem one. Be careful if toughing the disc - if its hot you will get burned. Ask me how I know:mad: