sgregory Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I think my rear diff is going out, looking for a good resource for rebuild parts, it a 93' impreza. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I would be intereseted to hear why you think your rear differential needs to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share Posted February 17, 2008 When I drive it the rear end has a growling noise at low speed as soon as you start moving and as speed increases it gets worse, has a harmonic sound with it at higher speeds, replaced the rear bearings 10K ago, brakes are good, new tires. I can't think of anything else that would be making the noise it's currently makin out of the rear end. Would be happy to have input if you think otherwise. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 if you find you do need one this is a pretty good place to start. some members may have one cheaper, but they are heavy and it may be expensive to ship. www.car-part.com sort your search by distance. manual or automatic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I was just asking for more info so someone else could help you. Is it an automatic? I had an Impreza automatic that had a similiar issue. Since it sounded like it was coming from the rear, I changed the rear differential fluid...problem still there. I changed the front on a whim, poof....sounds went away. Perhaps something (cheap) to at least try before you put it under the knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1997reduxe Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 This is just my two cents, but is it an AWD? I have a Legacy with AWD, and had four different tires on it. it made a weird howling sound in rear and i was told it needed a new rear differential. i actually bought a used one. (was stupidly buying cheap used tires for a while cause'a no money) and when i put 4 matching near new michelin hydro's from ebay on it the sound went away. still have the rear diff 20000 miles later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 This is just my two cents, but is it an AWD?I have a Legacy with AWD, and had four different tires on it. it made a weird howling sound in rear and i was told it needed a new rear differential. i actually bought a used one. (was stupidly buying cheap used tires for a while cause'a no money) and when i put 4 matching near new michelin hydro's from ebay on it the sound went away. still have the rear diff 20000 miles later... your point is well taken, the rear diff is very hardy, failures are few. but there still, some do fail..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 if you do replace the rear diff, just get a used one. they fail so rarely that buying a new one or rebuilding is pointless. used ones can be had super cheap...because there's no market for them. there's a marketplace forum on here, you can post there and someone probably has one. they don't fail very often so i'd double check some things first. i wonder if the replaced bearings are failing again? maybe one wasn't installed properly or the hub was damaged when the previous ones failed...or the axle nut is working loose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 It is a 5spd AWD, I changed the fluid in the rear when the noise first started, also put 4 new Michelin X radials about 2 weeks ago, I haven't tried replacing the fluid in the tranny, that would definitely be an option before dropping the diff. I pretty much have done everything else I knew to try before narrowing it the rear diff, I have owned many 4wd and awd and have never had a problem with the rear diff. I am going to change the fluid in the tranny differential today, if that doesn't work I guess it's off with the rear diff. I'll keep posted as to what the problem ends up being. Thanks for all of the help. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 on the only bad diff that i saw, chunks of metal came out when i changed the fluids. it should be very obvious whether it's the front diff or rear, sounds like you definitely have it narrowed down to the rear? driveshafts can cause noises too - they are best to remove for positive identification. the joints and carrier bearings can fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 My experience with the Subby awd is pretty limited,when I changed the diff fluid in the rear end it looked pretty good, that was the other thing I wasn't sure about is the drive line stuff. I have had U joints go bad on my truck and that causes a real growling noise when moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aircraft engineer Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 drive shaft noise is usually a "clunk" at gear changes. See if it clunks when tapping the throtle. if it does, it's generally a U joint. Trouble is that AWD doesn't mean 4wd - the rears only kick in when the fronts lose traction If the diff fluid was "clean", it's not too likely to be a diff. (silver stuff in the oil is a bad sign) Go to a wrecking yard and get one - it's not "fun" but not too difficult to swap the diff I just did the rear pax bearing on a 97 - it was howling from about 10mph up and just didn't go away. It wasn't exactly fun, but I can do another in 1/2 the time (I gather you don't fix your own? - you need either a hydraulic press or the hub tamer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 No clunking, gust the growling noise. Kind of an odd issue to pin down. Most stuff I work on on my own but if this requires a press, I'll have to take it to someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Shawn, Please check the rear wheel bearings. I know they were replaced, please read on. The rear wheel bearing on these (Imp chassis) are notorious - they will go bad in that amount of miles when they are not repacked with the proper lube. Some were shipped with the incorrect lube (shippng only lube) and needed repacked with wheel bearing grease. . This is a documented issue I'd hate to see you chasing a red herring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 That's interesting to know, I've heard the Imp have a history of short lived wheel bearings but I assumed much longer than what I have on these. I will definitely look at the bearings again. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulwnkl Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I'll bet it's the wheel bearings, but don't discard the driveline idea before the rear diff. I too have had drivelines growl at me and make really odd noises. Personally, I've never experienced the clunk described as common in drivelines. Not saying it doesn't happen, only that my experiences have been other sounds more like what you're describing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 X2 on a used diff. It will cost more to repair the one you have now. They hardly ever go bad, so your chances of getting a good used one are very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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