I (and a lot of help from friends) replaced my tranny and a left front axle this summer on my '90 Leg. Due to finding out on Sunday afternoon that the front left boot was torn, and that only (N)Autozone had mine available I bought one. As it was my 1st big time mechanical repair, I was borrowing a friend's garage and tools, and I needed it for work the next day, I 'fixed' it then and there.

 

Less than 6,000 miles later it was creaking/groaning when accelerating (but not clicking :-\ ), vibrating thru the steering wheel, and felt like my tires were out of balance on the freeway!

 

Thanks to this site I was able to swap it out w/another one in about 30 minutes (amazingly simple). I'll return the bad one for credit if possible, but if I have to take another one, it's going to Ebait.

 

It now makes no weird noises and rides almost smooth on the highway (I'm still on studded snows that may be due for a balance).

 

One thing I'm unsure of is whether running Outback struts may have caused more stress due the angle, leading to premature failure??....but I had the right/passenger side replaced (b4 I realized how easy it is!) about a year ago and it's still going strong.

 

Anyway, Thanks USMB members!

One thing I'm unsure of is whether running Outback struts may have caused more stress due the angle, leading to premature failure??

definitely not - you just found out why we always recommend not buying any aftermarket axles except MWE.

MWE axles are great