2QtsLow

I like the Silverstars so much in the BMW that I installed them yesterday in the Legacy. HUGE improvement. I drive a twisty mountain canyon full of deer and elk in the dark every morning, and even if they only last 6 months, they are worth every penny to me 'cause I CAN SEE!

UPDATE Hope your back is feeling better nipper! Back pain is long and slow. The rumble is history. Pulled the driveshaft and found it to be notchy and the noise was concentrated at the tail end of the shaft determined by use of a stethescope. Aquired a new driveshaft, installed and the noise was still there. Took it to the dealer who determined it was a bad bearing in the rear diffy. One reman differential later the rumble is history and I have nearly a new rear drivetrain. Had the timing belt, water pump, oil pump service and cam seals done while it was in the shop. A little dough, but worth it. Thanks for all of the help and suggestions!

nipper?

Agreed! I put a set of four in my halogen equipped BMW and see a huge improvement over stock. Much more light and nice white color. Don't need no stinkin' Xenons!

nipper- Yes, 1996 Sedan 2.2 Auto. 110K miles. Thanks!

Yes, that is the bearing I'm talking about, the one just ahead of the u-joints. It supports the driveshaft and is surrounded by the rubber as described earlier.

Update and question: Ok, a couple of days ago, I removed the driveshaft heat sheild to gain access to the carrier bearing. I found that it is surrounded by rubber in it's mount. This rubber has a lot of give to it, about 1/2 inch. I loosened the mount and placed a fairly stiff piece of dense foam rubber between the top of the mount and the floorboard before tightening it back down. I did this in hopes of altering the resonance of the carrier should this be the culprit. I left the heat sheild off. I then put equal pressure at 32 psi in all four tires. Test drove and found a pretty good reduction in the rumble, about 75%. Question: Should the rubber in the carrier housing be that sloppy? It will move with very gentle hand pressure. Thanks for listening.

Thank you for the many suggestions. The iced wheel is a great suggestion, but the car is is a heated garage. It could be a wheel bearing, but doesn't a wheel bearing squeal long before grinding and rumbling? Maybe not, and this is a good theory, but difficult to isolate when all wheels show no play. I'm baffled. Maybe the cold snap we're in right now is part of the problem. When I bought the car it was about 40 degrees warmer that it's been for the last few days.

Thank you for the reply. Ok, this morning, I checked the following: -Jacked the engine. Mounts good. -Under the hood, everything is tight. Some play in the radiator mounts, but they have rubber inserts. Play about 1/8 inch. Looks right. Checked front strut tower mounts, tight. Fans in perfect shape. Pulleys running true. -Hood, trunk, body cladding tight. -Spare tire tight. -Window trim and cowling tight. -Wheel well liners tight. -Drive shaft has no detectable play when trying to jiggle it or turning it. The rumble occurs at any RPM, in any gear @ 40 MPH, and decreases significantly when coasting or under full power. The car doesn't shake or anything, it's just annoying. Oh, and yes, it is a sedan.

I have a question, but first I'd like to say hello since this is my first post here. First off, I recently traded in my old reliable 95 Camry on my 96 Legacy since I need AWD here in the Colorado mountains. It is my daily driver and the 6th Subaru in my family's history. I checked it out closely before buying and serviced the auto trans, and rear diff myself once I got it home. Everything else checked out fine: new looking struts, CV boots all good, new filters, new brakes, tires fair but wearing evenly. Now to my question. When I test drove, I jumped onto a highway to run it up to speed (80 mph). It ran smooth as glass. I also ran it on city streets with the same result except for the classic minor motor rumble stopped in drive. Once home for a couple of days, I notice a slight vibration/audible rumble at 40 mph when cruising or decellerating. Under full power it is smooth and quiet. It is still there at higher speeds but barely noticeable. What could this be? I've checked the axles for play, the driveshaft, wheel bearings for play, ball joints for play, visual check of the motor and trans mounts, the front and rear bumper cowling for play, all heat shields, and replaced the tires with a set of new Pirelli's. Everything appears to be tight and in good shape. My local mechanic, Dr. Subaru, says to let it go to see if it gets worse. What do you Soob Junkies think?