CNY_Dave

I'm going to just swap the whole trans, if I had a spare car fixing this one over a course of days or weeks would be tempting. The H6 cars have 4.11 final, like a 4EAT legacy, the other outbacks have 4.44. I wonder if I can sell any bits out of this trans... it only has 200,000 miles on it!

The puller pictured won't stand up to serious force (the bolt will bend and spring back when hit, absorbing the force), the very short heavy cast one is also much less likely to warp the flange. The subaru tool has a big round metal plate and bolts to all 5 studs, they obviously know some are going to be a real bastard. http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/9911422/

There's a tidbit worth knowing! Thanks.

This style puller is made to be hit with a hammer: The horrid freight ball-joint popper tool undoes the bottom ball joint connection quite nicely, worth it to avoid touching the pinch bolt.

I hate to ask if you knew to tighten the 3-jaw then hammer like a lunatic on the screw. Then, when the screw loosened, to tighten and hammer some more. Kroil is good, ATF plus a solvent (wd-40 as a solvent in a pinch) is almost as good. Pep-boys has a good fixed-jaw 3-jaw puller, for borrowing or it's about 30 bucks to buy.

I am paying a premium for the H6, found one for 800 in the midle of cventral NY and am counting myself lucky.

Noise with rear wheels on the ground and not moving: I think this is definitive, front pinion bearing. I also confirmed even in 1, there is NO drive to the rear wheels until you step on the gas (whern I had all 4 off the ground, heh)

Noise with rear wheels on the ground and not moving: I think this is definitive, front pinion bearing. I also confirmed even in 1, there is NO drive to the rear wheels until you step on the gas (whern I had all 4 off the ground, heh)

Tempting, but non-trivial with the H6.

Thanks. Maybe they'll lend a hand at the source, and I have a son at home that can (is going to!) help.

Wondering how heavy a 4EAT trans is, and if it will fit in the hatch of my '03 outback, either answer could mean I need my (nicely low) trailer.

If I hear the noise with the fronts up and the rears on the ground, FWD fuse in, I'm going to stick a nail in it and call it a part of the trans I'm not at this point willing to mess with. I might do this with all 4 wheels up and the e-brake on. I think with the front wheels on it'll load the noisy part enough I'll be able to hear it.

Have confirmed the h6 shaft has no bolt-off or slip-joint sections...

That would be good news! Could this be one of the ways in which the H6 drive shaft is different? Not only is the H6 shaft different, it also changed 5/2002.

2000-2004, 4 or 6 cyl, auto, I just need to know if it's under 4 feet, otherwise it's almost unshippable from a salvage yard.

Yeah, isn't though. I'm very familiar with just about every scraping noise after 150,000 miles in this car.

It's gotten worse in about a week (so about 500 miles), it now makes a little noise at some points during decel. The 'pinion noise' vid is from last week, the others from today. In person it's easy to tell the trans noise from the wheel bearing noise, on vid not as easy.

It's tough to get to, it's almost impossible to see, really. The noise is loudest in the car just above the shifter, which is just above the carrier bearing, but because of the console and firewall is also the best place for noise from the front to sneak through.

Have a line on two used nearby, one 800, the other 930, the 800 one has a few thou fewer miles on it.

OK, have what sounds like a front opinion (or front final driveshaft) bearing noise, pitch changes at about 4x road speed, but not much gear whine. To me this means front pinion bearings, some bearing on the front pinion drive shaft, rear output bearing, or maybe the driveshaft carrier bearing. Noise disappears with removing the load (just enough throttle to coast, or just coasting), amnd noise was not changed at all by inserting the FWD fuse (FWD light lit). Other than trying to hear the noise with the car on stands, then inserting the FWD fuse and stopping the rear wheels, any other way to absolutely rule out the rear shaft bearing in the tailhousing or the carrier bearing?

It only makes noise under load, and is silent with no load, so I would expect if I were unloading the noisy component I would hear at least some difference.

I've found two used ones with about 100k on them for $800-$935, with a parts warranty, both within 50 miles, now I'm trying to track down a driveshaft. Also now need to rule out any noise other than pinion bearing or front output shaft bearing, before I shell out $800. FWD fuse made no change in the noise, so I figure it's not anything associated with the rear driveshaft (carrier bearing, rear output bearing)

Yeah, I'm going down the list of options at this stage. 800-1200 to replace the pinion bearing, 650 of that is just getting the trans in and out. Rebuilt trans that I put in, I have no idea. 'Junkyard' trans via car-part . com, 800-1500 or so, with a few in driving distance. Not sure yet if any of those are rebuilt.

hmm, if you put it on the lowbeams is that intermittent as well?

Wondering if there is a source for rebuilt transmissions out there that'll ship, even if only to a freight company (yellow freight, etc)