snoobies

So I'm just in the process of putting the reman'd axle on, and I've got a question about the roll pin. I called Subaru to get one from them but all their parts depts were closed, so I measured the one I pulled out ( 1/4"x1 3/4" ) and got a 1/4"x2" from Lowes. The one I pulled out looked just a hair smaller in diameter, but I'm trying to put the one from Lowes in and it seems almost impossible to get through. Is it supposed to be this difficult, or should it go through with a few decent hits? I'm pounding on this thing from underneath and put the female end of a socket extension around the pin, and after hitting it several times it barely even budges. I had to get the pin started through the axle before I put it on the tranny spline, but now after hitting it for about 3 minutes I think it's barely poking into the tranny spline because I can't pull off the axle, but it feels like it's just barely grabbing the hole on the spline so I thought I'd see if any of you have used a non-Subaru pin before I pound this in for a half hour only to never get it out again. Also, would I be better off just putting the old pin back in instead of using this Lowes pin? UPDATE: The pin was going through the chamfer on the axle assy, but not the tranny spline so that could have added to my frustration, but I would like to hear your opinions on using this Lowes pin vs. Subaru pin, new or old, before putting the Lowes one through, even with both chamfers aligned now.

Well I was just about to order the CV axle but then I thought I'd give the local Checker a call to see what options/prices they had. An OEM remanufactured one would cost me $115 after shipping, but a new Master Pro costs $70 at Checker. Has anyone had or heard any experiences with Master Pro parts, good or bad? It's not just money that is a factor, but time as well. It'd be better if I didn't have to wait around a week for this axle to come by snail mail, but I don't want to waste money on a junk part either. When I asked about OEM parts, the person at Checker gave me the shpill about how all aftermarket parts are required to meet or exceed OEM standards, which I don't necessarily believe, but if Master Pro is decent, I'll surely give it a try.

Thanks all for your help, and I'm glad to know that at least the rear diff isn't an issue. When I got back to the post office I did crawl under my car to check the axle itself. The only irregular thing I noticed was the torn boot. To the naked eye, everything was still attached. Nothing was obviously broken or hanging down. I suppose if there is something that could internally break, causing a loss of power transfer, I wouldn't have noticed... but with just a quick look underneath from the front, I didn't see any broken shafts or anything. I would still bet that somehow you're right. Is it possible that it could break at a point that wouldn't be visible by just crawling under the front bumper and looking at it toward the rear of the vehicle? It is a night and day difference between Monday and today, and especially with the increase in perceived damaging of the CV with the grinding and breaking, it only makes sense that's why the front is working just like the rear. I wasn't sure if the front axles turned equally no matter what, or if there was the same differential effect of slippage and losing power. I suppose I'll have to take a closer look and see if I can find the damage. Not that it'll really help I guess, because either way I know it needs replacing. I've already ordered one so now I wait. I'm glad to know that this is likely the only issue though.

Hey guys, I'm new to the board here. The guy from MW Enterprises suggested I come here to get some helpful info about my drivetrain issues. With a repair manual I can fix things pretty well, but I don't understand all the workings of things like this so I apologize in advance if I seem a novice. For starters, I'm driving a 1997 Legacy L 2.2 that is factory converted to RHD for mail delivery. For the last year or so the front end has been clicking, like the CVs are going bad, especially front left. A month or two ago, the CV axle started binding up (what I was told when I explained the symptom) and making the steering wheel jump back and forth, as if the wheel was wobbling and pulling awkwardly against the asphalt. This is the brief history up to last Monday of this week. With the snow here, I could drive through any deep unplowed areas, even stop at the mailbox, and then take off with ease and the AWD seemed to do its job amazingly. At the end of the day on Monday though the binding up came back temporarily, and seemed worse, and there were harsher noises such as grinding/cracking noises rather than the simple clicking. Then I came to work this morning, hoping it would last me just a few more days until I could repair it (finals week this week, hardly any time), and it was as if the AWD had completely disappeared. Also, now instead of just clicking while turning, it clicks very fast when going straight too (inboard joint gone bad too, so I'm told). The biggest concern, however, is that when I pull up to a mailbox and both right tires are on snow, both left tires on pavement, when I try to accelerate the only tire that rotates is the back right, and it spins in the snow. I tried putting the left side in snow, right side on pavement, and the left rear tire was the only one that spun. In both cases, when the one tire spun in the snow, the other tire on pavement did nothing (is this how the rear diff is supposed to work? seems counter-productive). If both rear tires are on snow though, they both will spin. In all cases, I didn't see the front tires spin at all. Therefore, unless both rear tires were on asphalt, I was dead in the water. Nothing of this sort was happening on Monday. If I were in snow, no matter the circumstances, unless I was high-centered I would be able to get out, even going uphill, so I wonder what would have changed that is causing this to happen? Are the front CVs somehow linked to driving the rear, or is it all independently driven? I'm wondering if the fact that my front left CV seemed to deteriorate further on Monday is causing this problem now, or if they are two completely unrelated issues? And why would the front right not be turning, shouldn't the tranny do that directly? I haven't noticed any issues with the front right CV, at least not to the extent of the front left. Checked the boot and it's still in tact. I would appreciate any help you guys can give me with this, since it's my family's livelihood. If my car doesn't work, I don't work, which means no income. I'll be delivering mail with it tomorrow as well, so if you have any other driving tests you would like me to do, let me know and I will do them while I'm out. Thanks!