SubaruFred

Thanks! I'd much rather install new axles than deal with re-booting 180k axles. Does EMPI have different grades? Rock Auto has them but the warranty is only 1 year. Well so far it seems to be "good" however I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't some abnormal wear that will shorten the service life. I'll just keep an ear on it and check for wheel play when I can. Thanks!

I've test driven the car about 20 miles now and there is no noise from the wheel bearing and the wheel doesn't get any hotter than the others. I did notice some strange noise when braking initially but that was probably due to the change in rotor angle. The pads have already re-seated and the braking noise is gone. I'll replace the axle nut because the stake sleeve is missing a small chunk. There was enough left to stake the nut but not enough to trust it long term. I'll keep an eye on it and if it loosens again, find a used/new hub assy. Thanks again to everyone for your helpful replies. Now that the wheel bearing issue is hopefully resolved, I don't have to rush to find a solution to the failing CV boot. It's a shame that aftermarket replacement axles are so poorly made. I'd gladly pay twice as much for a good axle assy than $50 for a crappy one. It seems that my best options are to re-boot the oem axle or buy a reman from MWE. I'm also going to try the Harbor Freight Chinky shark/tamer knock off kit the next time I have to replace a wheel bearing. This forum is a fantastic resource! Pat yourselves on the back for me!

I am a moron for listening to an idiot! The owner of the shop where I rented a bay/lift to change my duty C told me that there was no point in checking the axle nut. He stated that it was 100% a bad wheel bearing. I asked to rent a socket to check it and he said I was wasting my time and I believed him. Big mistake. The axle nut was loose. I checked it yesterday and concluded that it seemed tight but I did so without unstaking the nut or the proper size socket. Today I found a socket that fit (1-1/4"), unstaked the nut and found it to be loose. I torqued it to 140 ft lbs and re-staked it. No more wheel wobble. I need a new axle nut and possibly a new bearing. I don't know how long the nut was loose but it might have damaged the bearing. Thanks again for all your help and remember to trust your instincts more than the advice of mediocre garage mechanics.

Are aftermarket axles really so bad that it's better to keep the oem with 180k on them? Rock Auto has a new Cardone half-shaft for only $45 with boots. I'd rather use this unless the new axle won't last 50k. Thanks. Thanks. I'll look for a new hub in case I need it.

Thanks! I really needed to know what that piece was and why it wobbled around with the loose wheel. Do you think it might be worth trying a hub shark or tamer or should I just let a machine shop handle the bearing press-out/in? Also, the outer CV boot is almost gone. I suppose this would be a good time to replace the axle. Where's a good place to buy a new axle? Hmmm... do I need to remove the knuckle to remove the axle? If so I may as well skip the hub shark/tamer.

So then it's normal for that metal ring around the axle in the photo to wobble around in the knuckle? I thought it was the outer race of the bearing. Unfortunately for me, I know very little about wheel bearings or steering components. I just installed a new duty C by myself but am clueless about this wheel bearing problem. Thanks again for your help.

The axle nut is tight but there is still a huge amount of wheel wobble. I showed it to a mechanic and he strongly advised me not to drive it until I replace the wheel bearing. I'm just wondering if I might need a new knuckle to go with the bearing.

Is the junction the arrow points to the press fit connection between the bearing and the knuckle? If so I have a problem because mine is loose and wobbly.

Nevermind. I pulled one and they are M10x1.25. Pity since I already have M10x1.5 studs. ~1.5" or 38-40mm overall length should work well. I'd delete the thread if I could.

I tried searching and came up with M12x1.25 which I know is wrong and M10x1.25 which is possible but odd. The normal thread pitch for M10 is 1.5 so I though I'd ask before buying the wrong size. TIA.

Hello, while I was changing out my duty C solenoid I noticed a lot of slop in my DS front wheel bearing. It's not tie rod ends or ball joints. You can see the hub assy moving inside the knuckle. The guy at the shop said that when they fail the bearing usually welds itself onto the spindle and can't be pressed out. He recommended that I replace the entire knuckle assy with a used one. He also told me that tightening the spindle nut wouldn't help although it sure looks as though it's just loose. It doesn't make any noise when driving although I can feel some sloppiness in the steering. I've changed wheel bearings before on older cars but never one with ABS. I have a 93 Legacy wagon w. ABS. I'd really appreciate any advice. TIA Edit: After some research I think I may know what's wrong. It appears that the bearing assy has come loose from the knuckle so I need a new knuckle and bearing.

Thanks. I feel pretty lucky to find this deal.

Look what I got today! Less than $60 shipped from Rock Auto and they have more in stock. Now all I need is some <90F weather so I can install it.

Oh well, you still saved a lot by doing the work yourself. Thanks for writing that guide. I'm sure it will come in handy when I finally tackle mine.

Thanks for the guide! Your pics aren't showing up.

Yup, the key is that all 4 tires have the same diameter/circumference. They can be larger or smaller than oem but all 4 need to be the same. 205/55 is very close to 205/60. Your speedo may read ~1 mph faster now.

I had the same problem. I masked around the the trim, sanded it smooth with 400 wet/dry and painted it with Rustoleum flat black using a 1" brush. Up-close you can see that it was brushed on but it still looks 100x better than before. I did this 6 months ago and so far it's holding up great.

Post #13 was a duplicate of #12 until I edited it. I'm anxious to see what Rock sends me. For the price I don't care if it's genuine Subaru, as long as it works. Did you see this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GENUINE-SUBARU-VALVE-TRANSFER-CLUTCH-OEM-31942AA061-/170529559411?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27b45a9373 Any chance you could return the one you got from the dealer? I also found the AA061 at several online suby dealers for ~$75.

No option to delete duplicate post? Okay...

Yes, I got 2 valve assy gaskets, the plate, duty C solenoid and a ext housing gasket. The only question/concern is whether Rock Auto actually ships the correct duty C. It's not listed under transaxle parts for my car but it came up when I searched for the Subaru part #. If I receive a genuine Subaru solenoid for $50, I'll be very happy. Either way I'll post about it when it arrives, good or bad. FWIW, there is some overlap between duty C part #'s but in general, 90-93 use 31942AA070, 94-95 use 31942AA061 and 95-98 use 31942AA090. For whatever reason the AA061 is easier to find and cheaper than the others.

I'm not so sure about that. 95Legwagon paid $150 at his local dealer for the same parts I got on-line for $77 incl shipping. Now this is contigent upon me receiving a genuine Subaru duty C from Rock. If it's an aftermarket part, I'd still call it a better deal. If they simply mixed up part #'s and I have to return it for a refund and order another, I'll still save a few bucks but it won't be worth the wait or hassle. We'll see...

Thanks! I had a hard time locating the part numbers on-line and finally had to call a dealer to confirm which part # I needed. After a lot of searching I found the duty C solenoid that Subaru calls a "VLV ASSY - TRF CCH" at Rock Auto for only $50. The stealer wanted $100+ for it. I ordered the plate and gaskets from an on-line dealer for $16 shipped. These are the part #'s for my 93 Legacy: 31942AA070 - DUTY C 31954AA030 - PLATE 31954AA070 - GASKET (2) 31337AA120 - CASE GASKET FWIW, if anyone needs a AA061 duty C, Rock Auto has a few left for $50 ea and there's also one on ebay for about $50 shipped. The thing with Rock Auto is that they don't list the part but if you do a part # search, they come up. They don't carry any of the gaskets. Below are some great resources I found today while searching for parts: http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/FSM_Scans/at_transfer_ext._blowup.jpg http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/FSM_Scans/at_transfer_ext._partlist1.jpg http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans/FSM_Scans/at_transfer_ext._partlist2.jpg http://opposedforces.com/parts/ http://www.subarupartsdepot.com/

Any suggestions on where to get the parts?

I'll be sure to get that gasket, thanks. I think the key symptom here is that the duty C works fine 90% of the time but fails both with and without the FWD fuse installed. If it was dirty ATF, a clogged valve or a notched drum I would expect to have TB all the time, not just when the TCU indicates a failed duty C. Thanks for your help and I'll be sure to post the results of changing the duty C and clutch pack.

It's probably not cheap tires based on what you just told me. I've only seen this happen to re-branded tires made by Goodyear and Kelley, some Nittos and some older Goodyears. Even in those cases damper wear may have been a factor but the better quality tires handled the "skipping" without shedding chunks of rubber. AFAIK struts and shocks can lose much of their compression and rebound damping even when full of oil. The piston, rings and cylinder wall wear out and much of the oil bypasses the damping orifices by leaking around the worn sealing rings. This is especially true for the first inch of travel where the shocks spend most of their time. They still pass the old "bounce test" but can't maintain good tire to pavement contact which results in the tire skipping or bouncing along the pavement tearing out little chunks of rubber causing scalloping or cupping. New struts should fix it for ya!