guzzijohn

Ok,replaced right axle Tuesday. Below zero today,wife forgot cell so I brought it to her. No noise!!! So did both axles,stuck right caliper,changed diff lube. So strange-left ax looked bad w rust & cracked boots,right looked better-still had green paint & good boots. Can't wait to take axles apart. The noise when it started at Thanksgiving was so loud at slow speed I didn't think I'd make it 3 miles home. It is hard to believe it was just an axle joint.

Ok,nice cold day new caliper works fine but noise is back. Looks like I'll be takong the left rear apart Friday. It isn't consistant-went 2 mi. to library(noise),left there and quiet for a mile 'til left turn. Went another 6 mi-noise all the way until 4 blocks from home then gone. Must be axle,bearing brake on left. Still does it once per revolution so don't believe bearing. We'll see tomorrow. Maybe I need Gremlin repellant!

Ok,nice cold (below zero)days bring it back but not as loud as in beginning. I think whoever mentioned brake fluid may have got it. The rt/rr disc is not cleaning up like the others-rusty from lack of use end of sailing season to December. It still seems odd to have a once per revolution from a rust spot on a disc coming and going but if there's ice in the caliper who knows. I can't get it to vary when braking so maybe that corner is frozen. We're having a rather mild Winter so maybe I'll take that caliper apart next week.

Happy & healthy season to all!

My '99 L wagon 5spd has gotten 34-Summer/hwy but 25 avg in cold. That said we have 2 2.2 Camrys. My wife's '99 suto averages 25(commuting hwy) this time of year. My '95(5spd) gets 31 and 37+ in warm weather. Small engines w auto in Winter are worst case scenerio in the cold. It takes a long time to get all the fluids up to nominal temps and uses fuel to do that. That little engine is hauling a heavy 4wd w a slush box. Wait 'til Summer and see what you get.

Drove nice & quiet. We'll see next time it gets real cold.

Nothing in oil,magnet finds no debris either. I'll put some Valvoline syn/lube in there & cross my fingers. I've learned a lot from this problem and still hope for an answer. Any thoughts on viscous fluid in cold-both incidents happened right away on sub freezing days.

See my "Rear Banging" entry. I think it is probably an axle circlip that came loose to foul the ring gear. I'm going to look w magnet through filler Friday. I mostly wrench motorcycles but have become better acquainted w my Leg. after this issue arouse. I have a line on Imp. diff.&axles locally but he claims he has 22 spliners? That's why I thought mix & match might be needed. PS I just rechecked RockAuto and they show a 22 spline axle for automaiic Imps '93-'00. I cannot understand such a difference but I'll be getting the axles too,

Can I use '97 Imp rear in '99 Leg. by adding the Imp. 22 spline inner cvs to my axles?

I agree w that,but a realatively small bit like the axle circlip might come off(especially if rusty-80% winter use). Squeeze noisily through the gears for a while then fall to the bottom to be picked up by the cold 90w later and repeat. Both times it didn't stop while moving but failed to reappear right away, Funny thing is that I believe the new axle didn't have one?? We're getting well and wife plans on working Friday so garage will be open for inspection. PS further reading indicates the circlip stays in the diff. not on the axle so the new one shouldn't have had one on it. That reduces the ability of one to come adrift I guess. Tomorrow's to be above 32F so we'll get in then.

After surviving a week of the Flu I'm functional enough to surf a bit. I've read more center diff. stuff and now think it is more likely the rear diff.as it banged going straight. What bits could come adrift in there? I'd say there may be rust from boat lauch problems but anything thicker than a piece of roller race,circlip,or washer would lock up the rear and not work again wo increible noise. I know this is a dead horse but it may be a while b4 I'll get under the car.

The thing is that it has come & gone several times. I will check plug-I had changed gear lube last month.

Brakes were the 1st thing looked at-no issues or effect on banging. Bad bearings,broken gear teeth,loose bits don't heal themselves. I'll try again when temps drop-mini hearwave now-40s.

I just did several dozens slow circles both cold and after driving several miles and nothing. The last 2 times it occured was right away when cold and didn't stop. Now 2 test runs w nothing. I'm still thinking the center diff. but I seem to read that should get worse w temp. increase. Can torque bind come & go like this??

I've got similar issue(see rear banging)think it is center differential.

I'll try the circle thing.

Just surfed this site a bit more for clues. Do any of you think this could be center differential? I don't hear anything at the back of the traneaxle but if it were to give the rear a different speed of rotation who knows what can happen?

just hear it. The crazy part is having it quit. That last drive included blocks of bumpu rutted ice that surely should've aggrivated it into banging again.

Thanks Bush,interesting ideas. I put her on 4 jack stands and ran in gear(5th)and heard nothing. Looked for rusted/broken suspension or mounts and all seems fine. Took it for ride-2mi+,up over 50-NO NOISE!!?? Do I need an Exorcist?

I'm a retired mechanic w a weird issue. I have a '99 Legacy 2.2 5 spd wagon w 170k. A while back I started hearing a mild hollow knock that matched wheel rotation frequency. Suddenly one day it got loud enough that I limped home under 30. I'd already checked the right side thinking it was disc or axle related. Upon checking the left axle I detected slight slop so I put in new one. That seemed to fix it-took a couple short rides and no banging. Today it was back! It soumds like a hammer attached ri a tire hitting w each revolution. I did have some water in the rear lube from a bit of partial drowning(I tow a sailboat)but not bad. If the diff. got rusty I'd think there'd be howling bearings and if it were really coming apart that would happen quickly. The only other thing that comes to mind is the driveshaft which should give a noise frequency faster than wheel rotation. I'll get it up on jack stands tomorrow. I suppose it could be the right axle but I replaced that at 153k. Thanks,Guzzi John-Stumped in Minnesota

Hi,I just joined-John in Champlin. When i retired as a UMN mechanic in '08 I sold 4 of my motorcycles and bought a small sailboat and a '99 legacy wagon to tow it. I reasearched the Subaru and concluded that the 2.5 was very problematic(headgasket wise). I was fortunate in finding my '99 2.2 5 spd w 153k on it. It seems that 2.5 after('03-'05?)don't have the issue. After having Toyotas in the family since '76(have '95,'99,'01 Camrys now)I'm quite impressed w Subarus and hope youe luck improves. "Guzzi John" Pierson