uniberp

I would check first that the axle nut is tight. If it came loose, it may move enough to catch the seals and burn them up.

That flickering CEL makes me wonder... electrical? Plugs, wires, battery connections?

Did you happen to use the same gas pump at the end as your did the first time? I'd be using that pump always. Maybe your gas is foaming, kicking off the auto shutoff on the pump.

Is that the brake rod, goes into the booster?

You can try to shake the axle with your hand to see if there is any difference in play compared to the other axle, but it may not be detectable. Sounds like you need an alignment anyhow, so the easiest way is to undo the (1) axle bolt and (2) 19mm strut mount bolts and tip the hub out to get the axle end free. You might feel some damage then. BTW the top strut bolt is eccentric and has markings on it to adjust camber. Mark your current setting. Also, since you have a bad tire, and subes are highly sensitive to uneven tire wear, you should get 4 new tires. Tires MUST be kept within .25 inch circumference to avoid unevenly loading the AWD. Maybe get an alignment first to be sure they can actually pull it back into line. It may be twisted, in which case there are bigger issues beyond what I can advise.

My experience also, especially recently. Howling (rear) bearing, no play, no change in sound while turning, could not to diagnose until stripped down to hub alone. However, "clicking" is the classic symptom of CV joint damage. Outer end of front axle gets the most flexion.

Removing the long bolt is the worst part. It may be rusted frozen in the bushing through the rear lateral link. It may also be frozen in the the holes and front link. The knuckle can be removed without removing the bolt completely, but I went the further step and cut the head off and pushed it out like this: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/album.php?albumid=304 The bolt is $40 dealer only. I got mine from boneyard. My local parts/machine shop replaces bearing and seals for ~$100. I would not use a used one. Torque is not that big an issue. Big bolts VERY tight, large bolts QUITE tight, medium bolts kinda tight. Haynes has all the numbers if you have are really concerned and have a recently calibrated wrench. One thing: if you use impact wrench to tighten, follow up with hand wrench. Oh, and make sure you use lotsa antisieze when reassembling, thinking of the next guy.

Haynes manual says check a the middle of the window on each strip. If 5-6v ok, if 10-12 broken on neg (ground side), if 0v broken on + side. It advises using foil wrapped around probe and pressed with finger to the strip.

If you replced the OEM crank pulley with an alloy aftermarket one, the new one may have a slick finish and allow the accessory/ac belt to slip and squeak even if it is properly tensioned. What did you mean "it was rubbing on the cover" That doesn't happen unless the pulley is loose or the cover is damaged. If the pulley was loose you would have had far more symptoms.

Isn't that how OBD1 returns error codes? Count the flashes.

Here's my pics for a way to remove the frozen-in-bushing bolt after cutting the head off. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/album.php?albumid=304

It is fixed and now as quiet as the "Legato". The left rear bearing was bad, but the only symptom was general increased noise, no change when turning, no play at the hub, no detectable roughness through the hub or suspension until the wheel, drum and axle were removed. I only got it disassembled that far because I was going to remove the differential, and decided to start on that side. Then I could feel just the bearing in the hub and it was notchy. Removing the rear hubs on a 12 year old rustbelt car is not without trickery, especially on those that use that 250mm long bolt that goes through the 2 lateral links and 2 holes in the knuckle. So it's a bit of ordeal even to diagnose correctly. I suppose you could put it on stands and run it in gear, and feel/probe to locate noise, but I don't like that safety factor, working alone. I swore it was the differential or driveshaft. It wasn't. I even took the driveshaft out AGAIN and inserted the FWD fuse to test that. BTW, the trans will leak a little fluid if you do that. Live and learn.

It appears to be the OTHER (Left) rear wheel bearing that was making the noise. I had replaced the right rear bearing when it was obvious that it had play in it when shaking the wheel. The left rear bearing seemed OK from shaking and spinning the wheel and hub with the axle in it, and I couldn't sense any roughness, AND I had replaced it about 5 years ago, so I didn't suspect it. HOWEVER, when I removed the left rear hub, as I was preparing to remove the differential, when I got it down to only the hub and knuckle (axle out), it was rough, and had obviously heated up enough to melt all the grease out and mix it with the antisieze on the splines. The inner seal was shot too. The bearing felt rough only then, with the axle removed. SO, it is possible to have a noisy bad rear bearing that makes no change in sound when turning, has no play, and is otherwise undetectable except for the loud noise. I will confirm this afternoon when the hub is back from the shop I even have a driveshaft to swap in, which has a slightly smoother center support bearing.

I agree, but it all depends on the overall condition of the car and your ongoing finances. Replacing clutch means refacing flywheel, new throwout bearing, pressureplate, clutch plate... adds up. If you have freedom to fix it again in a year, it's a toss up. The timing belt stuff can be done with engine in car easily enough. Done that several times. I've never pulled subaru heads, luckily, but I think I'd try to do that in the car if it came to that. I once pulled my auto tranny from beneath, in my driveway and stored everything underneath the car and replaced the seal plate, in the snow. In general I try to do smaller jobs and finish them quickly and get it back on the road. Too much time seems to result in forgotten bits or worrisome indecision.

Pirelli P3000, good tires about 3 years old. Balanced and evenly worn. I really think it's the rear diff. It howls like a diff. There's 4 in the pickapart place here. I may pull one for fun. Better than disabling a running vehicle for research purposes. The 2.2 Legacy Auto Wagon has noticeably less power, which to me would explain why that diff is not as worn at the same mileage. (It's named "The Legato" for that reason) That little Forester still gets up and moves with traffic at 85 no problem. That's pushing it for the Legato. BTW: who knows if Legacy and Forester/Impreza auto diffs are all 4.11:1?

OK, I've been through everything now, and I guess I can live with it. Rust inside the pinion flange may have been scraping, but the noise is mostly still there. What I think is, the rear diff side bearings are worn, but not enough to warrant a job. There is a tiny bit more movement on the 99 than on the 08, maybe. Diff side bearing preload settings are a wizards art. Not me. The seals are not leaking, so I'm not messing with it. If I were to correct this, it would take a driveshaft, axles, diff rebuild and then probably work on the front end as well. Nah. It runs nice. I'll look into dynamat, or maybe use that rubberized torchdown roofing stuff if I got it lying around.

Hanger bushings are ok. Diff fluids ok. Axles seem to have no play. Boots are good. The one axle I loosened when I did the bearing was fine.

I'm pretty sure the shorter struts were for Legacies, and longer struts were for Outbacks. Actually the strut is the same length, the spring seat is just placed higher for the Outback. The clicking could be occurring because of the sharper angle of the cv joint caused by the higher stance. The cv joint wore at a lower angle, and now is wearing a new spot and not liking it. So you are facing new rear struts and new axles, or just new front struts. I would move forward. (Doubtful you'll need rear axles, they are not so stresed) The rear struts and axles will eventually need replacement anyhow, with some luck.

This is Michigan, so you can practically watch rust form. Legacy is a wagon, with rear discs. I'll clean that pinion rust up tomorrow, and maybe change the front diff fluid also.

Lots louder it seems. Both have 170k miles, both auto, (ed. both wagons), both had replaced wheel bearings, struts, balljoints,brakes, good tires regularly rotated, sound exhaust, run just fine. But the Forester has a distinctly loud drivetrain noise. After the last rear wheel bearing, it hasn't changed much. Regular and no change while turning. I just removed the driveshaft, fully expecting to find a grindy center bearing, but it all appears fine. I may try a different driveshaft form the boneyard. No leaks in the diff seals, diff fluid is clear. Can I drive the car without the driveshaft if I pull (or put in) the FWD fuse? The only thing I noticed when underneath is a slight rust scraping as the pinion flange turned. Rear brakes are drum, and have just been cleaned and the wheels turn without any scraping. I just don't get it. Is this maybe front output shaft bearings?

Manifold gaskets are about $10, I think. Cheap and fairly easy to find out if that's it.

There's 1 trailing arm and 2 lateral links. Those 2 inboard bolts are as bad as the outboard long bolt,maybe worse . Maybe I'm missing something. It looks like the inboard bolts go through the same type of bushing and are mounted directly to the body. Those I cannot budge.

Don't you still have to get the knuckle and front link off the bolt?.

Thank you guys. Glad I'm not alone. I got it. It was kinda grueling. Here's a couple of pics how: Done. NOTE it's a 5/8 washer, sits on the steel insert. The openendwrench supports it. So yes, cutting the head off the bolt is the way to do it. Now to the boneyard to try to remove all those pricey bolts I can find . I had to die-grind out the inside of the puller 1mm or so to make it fit around the link-end. The inboards are just gonna stay where they are forever I guess. They seem froze, and you'd have to cut BOTH ends off those bolts to get them out, working on your back, spraying water above your face to keep stuff from heating up and burning. Yessir I'm all about that. Gonna just sandblast them and dope em up with galv. :-\ And after this ordeal, which took an hard chancy wrenching to gain each mm, I immediately went to the other side to see if I could bust that one loose and did. Phew. Dosed it up with antisieze and galv, for next time. D*** my shoulder hurts now. At least I didn't have to grind the whole thing away. That would have taken days. I don't really want to apply heat to suspension links. pushing it out with a puller would take the steel bushing with it, which I think is bonded to the rubber and would destroy the bushing. This bushing survived. mpergielwalkermi97legato99forester08forester

99 ForesterL Who's got a good hand tool solution to this? I'll buy a new bushing and bolt, but I still need to press this out while it's in the car. The bolt is frozen in the bushing. It would rip the rubber. I cut the head off so maybe I could support the bushing and knock the bolt free. The bolt to the frame mount on the other end is also frozen in it's bushing. I'd be happy to cut these all away, but they seem to be hardened bolts. This one took 3 old sawzall blades to get through. Any homegrown remedies are appreciated. Thanks ...2 hours later... I realize having got it disassembled to this point, it was not necessary to remove that bolt, and cutting the head off was unnecessary. It could have been reassembled from this point, although it is not correct. Also I banged up the thread end getting it loose from the knuckle. mpergielwalkermi97legate99forester08forester