Hi, I have a 97 legacy outback limited wagon with 2.5 liter engine. 250k on the car. When start driving and get to around 15mph, a rythmic noise starts, the best I can explain it would be like a WHA - WHA - WHA sound and would guess frequency at approximately 1 RPM tire rotation and frequency speeds up as go faster. It seems like coming from front and more towards driver side. Pretty much goes away when get to 65-70 mph. Is fairly loud and does create some noise vibrations in front but not bad. Car tracks straight and steering is responsive and tight and not seem to have uneven tire wear. I guessed might be tires or wheels but put on two different sets of tires/wheels and does the same thing. When those other tires/wheels put on my second 97 legacy there is no such noise so it is not a tire or wheel problem.

---If anyone has any best guesses on this or things I can check, then please let me know. Any help/thoughts are greatly appreciated. I'm thinking is from front end but don't let me prejudice your thoughts. Could also be drive shaft from trans to rear differential or something else also????

Thanks for all!!! Greg

When start driving and get to around 15mph, a rythmic noise starts, the best I can explain it would be like a WHA - WHA - WHA sound and would guess frequency at approximately 1 RPM tire rotation and frequency speeds up as go faster.

 

 

welcome!

 

it's a bad wheel bearing. the noisy side is the one that is bad.

Hi John, Thanks for the welcome and the feedback. Any idea what a reasonable amount of time is for a Subaru dealer to install a new bearing? Also, is it OK to replace the bearings on just one side of the car? Also, no way a loosened axle nut could cause similar symptoms? I had read somewhere on the site (but maybe was for different model/year) that the nut sometimes loosens and causes some symptoms.

Thanks again. Greg

The axle nut is (supposed to be anyway) staked so that it cannot loosen on its own. And if it did loosen up it seems it would likely damage the wheel bearing if driven like that. They tell you not to even loosen the axle nut with the weight on the wheel because it could damage the bearing.

I would move the tires around to make sure it's not that... wheel bearings hum but usually the noise does not vary during the wheels revolution.

 

Mind you, they can make all kinds of noise and do odd things, but usually not quite what you described, more of a hum that builds in volume and frequency the faster you go.

 

Dave

Edited November 16, 201114 yr by CNY_Dave