craigmcd Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Hi all. My wife noticed an increasing vibration in her Outback wagon the past 10 days or so. After a couple drives we narrowed it down to accelerating in certain ranges. It is VERY noticeable in the 20s mph, picks up a bit at 40, in the 50s again very strong, and at 65-70 the whole inside of the car is rattling where it never did before. I can actually feel this rattle/vibration in my jaw. Most of these speeds are in the 1700 - 2200 rpm range, and only during acceleration. It is accompanied by an increasingly loud noise, kind of a roaring sound. When coasting at ANY speed, the car smooths right out, no vibration. When going about 25 with the door open, there is no discernible noise. My wife hears a clunking noise once in a while, usually while pulling out of the garage. I seemed to hear a very soft metallic whirring noise a couple times, but not sure about that. The vibration and noise are throughout the cabin. Some things to rule out: The tires are good, and I think balanced. The struts / shocks are only a few months old on all four corners. Both rear wheel hub / bearing was replaced last spring. I had it on a lift and did an oil change / inspection a few weeks ago and everything looked fine. The tie-rods were done a few months ago. The steering feels fine, though the wheel shakes a little. I am leaning towards an out of balance drive shaft, or bad drive shaft u-joints. Will that cause this much vibration ? Any other ideas are welcome. Many thanks. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana tom Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Yes , a bad driveline will do the things you describe. My 01 obw did this and after searching I discovered that in my year group (00-04) it must be replaced ! Can't have a driveline shop put replaceable u joints in it ! $500.00 later a complete driveline arrived at my door. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmcd Posted April 26, 2015 Author Share Posted April 26, 2015 BTW - this car has 165 K on it. By driveline, you mean only the u-joints and drive shaft, correct ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana tom Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Yes, U-joints & shaft from the slip joint at the back of the tranny to the carrier bearing then back to rear differential. Everything you need in one long package. Not hard to install yourself or any shop should be able to do it in an hour or so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Yes. Probably a bad u-joint. The u-joints can be replaced but you may run into issues with balance afterward. Most driveshaft shops can properly replace the joints, but there are three joints and a carrier bearing built into the assembly. To replace one joint is gonna cost $100-125, most of that being labor to properly center the new joint and weld/stake it in place, then balance the assembly. This leaves you with two other old joints ready to cause the same problem in 6 months or a year (or less). Not to mention the carrier bearing. To do them all at once and replace the bearing is the only reliable option and that will cost almost as much as just buying a new driveshaft. There are options for replacing the u-joints yourself. Some people have done it and had good results, others have had balance issues afterward. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmcd Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 Some years ago I replaced the entire driveline on a '91 Legacy, a two piece drive shaft. At that time we purchased it completely assembled, and installed it. Is that still going to be my best option for this newer vehicle ? (2005) I have access to a garage with a lift. Thanks for the advice. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmcd Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 I ordered a new driveline, it cost about $335.00, including shipping. That is quite a bit less than through Subaru, and delivered to my home. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmcd Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 Just to followup. Last week I installed an entirely new drive shaft. It comes as one unit, with three U-joints and a center bearing. The car is smooth and quiet again, with no vibration. Installation is about 90 minutes on a lift. I did forget to buy the rear seal on the front differential, and did not realize that I would have to split the exhaust and lower the exhaust pipe out of the way. That was easy, but I did not have a replacement gasket when I put the exhaust back together. I have to get back to that. The new u-joints have grease fittings, which is nice. The original was all sealed. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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