1996 Outback RF hub and knuckle assembly.

[darsdoug]

Will there be any problems swapping the above into a 1996 Legacy LS wagon?  I put a new  RF wheel bearing and hub in a LS wagon and it's making that proverbial grinding sound again.  I noticed the new wheel bearing I bought consisted of ball bearings instead of roller bearings. yup. cheapo's from the big"E". my bad.

[Rampage]

I think the only difference is With or Without ABS.

Go HERE and look up the Legacy Wagon or Outback and you will see other models and years are the same except for ABS

About the two bolts that fasten the knuckle to the strut. One is just a bolt. The other is for adjustment. I use a chisel and make a small mark on the washer part of the bolt head and the strut so I can put it back in at the same spot. Do that on both cars in the same area, like straight out from the center of the bolt. Keep the bolt with the knuckle when you install it. You should get a wheel alignment afterwards to be safe.

[darsdoug]

They are much the same as long as they both came with ABS then?  The bearing noise may have been due to the installer?  Guess I'll dismantle it to see what I did wrong? Thank you.

Edited December 31, 2020 by darsdoug

[Rampage]

With the inner and outer bearings being so close together they have to be rollers because of the pressure on them when turning the wheel. Ball bearings last.

We have a 95 and 97 Right Hand Drive Legacy wagons that used to deliver US Mail every day. They are now retired since my wife retired from the postal service. If I could not get Subaru wheel bearings I had good luck with NAPA bearings. Other aftermarket bearings would only last 3 days to 3 months on the mail route.

[idosubaru]

15 hours ago, darsdoug said:

They are much the same as long as they both came with ABS then?  The bearing noise may have been due to the installer?  Guess I'll dismantle it to see what I did wrong? Thank you.

Legacy and Outback are the same - the only differences in 96 are ABS. The knuckles are the same, the ABS models just have a hole for the ABS sensor. 
 

You can install ABS hubs on non ABS hub without issues, the ABs sensor just wont be used. I’d leave it there and cut the wire to have the hole plugged up.  

I would guess the Outback has ABS and the legacy might not. So you’re fine to swap if that’s the case. 

you can swap non ABS hubs into ABS vehicles and retain the ABS functionality.  You can if you dont care about the ABS not working. If for some reason your legacy has ABS, the Outback doesn’t, and you want the ABS to work - then you can’t. But I highly doubt that’s the case. 

[darsdoug]

Both rigs have ABS. I'll probably just grab another knuckle with a bearing already in it and keep my fingers crossed. I better take a cordless impact to get the axle nut off eh?

 

[idosubaru]

39 minutes ago, darsdoug said:

Both rigs have ABS. I'll probably just grab another knuckle with a bearing already in it and keep my fingers crossed. I better take a cordless impact to get the axle nut off eh?

 

Great then, any 95-99 outback or legacy with ABS is the same part and interchangeable. 

That gun will probably work in most areas and most vehicles. 

If you’re in a rust prone area I’d be taking my 3/4” socket and long pipe. I’ve had some that a 1,000 ft-lb air gun didn’t get off. Something like only 1 out of 30 or 50 are that bad around here, so you’re not likely to see that. But if you are in an area with few subarus - that’s the only one at the yard, there’s bad rust, the yard is a long drive away, and need that bearing to get to work tomorrow - take more than a rechargeable. Otherwise you’ll probably be fine.

Edited January 2, 2021 by idosubaru

[darsdoug]

I have a 3/4 inch socket w/ breaker bar and long pipe but the pic-n-pull yards over here always have the cars up in the air with no wheels on them.

[idosubaru]

6 hours ago, darsdoug said:

I have a 3/4 inch socket w/ breaker bar and long pipe but the pic-n-pull yards over here always have the cars up in the air with no wheels on them.

stout metal screw driver/or similar in the rotor vent so it then catches on the caliper bracket or ground.

bar or pipe through the studs laying across the face of the hub and rotate until the pipe/bar hits the ground. Protect the studs or chase with a die when you’re done. Then loosen.

If it doesn’t budge, yank the axle out of the trans and deal with it at home. Or if you’re real bored wrestle then axle apart so just the outer cv is still stuck in the hub.

 

[darsdoug]

On 1/3/2021 at 4:57 PM, idosubaru said:

stout metal screw driver/or similar in the rotor vent so it then catches on the caliper bracket or ground.

bar or pipe through the studs laying across the face of the hub and rotate until the pipe/bar hits the ground. Protect the studs or chase with a die when you’re done. Then loosen.

If it doesn’t budge, yank the axle out of the trans and deal with it at home. Or if you’re real bored wrestle then axle apart so just the outer cv is still stuck in the hub.

 

o.k. thank you. Yes I had a feeling something was wonky when I noticed my new wheel bearing had ball bearings instead of roller bearings. Yup, I'm still working on my cognitive functions.

[lmdew]

Always nice to remove the half shaft from the hub in the yard to make sure they are not rusted in.  It also give you a look at the seals.  Not a for sure check but if you turn it an listen closely to the bearing you can get an idea if it's OK or BAD.