Axle question for Legacy and Impreza

[edrach]

Of course I find a torn boot on labor day weekend when everyone is closed. Anyway, I found a torn boot on our '97 Impreza wagon while working on it today. I happen to have a spare rebuilt axle for our '91 Legacy from MWE sitting on my shelf but I'd rather not pull the Impreza axle until I know I can replace it properly. I THINK they are the same axle, but I'm not sure. Both cars are AWD manual transmission cars.

 

Edit: For those late to read this; I originally posted '97 Legacy instead of Impreza. I also didn't include that both wagons were non-turbo models. Sorry for my carelessness. Thanks to grossgary for noticing the error and porcupine73 for figuring it out anyway.

[porcupine73]

The part #'s are different, unless the '91 happens to be a turbo. I think the # of splines will be different.

 

SOA925H500R1 AXLE ASSMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1990-1994 LEGACY (ALL FWD MODELS non-turbo)

 

SOA966H900R1 AXLE ASSEMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT ASSEMBLY REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1990-1994 LEGACY TURBO ONLY

 

SOA966H900R1 AXLE ASSEMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT ASSEMBLY REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1995-1999 LEGACY ALL (for cars with ABS)

[porcupine73]

Also noticed 'Impreza' in your post....

 

SOA966H900R1 AXLE ASSMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1993-1997 IMPREZA (ALL EXCEPT 2WD)

[idosubaru]

i'm probably missing something...i see 97 Legacy Wagon and 91 Legacy mentioned, how does the impreza fit in?

[porcupine73]

My guess is the '97 Legacy mentioned might actually be a '97 Impreza. Either way, the shelf spare axle for the '91 Legacy probably has a different no. of splines.

[cookie]

I have my Forester apart for axles if a spline count on mine would help it's a 99. I got the passenger side off with a hub and drum puller but it is begining to chew up the puller trying to remove the driver's side. Man is that tight, it laughed at my six pound sledge hammer.

[porcupine73]

Yep, 99 Forester is another potential match

 

SOA966H900R1 AXLE ASSMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1998-2000 FORESTERS (produced up to 01 of 2000)

[edrach]

i'm probably missing something...i see 97 Legacy Wagon and 91 Legacy mentioned, how does the impreza fit in?

My error; we have a '91 Legacy wagon and a '97 Impreza L wagon. I was more confused than I thought. Must have been all the sun:lol: .

[edrach]

My apologies to Porcupine; I really screwed up my questuion. Also, all my cars are non-turbo, AWD, and manual transmission. So from the p/n's he mentions, the spare axle I pulled from a '95 Legacy at PAP should fit my '97 Impreza. And the spare rebuilt axle I bought recently from MWE won't work. But I doubt it's the spline count. I think I'll be counting them tomorrow just for laughs. Thanks.

[edrach]

The part #'s are different, unless the '91 happens to be a turbo. I think the # of splines will be different.

 

SOA925H500R1 AXLE ASSMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1990-1994 LEGACY (ALL FWD MODELS non-turbo)

 

SOA966H900R1 AXLE ASSEMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT ASSEMBLY REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1990-1994 LEGACY TURBO ONLY

 

SOA966H900R1 AXLE ASSEMBLY LEFT or RIGHT FRONT ASSEMBLY REMAN from SUBARU FOR 1995-1999 LEGACY ALL (for cars with ABS)

What's the part number for a '90 to '94 N/A and AWD Legacy?

[porcupine73]

I think it is the first one in the list, SOA925H500R1. I got those part #'s from subarupartsforyou.com

[edrach]

I think it is the first one in the list, SOA925H500R1. I got those part #'s from subarupartsforyou.com

Thanks for the link to the site you mentioned. Funny, every site I have and used lists the axles in question along with a price, BUT NO PART NUMBERS!

[cookie]

Man is my driver's side axle ever tight. I just had my wife stepping on the brake and a four foot bar on the breaker bar for the hub and drum puller. Pieces of steel are being wound off the end of the axle and puller. Maybe a thousand lbs on it and wacking with the six lb sledge and still no budgeing.

[edrach]

Man is my driver's side axle ever tight. I just had my wife stepping on the brake and a four foot bar on the breaker bar for the hub and drum puller. Pieces of steel are being wound off the end of the axle and puller. Maybe a thousand lbs on it and wacking with the six lb sledge and still no budgeing.

Some people hammer them on with an impact tool as well as a thread locker. 200 ft. lbs is okay, but more than that is just un-necessary. Good luck getting it off. I have broken a couple of 1/2" breaker bars that way (luckily they were Craftsman and a free replacement). One of these days I might consider a 3/4" breaker bar.

[edrach]

I think it is the first one in the list, SOA925H500R1. I got those part #'s from subarupartsforyou.com

Yea, the list is kind of vague with that FWD mention, but it looks like I can't use my spare Legacy rebuild for the Impreza.

[DerFahrer]

All 90-94 Legacy front axles will interchange. The FWD ones are thicker and beefier, but will interchange with AWD ones.

 

Now, the FWD Imprezas have different front axles than the Legacies, but the AWD axles are the same as the Legacies. The SOA reman part number posted for the 90-94 FWD axles should work on an AWD Impreza.

 

Someone told me the Impreza FWD axles were different and I didn't believe them, but I looked it up and they were right.

 

Your Impreza being a 97 makes it AWD automatically, so I would think that the axles from a 91 Legacy should work.

[cookie]

Actually no problem with the nut. The axle just won't come out of the hub. I am using a Chinese made hub puller that is really not quite up to professional standards. I'm trying to find a real one of the type that has a sort of hammer head on each end of the turning mechanism and the combination of shock and the screw pressure breaks one loose. The local rental shop did not have one and the probable alternative will be to take the hub and axle off and get it pressed out.

[edrach]

Actually no problem with the nut. The axle just won't come out of the hub. I am using a Chinese made hub puller that is really not quite up to professional standards. I'm trying to find a real one of the type that has a sort of hammer head on each end of the turning mechanism and the combination of shock and the screw pressure breaks one loose. The local rental shop did not have one and the probable alternative will be to take the hub and axle off and get it pressed out.

All right, now I understand more. Tell me are you trying to pull an EA82 hub off or an EJ22 (or EJ18 or EJ25) hub off. Might be different reasons for why it's so hard to remove.

[cookie]

just a stock 99 Forester axle. I just got it but I have deformed the puller somewhat. With wife on the brake, five foot bar, six lb sledge and penetrating oil it finally pulled through. The only ones I have done before were on a rusty Maine Legacy we had to fix before the return trip to Maine. That one pulled right out with my sledge hammer and a block of wood.

My Forester sure did not need the axle nuts at all, that was one serious press fit. I thought the puller would break first when it started deforming, I could see the threaded rod twisting like a torsion bar and even though I greased the end where puller met axle it still removed chips from both.

It would have been best to do this with a real shop puller not a $57 Chinese job. Now I have to get the puller off which may not be that easy since it has deformed and ruined my three lug nuts.

Then I hope the new axle slips in like the other side did or I'll have to figure out a tool to pull it in. I do see why somebody said a while ago that they broke a puller doing this, although some seem to be easy.

[Kilroy]

Some people hammer them on with an impact tool as well as a thread locker. 200 ft. lbs is okay, but more than that is just un-necessary. Good luck getting it off. I have broken a couple of 1/2" breaker bars that way (luckily they were Craftsman and a free replacement). One of these days I might consider a 3/4" breaker bar.

 

I had no idea how tight the nut on my hub would be, so I got a 5' piece of 3/4" AR steel square bar and put a 90 degree bend about 2.5" from the end of it. I then got a 4' length of pipe to put over it in case the torque from the square bar wasn't enough. I slipped the 2.5" end of the square bar into a 34mm 3/4" drive socket then onto the nut and cracked it off without a whole lot of trouble. I managed to separate the halfshaft from the hub by hand. I'm not sure if it should have been that easy, but everything seems to be working fine.

 

General rule of thumb: If all else fails, get a bigger hammer.

[cookie]

I've not had a problem with the nuts with a half inch Craftsman breaker bar and I use my roller jack handle over it. You guys had prepared me for that being tight. On the rusty one from Maine we drove it over to the tire shop and had them take the nuts off with thier 3/4 air wrench. I know you are not supposed to do that because the vibration might damage a wheel bearing. I hope I get away with all the sledge hammering on my hubs. If I have a wheel bearing fail soon I'll only have myself to blame.

[cookie]

So today I ran into the fact that my new axle had no chamfer on the pin hole. After ispectin closely I found my chamfer side runs through the middle of the spline and the other side runs through two splines. I carefully marked it and positioned it up and that part is done. Today's big problem seems to be that I can't get the new axle all the way through the hub. I cleaned it and lubed it but I don't have any threads showing at all. Subaru says use thier tool and adapter to pull it in which I'm a bit short of. I'll go to lunch and see if things improve later.

[edrach]

So today I ran into the fact that my new axle had no chamfer on the pin hole. After ispectin closely I found my chamfer side runs through the middle of the spline and the other side runs through two splines. I carefully marked it and positioned it up and that part is done. Today's big problem seems to be that I can't get the new axle all the way through the hub. I cleaned it and lubed it but I don't have any threads showing at all. Subaru says use thier tool and adapter to pull it in which I'm a bit short of. I'll go to lunch and see if things improve later.

I think you mentioned earlier that you had a Forester so you should have splines at the wheel/hub end. Lube the splines to make life easier; the fact that you had so much trouble getting the old one out makes me think there was some rust build that's still interfering with this. If you can get the axle far enough through to put the castle nut on for 4 or 5 turns, you can use it for a pinch point and using two large screwdrivers, pry the stub axle out a little at a time. I have 6 large washers that I used to use to put under the axle nut to get me a little further each time until it finally came all the way through. I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that your axle is so difficult to get out and get in again.

[cookie]

My solution was to turn the new axle nut around and use the thin end as a puller. I hit the edges with a screwdriver to turn it like you would to start a frozen nut or something you don't have a wrench for. Luckily it was long enough on the thin part to get a good grip on a couple of threads. I could have welded an old axle nut to it to turn it easily but then I'd be short a nut. If I did this every day that's what I would have done to make the next one easier.

Mac seems to have a tool for this and so does Subaru, if you are a pro it would be worth the money.

I also found it easier when working alone to get the axles in by marking the two big strut bolts that adjust and pulling those large bolts free. Only the top one is an adjuster and it has marks so you don't need realignment. Just mark the point you use. I've done it a couple other waysin the past with help to pull the strut back while I removed an axle. Far easier job with help.

before I tried to put the new axle in I removed all rust and lubed both axle and hub. This was still a press fit.

Things learned.

 

1Get a professional puller and the axle removal would be fairly easy.

2 I bought one rebuilt axle from Subaru and it went right in.

3 For half the price ($100) I got a brand new axle from Kragen. The new one had no beveled hole for the pin and was about half as tight as the old one makeing it take twice as long to install. Next time I'll pay the extra hundred bucks and get both axles from Subaru. I'll also buy a spare axle nut and weld an old one to the top to make pulling it in easy if I need to. I only had to do this on the new axle but Sbuaru says sometimes it is necessary on Endwrench and I got to prove it.

[johnceggleston]

My solution was to turn the new axle nut around and use the thin end as a puller. I hit the edges with a screwdriver to turn it like you would to start a frozen nut or something you don't have a wrench for. Luckily it was long enough on the thin part to get a good grip on a couple of threads. I could have welded an old axle nut to it to turn it easily but then I'd be short a nut. If I did this every day that's what I would have done to make the next one easier.

Mac seems to have a tool for this and so does Subaru, if you are a pro it would be worth the money.

I also found it easier when working alone to get the axles in by marking the two big strut bolts that adjust and pulling those large bolts free. Only the top one is an adjuster and it has marks so you don't need realignment. Just mark the point you use. I've done it a couple other waysin the past with help to pull the strut back while I removed an axle. Far easier job with help.

before I tried to put the new axle in I removed all rust and lubed both axle and hub. This was still a press fit.

Things learned.

 

1Get a professional puller and the axle removal would be fairly easy.

2 I bought one rebuilt axle from Subaru and it went right in.

3 For half the price ($100) I got a brand new axle from Kragen. The new one had no beveled hole for the pin and was about half as tight as the old one makeing it take twice as long to install. Next time I'll pay the extra hundred bucks and get both axles from Subaru. I'll also buy a spare axle nut and weld an old one to the top to make pulling it in easy if I need to. I only had to do this on the new axle but Sbuaru says sometimes it is necessary on Endwrench and I got to prove it.

 

when i swapped out my front axle recently, i discovered that the last guy put anti sieze on the splines and threads, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!