2005 Subaru Legacy Vibrating

Does the vibration show up at a certain speed or a certain engine RPM? First imply it is at a certain speed but then say that the engine is vibrating, which would imply a certain engine RPM.

Is this a manual or automatic? If a manual it is a simple matter to press in the clutch when you feel the vibration to see if it goes way.

-- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.

good post, maybe slipping into neutral on an auto-tranny would eliminate some possibilties. Also, find another dealership or demand that THEY borrow some wheels from a car on their lot for THEIR experiment. Can you demonstarte the problem to a tech on a test drive? I wouldn't discount tread seperation on a tire - how many miles on this car?

Could be weight thrown off the driveshaft or a bad axle or something???

I dunno

Carl

Seems the next step is to figure out if the critical issue is engine speed or wheel speed. I don't drive an automatic, but I assume you can put the car into neutral while driving on the highway at constant speed to see if the vibration goes away quickly as the engine slows down or more slowly as the car slows down.

On the other hand, your description of this vibration is so dramatic that perhaps the car should not be driven until it is fixed. I would not want to be responsible for any accident that occurs when you are conducting tests I recommend. So - please do have a professional figure out what is wrong before someone is hurt.

-- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.

Assuming you aren't exaggerating, and the vibration is obvious to anyone who drives it, then this is Subaru's problem since the car is still under warranty. If it were my 2005 Outback I'd be demanding immediate action from the dealer rather than looking for answers here.

Your description still puzzles me. Sounds like a low flying plane but you don't feel any vibration in the steering wheel? If this noise is dependent on vehicle speed instead of engine speed, and starts at some minimum speed but does not stop at a higher speed then I might check to make sure that the cross bars are securely attached to the roof rails. if one end is loose, the bar could be vibrating when air is blowing over it at high speed.

-- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.

My 2004 STi developed a mysterious vibration, which was worst at the speeds mentioned. it also would pull to either side when driving over uneven surfaces, such as a "double hump" type road. I had the front aligned and that seemed to help a little, but the vibration persisted. Eventually I discovered the rear was out of alignment, after it destroyed both rear tires... Four new tires and BOTH ends aligned and its good as new.

rims can be measured easily for out of round and runout on any modern spin balancer. if they wheels are true and can be balanced, they can eliminated as the problem.

if you can feel the vibration it has to be something heavy. see if you can get the engine to vibrate standing still in neutral. if it does, you may have a problem with the flywheel, clutch or pulleys.

vibrations that shake the whole car are bad, it may cause damage to adjacent components.

Maybe too obvious, but have the engine mounts been checked? Ditto with the clearance of the exhaust pipe to the body? I had a problem with our Volvo where an exhaust pipe hanger broke and the pipe moved against the body where it went over the rear axle.

Also, does the sound change with the throttle, especially when it is just starting?

Mike