Front end problem with 98 impreza L

Ive got a '98 Impreza L wagon with about 200k miles on it. the car has been bullet proof up to now, havent had a single problem with it. Last night it started to shake noticably at about 65mph, like the shaking you get with bad alignment but worse. slowed down and it seemed to go away. Then tonight it happed again VERY bad shaking and pulling extremely hard to the right. dident go away when I slowed down tonight, and I started hearing a loud, mechanical pop or click from the front left wheel.

Im guessing CV joint or wheel bearing? I do most little stuff on my car myself but I know very little about the front end/suspension. There is a boot over the CV joint where the axle meets the left wheel, the boot is cracked and open, the joint looks ok to me but im not sure if I would be able to tell if it was bad by looking at it.

Any help would be appreciated, Thanks

Reply to
runout23
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Shaking and pulling to the right suggests something is failing on the right side. I'd suspect that side CV axle. When the inner joint begins to fail, that can cause a lot of vibration. Don't know if that failure would cause the car to pull.

Reply to
johninky

Check the boots on the axles. Usually a failure here is initiated by a torn boot. The axles aren't too hard to replace, write back if you need beta.

Also check your lug nuts.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

Reply to
S

Reply to
runout23

Thanks for the input Steve. I did check the lugs, that was my first thought because by coincidence I had the wheels off the day before to check the break pads. Since my first post I have been driving the car a little bit and the problem is very intermittent. Ill drive it for a whole day and have no problem and then the next day it'll do it again. the shake only happens under power, as soon as I take my foot off the gas it gets considerably better.

I also took it to a mechanic, he drove it and the problem dident happen, he looked at the front end and said he dident see anything wrong, dont know if I trust this assement though since he dident even mention the cracked axle boot. he dident charge me though, so no harm no foul i guess.

The boot on the drivers side CV joint is definitely cracked and pretty much wide open. If it was the joint would the problem come and go though? I talked to somone who mentioned a steering damper, any idea if the imprezza has one? If it has a damper and it is shot it would explain why the problem is so intermittent, then it would only shake when the road vibration happend to send it into resonance. any thoughts on this idea?

Reply to
runout23

Well, for sure you need to do something about the torn boot. Sometimes, if the boot hasn't been bad for long, you can clean and re-lube the joint, fit a new boot, and go. Since this is probably more of a pain than simply replacing the axle, I wouldn't recommend it unless you just like to tinker, or are strapped for cash. A re-manufactured axle is around $70. I don't think any of the Subaru's use a steering damper. Other than that, while your front end is up on jackstands for the axle work, have a real good look at the linkages, sway-bar bushings and end links, and ball joints. Check to be sure the steering rack mounting is tight. Check the strut tops, both the rubber cushion, and the bearing. Pull the wheels and check the brake calipers, particularly the "floating" mechanism, and pad springs (whatever you call 'em). Move the rear wheels to the front, and see if anything changes. Generally, if everything looks good, and feels tight, it's probably OK. If you find torn boots, excess grease on the outside, or looseness, replace the part. My money would be on the axle at this point, but it really doesn't take too much extra effort to run thru the check list, and if everything looks good, you've bought some peace of mind, anyway.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

Reply to
S

In my case, the shop that actually repairs things said they thought it was "overtightened spindle nut" which happened right after my tire rotation at one of the other kind of shop.

Nils

Reply to
synthius2002

Alright, well, I broke down and took it to a shop to check things out, they told be the ball joints were bad in addition to the CV boots being cracked, but they said that the ball joints were likely the cause of shaking. So, $460 later I have new ball joints, dident have them replace the axles, And this morning the shaking is back and worse! guess its axles afterall. Im gonna take a shot at the axles myself this weekend.

will I need to re-align after replacing the axles? you mentioned having beta on replacing the axles, that would be great. Thanks for the help again.

Evan

Reply to
runout23

Well, took it to a shop, the said the ball joints were bad and i had them replace them. $460 later i have new ball joints and the shaking is back again and worse! guess it was the CV axles after all. Im gonna takle them this weekend myself.

any beta you have would be awesome, will i need to re-align afterward? Thanks for all the help,

Evan

Reply to
runout23

You should try to take it back to the shop and complain, nicely. Take a guy for a ride and demonstarte the shaking. tell him you expected it to be fixed, did he test drive it, how would he feel if he were you, etc. Try to get them to fix the axles labor at no charge if you buy the parts.

Though honestly, you could have tires that are now bad due to the worn ball joints. Sucks to have so many issues at once, but unless the axles are clicking - they can last a long time before failure. The shaking may be tires, rotors, forzen U-joint or ???

But the shop couls have done better diagnosis I think.

Reply to
1 Lucky Texan

Axles are pretty straight forward; nothing will need to be adjusted afterwards, no special tools required, but a stout 1/2 inch air impact wrench will be handy. Other than that, you will need a socket that fits the axle nuts (30mm ?), a 14mm socket, a long pry bar, a pin punch to drive the pin from the axle inner end; (3/16 inch, or maybe the next size smaller. You _don't_ want to get the punch stuck in there, so check against the hole on the new axle before picking up your hammer.) And a beefy cheater bar if you don't have an impact wrench.

Put the front end up on jack stands, and remove the wheels.

It's not strictly necessary, but easier if you get the exhaust out of the way; remove the nuts where the "Y" pipe bolts up to the heads on each side, and one bolt that secures the pipe to a hanger. Lift the "Y" pipe off of the hanger and let it drop a bit. You will now have enough slack to work with, but be careful of the O2 sensor leads. Use a bungie to support it if necessary so as not to stress the leads. Alternately, un-do the bolts/springs where the "Y" pipe hits the muffler pipe, both O2 sensor connectors, and sit the "Y" pipe aside. This can be a PITA if those bolts are rusty (usually). Don't try w/o an impact; you'll just lose skin.

Remove the axle nuts. Note that these are staked in place. If you have an impact, just fit the appropriate socket and impact them off, if not, use a small chisel to un-do the staking, and a long pry-bar fit between adjacent lug nuts (put the nuts back on the studs to protect the threads) and braced against the ground to keep the hub from turning while you loosen the nut. These are quite tight, probably

120ftlb or better, so eat your Wheaties.

Remove the pinch bolt where the lower ball joint fits into the hub, and separate the joint from the hub. Use your pry bar, and watch that you don't get your fingers. Should be easy, as the ball joints have just been serviced. The hub and strut should now be free to swing outward.

Drive the pins out of the axle inner ends. Separate the axle from the transmission output shaft by moving the hub outward to get enough slack, and then withdraw the axle from the hub. TaDa!

Clean up the area where the hub seals to the axle, and apply some fresh grease to the seal lip. Put the axle back in just the way it came out. Note that one side of the pin hole on the axle is chamfered, and if you look closely, one side of the matching hole in the output shaft is as well. Align the chamfered sides, and slide the axle onto the splines of the output shaft. Verify both visually, and with the pin punch that the pin holes are aligned, and drive in a pin. Usually a new one is provided with the replacement axle, but it's OK to re-use the original if not.

Replace the axle nut finger tite, and re-fit the ball joint to the hub. You might have to give it a wack to get it to seat properly.

Put everything back like you found it, and be sure to torque the s___ outta that axle nut. Use a chisel to re-do the staking.

I can do both sides in a couple hours, but allow about 1/2 day for your first time thru.

This is a great time to inspect the rest of the steering linkage, and the brakes as well.

Hope this helps out.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

Reply to
S

Steve,

Thanks for all the help! I replaced both axles on saturday morning, no problems. you description was acurate and helpful, and they are working great so far.

Reply to
runout23

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