Popping noise and grabbing in 91 Subaru Legacy

Nov 12, 2004 3 Replies

I have been noticing that my 91 Legacy has been making a popping noise that is coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. This has been happening off and on for about 2 months but it is starting to occur more often now. It does this only when I am making a left turn and most especially when the left turn also involves a hill. In the summer I had some work done to the car...new brakes, calipers, lines, pads, etc. At that time I also had the right front axle replaced and the head gaskets replaced. Could it be that I need to have the left front axle replaced also? Could my struts (which are over 2 years old now) be the cause? Any help or suggestions in this matter would be greatly appreciated since I like most people now-a-days do not have that extra money to allow any mechanics to go on a hunting expedition.



Thank you, Diana (Legacy Lady)


Most likely the axle. Find a mechanic that will diagnose it for free if you let him fix it. Tire shops that do alignments are a good place to look, TG

A popping noise during a turn is a classic symptom of a failing CV (constant-velocity) joint. See

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fora picture of how one works. Wayne

I have a 2000 RS that was making a popping noise that turned into a scraping rubbing noise on the drivers front side. It turned out to be my wheel baring and hub, not my axle.

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