Transmission noise - at what cost?

'92 Subaru Legacy L AWD station wagon non-turbo automatic

138K miles

I got the front left wheel bearing replaced. It was making lots of noise. Now with that noise gone, I hear another. When starting cold after the car has sat overnight, I hear a cha-cha-cha noise that is perceptible but nowhere near as loud as was the wheel bearing's cyclic groaning. But like the wheel bearing, this noise is speed dependent: faster I go, the faster the rate of the cha-cha-cha noise.

I was thinking it might be the brake pads hitting the rotor, like for a warped rotor, but the sound does not change when the brakes are applied. The cha-cha-cha noise goes away after a couple miles of driving. You can't hear it if you open the windows (i.e., listen from the outside) but only as a sound from within inside.

Took the mechanic for a short ride this morning and he is guessing that it is a bearing in the transmission (couldn't remember if he called it a thruster or outer bearing). At first, he didn't think it would cost much to replace until he found out that it was inside the transmission instead of outside and that it would require a Subaru part (i.e., couldn't use 3rd party brand). I'm dropping it off Sunday night for them to check it out when cold on Monday morning. He figures it, as a rough guess, the cost would be $1200 to replace the bearing, if that is what is the problem.

So I'm wondering, does a bearing in the transmission make a cha-cha-cha noise that starts out loudest (but not loud) when first driving the car from resting overnight which then dissipates after a couple miles of driving? For that cost, wouldn't it be better to instead put in a rebuilt transmission? To replace the bearing, they're going to have to drop out the transmission, anyway. Or maybe just keep driving it and turn up the radio to mask the noise until something actually goes bad in how the car drives (if the cost to fix it now is about what it will cost to replace the whole thing later).

Reply to
Vanguard
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No hub caps (no place to put them) but there are wheel covers. Not sure why noise from there would dissipate away after a couple miles of driving, though. I had another car with chromed spoked wheel covers and they make clicking noises as the wheel rotated but they made those noises all the time.

Even if it were a transmission bearing, I'm wondering if a flush would help better lubricate and reduce wear. Otherwise, I'm starting to think of just keep on driving until something actually bad happens (other than me hearing the cha-cha noise at the start of the day for a mile or two when driving to work). With all the work to drop the transmission and open it up, at that point I would it would be better to just have it overhauled or stick in a rebuilt. If one part is wearing out, probably something is wearing out, too, and have to be repaired later with all the work again to remove, repair, and replace the transmission.

Reply to
Vanguard

maybe some kinda sticking brake caliper issue. easy enough to check for.

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

The cha-cha noise goes away when the car is put in neutral and comes back after putting it in gear. That's why the drivetrain is suspect. I, too, was hoping it was brakes, like a warped rotor or sticking piston, but the brakes would not stopping making noise when the car was put in neutral.

Reply to
Vanguard

Not saying it couldn't be a bearing failure but in 15 years of Subaru ownership I have never heard of a transmission bearing failure. Have heard about a cracked flexplate.

Reply to
johninKY

Turned out to be the brakes after all. I would've thought hitting the brakes would change the quality of the noise but it didn't. When driving the car to the shop, I tested again with the car in gear and in neutral but the noise was there under both conditions. The car was colder this time so the friction noise didn't have a chance to warm up any parts. Warped rotor so replacing those. Pads were only 19 months old but figure might as well as change them, too.

Reply to
Vanguard

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