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Eric’s ’97 subaru videos are great. Maybe he or other forum members can steer me in the right direction trying to understand why I have over one inch of rotational play in the driveshaft of my 1997 Subaru Legacy GT (215k miles). Link to video of actual vehicle and symptom below.
Vehicle makes clicking sound when NOT under load (accel & braking). Lots of regular clicking that increases in frequency with speed while coasting. R&R’d front axles, rear’s look good. Driveshaft has zero fore/aft play but over 1 inch rotational play. U-joints feel solid and are not the source of play. Sound seems to be coming from inside rear differential. Checking/changing diff oils now, although I feel this is some larger mechanical issue. Thoughts? Thanks in advance
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It’s an automatic. This sound is exactly the sound I hear while driving the vehicle, however, and hardly seems normal.
The “play” you are talking about looks normal to me. The noise, however, is not. Could be bad bearings in the front of the diff. Is there evidence of fluid leaking out of the front of the diff?
Nope. Diff looks sealed up and clean. Just changed the fluid (rear) and didn’t see any bad signs. I just had this car given to me and I’m tracking down all sorts of drivetrain and suspension noises.
I would recommend lifting it, like in the video, and have a helper inside the car. Start it, put it in gear, and release the brake, Using a mechanic’s stethoscope, listen to the diff, the transmission, and the center bearing. Just because the noise you created seems to be coming from the diff doesn’t mean the noise you’re hearing while driving is coming from there.
Keep an open mind. The noise could be coming from anywhere.Copy that. Helper=girlfriend, and she doesn’t approve of me getting under vehicles supported by jack stands with power to the wheels. I think this makes her a good gf. Will source another helper.
I completely agree the sound could be coming from anywhere. It actually sounds like it’s coming from the front passenger side when I’m in the drivers’ seat. Single click going over bumps, consistent speed-proportional clicking when rolling. Possible clue is that the clicking stops immediately upon applying the brakes. This happens only when rolling straight, not while turning, which makes me want to eliminate front CVs/axles. Already replaced lots of non-rotating worn parts: complete tie rod assemblies, lower ball joints, sway bar bushings; gonna replace worn trans/motor mounts. These parts are all worn and may be a part of what I hear going over bumps but don’t explain the speed-proportional clicking.
Thanks for the feedback. I’m going to post another video of the sound I hear while driving the vehicle.
If the sound goes away when turning and when braking, I would first suspect a wheel bearing.
When you lift the vehicle “shake down the wheels.” put your hands at 9 and 3 o’clock and wiggle the wheel. Do the same at 12 and 6 o’clock. The wheel will move, but you are looking for loose “play.” If you get play at 9 and 3, but not at 12 and 6, you may have a bad tie rod. If you feel equal play with your hands at all positions you probably have a bad bearing. You can also listen to the hub, near the bearing housing, with a mechanics stethoscope while someone turns the wheel by hand. If you hear the tapping or a rumbling, that will also indicate a bad bearing.
FYI: when driving a noisy vehicle, the first step of diagnosing it is to drive the vehicle, hit the brakes, and also turn side to side. If the noise changes when turning one direction or the other and is different going straight this is an indicator of a bad wheel bearing. This is because the wheel will rest against the bearing at an angle, but the brakes being applied will straighten the wheel vertically. You get different noise when turning one side or the other because turning puts lateral load on the tire and, in turn, the bearing.
So you diagnosed it without even realizing it. Lol.
It’s always a good sign when your girlfriend doesn’t want you to die. Lol
Good luck. Let us know what you figure out.Thanks for the diagnostic help. The thing is, there is zero noise at all under braking – neither while turning or going straight. I’ve also only experienced bad wheel bearings as a whirring sound, not as pronounced clicking.
Also, the current front axles are new non-subaru green cans. Perhaps these are already toast (boots look great, no noticeable play or slop in joints). Perhaps when these were installed (~4000miles ago per service records) the axle bolt wasn’t torqued properly, therefore improperly pre-loaded wheel bearings which may have destroyed em? Down the rabbit hole…
I apologize if I wasn’t clear. The reason the bearing does not make noise when braking; is because the rotor is attached to the cv axle and inner bearing race. So when the brake caliper sqeezes the rotor it straightens it up. When the rotor, and inner bearing race are straightened up there is no more noise because the bearing inner is not sitting crooked against the bearing outter.
The noise going away under brake load is indicitive of a bad bearing. That is why this diagnosis still fits.
Bearings most often make a rumbling and/or clicking. They can also make squeeking, whiring, and I’ve even heard a wibble wobble sound.
If you’re going to be under the car anyway, it’ll take a second to check the bearing. The symptoms that we currently have all point to a bearing. I’m not saying it is definitely a bearing, but at this stage all signs point to bearing.The logic makes sense. I did the wheel shake test you described with the wheels off the ground and couldn’t get anything. All feels tight and snug, no noises or anything even giving my strongest at 12/6 and 9/3. Still likey bearing?
Just so you know, this isn’t a personal theory. It is an ASE developed diagnosis.
Did you Have someone spin the wheel by hand while you listened to the bearing housing on the back side of the hub with a stethoscope?I know this sounds odd, but check your brake calipers. My car had a similar issue(Subaru), and my caliper pins were mostly seized on the passenger side. Noise would go away when braking and get louder turning left. I thought it was a wheel bearing also, but just a seized sliding pin and a rotor with a bit of run-out.
Check your brake pads. This may be a longshot, but I had a dodge van come in one day with a click like that, like you described with proportional click at rolling speed when straight and the noise stopped when braking. Turned out that the clip on the back of the inboard brake pad on the passenger side was broken and the pad was rising and falling when the wheel turned making a click as it hit the side of the caliper.
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