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2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
#4785543
06/13/18 06:23 AM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,404
racin4ds
OP
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OP
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,404 |
Hi guys, I'm looking for some advice. I consider myself a pretty decent mechanic, been turning wrenches for around 20 years and have many certs to go with it but I don't do it as a trade anymore.
Anyway, my wife's 2008 Legacy GT has had a vibration or "shimmy" that has been there since we acquired the car. I thought new tires and good balance would fix it but I was wrong. It occurs exactly at 62-65mph and seems to come and go... I've rotated the tires, checked for bent wheels etc. I've went up with air pressure and down. I've checked for wheel bearing play and tie rod play. Nothing in the front end seems loose. I'm convinced it is NOT the wheel/tire as it is still occurs exactly the same speed no matter which tire it where and done it with the old tires.
The only fault thats visible that I haven't addressed yet is a torn CV boot on the passenger side. I have a new axle and plan to do that this weekend.
Brakes and rotors were replaced with new powerslot kit about 10k miles ago. I'm getting ready to just rip the entire front end apart and replace everything but I'd like to avoid that if necessary...
Just say NO to thin oils and M1! 05 F350 Powerstroke 05 Hyundai Tucson 08 Legacy GT
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4785557
06/13/18 06:38 AM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 19,898
Chris142
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 19,898 |
02 Wrangler Napa high milage 10w40 87 F250 Valvoline 15w40 07 fjcruiser Car lube plus 10w30 Z400 castrol T 10w40 Can am Maveric edge 5w40 57 case tractor Chevron sae30
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: Chris142]
#4785563
06/13/18 06:44 AM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,404
racin4ds
OP
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OP
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,404 |
But in my years of experience, a bad CV axle usually only rears its head on hard acceleration or sharp turns, neither of which mine does.
Just say NO to thin oils and M1! 05 F350 Powerstroke 05 Hyundai Tucson 08 Legacy GT
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4785576
06/13/18 06:59 AM
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 22,654
Trav
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 22,654 |
Inner CV joint problems can cause this on some Subaru, the boot looks perfect but the grease has turned to oil and the joint worn out. Did you check for rack play, internal movement and the mounting bushings?
ASE L1, Master. Deutsch Meisterbrief.
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4785589
06/13/18 07:15 AM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 213
Oily_Thing
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 213 |
2013 Cadillac XTS4 3.6 2015 Dodge Durango Limited 3.6
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: Oily_Thing]
#4785603
06/13/18 07:27 AM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,198
krismoriah72
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,198 |
Could be a few things..im a subaru guy..or was.
If its an aftermarket CV shaft there were issues with them not being balanced properly that was yrs ago.
Sticky or frozen caliper/piston
Bad hub or wheel bearing
Ball Joints
Bent Rim
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4785612
06/13/18 07:36 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,915
Danno
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,915 |
I would listen to the 2 answers from the seasoned mechanics - and they point to an axle related issue. Chris142 and Trav
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 5.7L Hemi 2019 RAV4 Limited Hybrid 2016 Sorento SX V6 AWD 2010 Mazda 3 2.0L
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4785750
06/13/18 09:46 AM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,657
JohnnyJohnson
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,657 |
This problem has been on going since the car was new and the Stealership never fixed it? I guess that's just one more reason not to buy a Subaru they ignore to many warranty issues.
2004 Corolla 137480 Out: Havoline Pro DS 10w-30 Purolator PureOne 10-29-19 136457 In: Pennzoil Platinum HM 5W-20 ST 4386 2006 Duramax 76862 Out: T6 5W-40 XG9100 73909 In: Rotella Dino PH9100 11-3-19
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: JohnnyJohnson]
#4785807
06/13/18 10:43 AM
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 3,421
SubieRubyRoo
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 3,421 |
This problem has been on going since the car was new and the Stealership never fixed it? I guess that's just one more reason not to buy a Subaru they ignore to many warranty issues. Johnny, way to jump off the cliff without reading the details... he said it was present "since we acquired the car". Nothing mentioned at all about buying it new. And Subaru obviously isn't as horrible as you make them out to be, they've been awarded the vehicles with highest resale value like 3 times out of the past 5 years... people aren't willing to pay top dollar for used pieces of junk. Not like a new Dodge minivan, which loses something stupid like 83% of its value in the first 5 years... OP, I had the same issue on my Odyssey two years ago, which showed up when I had snow tires on. At first, I thought it was the tires, so I rotated and rebalanced them to no avail. I called my brother who is also a mechanic, and said essentially the same thing as Trav; inner CVs. I checked and none of the boots were torn, but the vibration was getting pretty bad. I had both axles replaced, and voila, no more vibration at any speed.
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: SubieRubyRoo]
#4785832
06/13/18 11:12 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 11,791
SatinSilver
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 11,791 |
Looks like car was purchased 1/15/17: Hi All,
Just picked up a nice little 08 Subaru Legacy GT 2.5 Turbocharged. Very nice little ride! I have no previous experience with a turbocharged gasoline car. It calls for 5W30 but I'm wondering since it is likely to abuse the oil more than a standard engine if I shouldn't run a 5W40 or 0W40 syn? In the diesel world most cars/trucks are running a 40W I guess due to viscosity breakdown from the extra heat.
Looking for thoughts and opinions from others with small, turbocharged vehicles. I could care less about CAFE/MPG. I want PROTECTION!
Also Subaru experts, anything I should be on the lookout for? Are these things reliable?
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4785851
06/13/18 11:34 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,720
Oldmoparguy1
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,720 |
I had a similar issue on my 2000 Dodge GC some years ago. Was the original axle with 120k on the van. It looked fine. Finally, the boot cracked and it started slinging grease. Replaced with a new shaft and there was no more weird stuff. In my case it was the right shaft.
YMMV
Wayne
A Randomly Selected Thought For The Day: If Noah had used Zip, he could have used a smaller boat.
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4785984
06/13/18 02:36 PM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,404
racin4ds
OP
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OP
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,404 |
Yes car was purchased used- not new so no dealers involved.
I'm going after the axles this weekend so we'll see what that brings, thanks for the tips/advice gents!!
Overall, I love the car, it has 150k on the clock now and nothing has been done other than the turbo replacement when I bought it. (why I got it so cheap) It handles great, runs very well and is a blast to drive with the 5 speed.
Just say NO to thin oils and M1! 05 F350 Powerstroke 05 Hyundai Tucson 08 Legacy GT
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4786005
06/13/18 03:04 PM
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 22,654
Trav
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 22,654 |
I have 3 of those OE axles sitting right in the garage waiting for new inner joints (outer are perfect just reboot job with poly) I ordered from Europe. Every one of them a lube fail on the inner, perfect boots.
ASE L1, Master. Deutsch Meisterbrief.
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: Trav]
#4786347
06/14/18 12:41 AM
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,530
sxg6
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,530 |
Just a heads up.. If it's an AT legacy, I've heard that people have vibrations at idle with aftermarket cv axles. I understand that's not your current issue, but if you're putting an aftermarket in this weekend, that could happen. The vibration occurs when stopped in drive, but goes away if you shift into neutral.
Not sure what the culprit might be for your current vibration issue.
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Re: 2008 Subaru Legacy Vibration at wits end!
[Re: racin4ds]
#4786402
06/14/18 04:37 AM
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Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 63
ccs368
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Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 63 |
I replaced both left and right side torn inner boots with Dorman universal silicone CV boots as they claim silicone is more heat resilient to poly boots. So far it has not torn after 1 year or 12K miles. It was for a 06 Outback with 95K at the time. The reason for boot replacement and not entire axle replacement was for the reasons posters mentioned above with aftermarket axles creating vibration or fitment issues plus cost. Allwheeldriveauto.com has an excellent write up just for this repair. Also, two well respected youtubers, south main auto and pine hollow diagnostics have videos depicting using OEM and not aftermarket axle replacements too. I followed pine hollow diagnostics video to separate the joint but keeping the green cup coupled to the transmission case. Maybe investigate if your axles were replacements with aftermarket too before you purchased car and systematically eliminate potential causes of your vibration issues.
Last edited by ccs368; 06/14/18 04:38 AM.
2015 Toyota Sienna LE FWD 0w20 2003 Toyota Corolla LE 5w30
2006 Suzuki Vinson LT-F500F 10w40 2004 Harley-Davidson Fatboy FLSTF 20w50 2001 Ducati 996S 20w50
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