Darn Impreza Wheel Bearings!!!

M

Mean

So I have done the rear wheel bearings twice on my 97 Impreza L Wagon
and the racket from the driver's side rear is still there. It still
sounds like a wheel bearing, being louder on right turns (loaded) and
quiter on left turns (unloaded). It is relatively quiet when you
first get rolling but gets louder and it heats up. It is loudest at
45-50 MPH. It actually seems quieter at higher speeds probably
because the frequency is picking up. If I'm tooling around a parking
lot in 1st gear, I also get a "what, what, what" sound from the same
location. I get this coasting or in gear. I get it even if I pull
the parking brake so it's not the drums.

Today, I am having the tires balanced but after that I am out of
ideas. I am finally selling the car to a friend as I have put only
2500 miles on it in 2.5 years so I really don't need the car. After
all of the other things I fixed (clutch, timing belt, water pump,
etc), it is very annoying that I can't seem to erase this pesky noise.

Any ideas before I get rid of the car?

Thanks,
Gene

P.S. How does $5500 sound for a 97 Wagon (non-Outback) with 67000
miles? I am going to go to $5000 if that rear noise persists. These
are friends afterall.
 
Gene...I feel for you....did you replace the rear bearing yourself? You
should take it to a mechanic and have him drive it and give his opinion.
You could take a much bigger hit with selling it at a discount than it would
cost to fix. Could you have a brake dragging with the emergency brake out
of adjustment? The sound doesn't seem similar to a rear CV joint going out,
but it would be good to have someone who would know take a look. Just
explain your circumstances and I'm sure any reputable shop would take a look
at it for you.

Regards, Jim Lofgren
I just bought a 97 OB Impreza with 121,000 miles on it for $5300 and the
DMV person said that was on the low side, but well within the price
boundries. I then put $1000 into it to bring it up to where it should have
been (did it myself).....Pads, new calipers, refaced rotors, trans pan clean
and flush, all filters, oil, plugs, differentials changed, timing belt and
seals, indicator lamps changed, tie rod boot replaced and other "stuff"

I would say that if your only problem is the rear axel bearing (or whatever)
and your milage is that low, you would be giving a deal to someone at 5300.
If they can take it to a dealer and get out of it for less than $6000, they
have done well. (assuming the car is aesthetically nice as well.

Regards, Jim
 
Jim said:
Gene...I feel for you....did you replace the rear bearing yourself? You
should take it to a mechanic and have him drive it and give his opinion.
You could take a much bigger hit with selling it at a discount than it would
cost to fix. Could you have a brake dragging with the emergency brake out
of adjustment? The sound doesn't seem similar to a rear CV joint going out,
but it would be good to have someone who would know take a look. Just
explain your circumstances and I'm sure any reputable shop would take a look
at it for you.

Regards, Jim Lofgren



DMV person said that was on the low side, but well within the price
boundries. I then put $1000 into it to bring it up to where it should have
been (did it myself).....Pads, new calipers, refaced rotors, trans pan clean
and flush, all filters, oil, plugs, differentials changed, timing belt and
seals, indicator lamps changed, tie rod boot replaced and other "stuff"

I would say that if your only problem is the rear axel bearing (or whatever)
and your milage is that low, you would be giving a deal to someone at 5300.
If they can take it to a dealer and get out of it for less than $6000, they
have done well. (assuming the car is aesthetically nice as well.

Regards, Jim
Hi,
It could be CV joint or differential. Wonder why you keep bugging with
bearing?
Tony
 
Tony said:
It could be CV joint or differential. Wonder why you keep bugging with

Sure could.

A bad rear wheel bearing and bad front CV joint on my car made almost
identical noises at first...

BTW, are you properly greasing those wheel bearings when you install
them? If yours are some of the "properly greased from the factory" units
(Subaru's claim) you might want to apply a healthy dose of professional
skepticism to that claim and grease them anyway. Google "Subaru wheel
bearing" for more info on this.

Rick
 
Additionally, make sure they are the 'newly recommended' roller style
and that someone is CAREFULLY insatlling them - they are evidently
easily installed in a 'binding' way.

Carl
1 Lucky Texan
 
My dad has a '95 Impreza that is making the same noise in the front end. He
has a 5-speed and the noise is still there if you put it in neutral and
coast. The noise also seems to diminish at higher speeds. It's only in the
front end though.

Henry
 
Well the wheel balance did wonders. The tires are now 5 years old and
the car has spent the majority of the last 2.5 years sitting around.
The noise is down to maybe 10% of what it was. I am fairly satisfied
at this point. I am going to double check the shoes to sure they are
adjusted right. Someone suggested that the shoes may be front and
back specific. I mean one goes toward the front and other toward the
rear. I didn't notice but I will check.

For the bearings, I pulled the hub and had a machine shop do the
pressing. I decided that the 1st bearing might not have been
installed correctly because the wheel had a lot of drag once I
tightened up the hub nut. This last one was normal.

Wanna hear something even crazier? I had a clutch kit and timing belt
laying around for a year that I never got around to installing. I
have a friend who just opened an All Tune and Lube francise and he was
having some financial trouble. I let him do all of the work. I added
a water pump, thermostat, all cam and crank seals, and the serpentine
belt to the list. They even replaced the tensioner and ALL of the
timing gears. I spent a grand total of $1700. Like I said, I am
selling to a friend and I figured that this was only cutting into my
profit so it was no big deal. Plus it helped another friend get his
business going. Everyone I know now wants to buy used cars from me in
the future.

Gene
 
Interesting, my dad's has pretty cheap tires on it. I'll bet that is the
cure then. I have no tire noise from mine what-so-ever other than a bit of a
hum at high speed. I have Ziex Falken? <sp> They are directional tread and
about $75 a piece for 190 60 15. They were on the car when I bought it. I
don't know if I will get them again, but my dad's are really noisy.

Henry
 
I had the right rear wheel bearing replaced on my MY00 Impreza Sportswagon
last Thursday. This is the 3rd wheel bearing I've had to replace (my
previous complaints are in this group's archives). The previous bearing I
had to replace (LHR) was in January this year. The car only has 68000 kms on
it.

This time I jacked-up to Subaru Australia about it (thought it was the LHR
bearing again). They denied that wheel bearings are a common problem on
early model Imprezas and Foresters, but offered to possibly cover the cost
of repair. Because it was the right hand rear bearing (and first failure on
that side) I had to pay (A$360) to get it fixed.

Cheers

Shane
Canberra
 

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