Front suspension repairs at home...

[JohnO]

I'm not a mechanic, but with my son's recent acquisition of a '79
Mustang, I'm going to be doing repairs and fixes I never would have
considered before. Amazing what's online for these things.

So, my '99 OBW has that classic left-front rattle when I go over bumps
at low speeds and right turns. The Mustang had the same thing, and $18
of parts and a few minutes later we had that fixed. (the connection
between the sway bar and the lower arm) I had the son do it.

Is it possible my front end rattle is the equivalent part on my
Outback? That part looks quite a bit different, but just as simple to
replace. I'd like to do it myself, if possible. Good idea?

-John O

 

[Sheldon]

I'm not a mechanic, but with my son's recent acquisition of a '79
Mustang, I'm going to be doing repairs and fixes I never would have
considered before. Amazing what's online for these things.

So, my '99 OBW has that classic left-front rattle when I go over bumps
at low speeds and right turns. The Mustang had the same thing, and $18
of parts and a few minutes later we had that fixed. (the connection
between the sway bar and the lower arm) I had the son do it.

Is it possible my front end rattle is the equivalent part on my
Outback? That part looks quite a bit different, but just as simple to
replace. I'd like to do it myself, if possible. Good idea?

-John O

The Mustang doesn't have CV joints, nor does it have any driving wheels in
the front, so you've got a few more things that can rattle up front.
Obviously, anything can be fixed yourself, assuming you can diagnose the
problem and have the tools to do the job. Certainly can't hurt to jack it
up and have a good look.

Turn hard left and right and drive slowly in circles. If you get a clicking
sound it's probably a CV joint.

 

[JohnO]

Turn hard left and right and drive slowly in circles. If you get a clicking
sound it's probably a CV joint.

Nope, no clicking, had that with a car once before. That's an expensive
repair, one I absolutely cannot do myself...in less than a week,
anyway.

Just banging when I hit bumps and worse on corners.

Thanks!

-John O

 

[Body Roll]

Nope, no clicking, had that with a car once before. That's an expensive
repair, one I absolutely cannot do myself...in less than a week,
anyway.

Just banging when I hit bumps and worse on corners.

Maybe your struts or strut top mounts are worn out?
I dunno. What does dealer's service dept says?
I won't recommend going to an independent repair shop for this.
They'd probably replace waaay more parts than needed.

 

[JohnO]

Maybe your struts or strut top mounts are worn out?

Is that something I can do without many specialized tools?

I dunno. What does dealer's service dept says?

Dealer? Heh, 35 miles away.

I won't recommend going to an independent repair shop for this.
They'd probably replace waaay more parts than needed.

That's the opposite of what I might have imagined.

My local garage guys are real good with labor, so that might make up
the diff even if they do get a bit parts-crazy. They are pretty good
mechanics, too, and I trust them completely. (The owner's kid is on the
baseball team I manage, so I have leverage ) I've seen a couple
subies in there recently so they know about them, at least.

But if this is an easy one, I want to give it a shot.

-John O

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Is that something I can do without many specialized tools?




Dealer? Heh, 35 miles away.





That's the opposite of what I might have imagined.

My local garage guys are real good with labor, so that might make up
the diff even if they do get a bit parts-crazy. They are pretty good
mechanics, too, and I trust them completely. (The owner's kid is on the
baseball team I manage, so I have leverage ) I've seen a couple
subies in there recently so they know about them, at least.

But if this is an easy one, I want to give it a shot.

-John O

Look for a broken anti-sway bar. Not unheard of in soobs. Could be
severla things I guess.

Carl

 

[Body Roll]

I haven't thought of that. The swaybar mounts could be trashed also. Or
so would the aftermarket
would like you to believe to buy beefier replacements. Did you look
under the car?
I don't need to jack up my OBS to look around and you should have at
least one more inch of ground clearance on OBW, so why won't you
inspect the front end?

 

[JohnO]

I haven't thought of that. The swaybar mounts could be trashed also. Or
so would the aftermarket
would like you to believe to buy beefier replacements. Did you look
under the car?
I don't need to jack up my OBS to look around and you should have at
least one more inch of ground clearance on OBW, so why won't you
inspect the front end?

Yeah, I've been peeking under there. I need to jack up the front one
side at a time and start shaking things looking for something that
seems looser than it ought to be. True, it could be just about
anything, and there's no way to troubleshoot this on usenet but
your advice so far gives me some directions for looking. Sway bar is
easy to check, and if the mounts have gaps then they could be replaced
easily anough.

I'm stuck home while most of the family goes out of town this weekend,
so maybe I'll try a few basic rubber parts. Can't hurt, eh? Maybe I can
get lucky. Just had to pay taxes, and I need some cheap luck. ;-)

-John O