replacing front end of 1993 subaru legacy

[humboldthack]

Hello, I have a 1993 subaru legacy that i suspect the wheel bearing is
going out. At near highway speed there is a vibrating sound that
seems to be coming from the front end, especially when turning, but
can still hear it when driving straight. I also have a 1989 subaru
legacy that i use for parts. My ? is can i switch the "front end" and
if so what does that entail(sp?) Or maybe i dont need to do the whole
front end i just want the problem to be fixed. Any suggestions?

 

[johninKY]

Don't know any reason why the entire hub can't be swapped. Would have t
pull the CV axle, separate the hub from the lower ball joint, set th
brake caliper off to one side, and finally those 2 lower strut mountin
bolts

 

[S]

Hi Humboldt!

Hello, I have a 1993 subaru legacy that i suspect the wheel bearing is
going out. At near highway speed there is a vibrating sound that
seems to be coming from the front end, especially when turning, but
can still hear it when driving straight. I also have a 1989 subaru
legacy that i use for parts. My ? is can i switch the "front end" and
if so what does that entail(sp?) Or maybe i dont need to do the whole
front end i just want the problem to be fixed. Any suggestions?

An '89 Legacy? Thought '90 was the first year for 'em . . .

Anyway, if it _is_ a Legacy, and not a Loyale/GL, pretty much
everything should swap between the two cars, except:

I can't remember if the early Legacys had ABS, but if so, note that
the ABS hub/axle is different from the non ABS, and probably will not
interchange.

I'd try the CV axle first, but it's just about as easy (maybe easier,
come to think about it) to swap the entire hub/axle as a unit.

Here's some beta:

Jack the front end and place jackstands. Remove the wheel. For the
axle only, remove the axle bolt; 30mm socket (IIRC) and strong 1/2 in
impact wrench. Separate the hub from the lower arm by removing a pinch
bolt and applying a prybar. Use the appropriate pin punch (3/16?) to
remove the pin holding the CV joint to the transmission. Remove the
brake caliper and carrier, and wire it out of the way. Lift off the
brake rotor and set it aside. For the entire hub, disconnect the sway
bar link, remove both bolts at the bottom of the strut, and separate
from the hub with a small prybar.

At this point, the axle alone, or hub/axle assembly. can be removed.
The entire assembly is a bit heavy, but manageable.

Reassembly is pretty much the reverse. Note that the CV joint and
tranny stub axle have a chamfer on one side of the pin hole; these
must be aligned in order for the pin to go back thru. Use a punch to
re-do the staking on the axle nut.

It's about a one-beer job unless there is significant rust.

This is a good time to service the brake system, too.

ByeBye! S.
Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[humboldthack]

Hi Humboldt!



An '89 Legacy? Thought '90 was the first year for 'em . . .

Anyway, if it _is_ a Legacy, and not a Loyale/GL, pretty much
everything should swap between the two cars, except:

I can't remember if the early Legacys had ABS, but if so, note that
the ABS hub/axle is different from the non ABS, and probably will not
interchange.

I'd try the CV axle first, but it's just about as easy (maybe easier,
come to think about it) to swap the entire hub/axle as a unit.

Here's some beta:

Jack the front end and place jackstands. Remove the wheel. For the
axle only, remove the axle bolt; 30mm socket (IIRC) and strong 1/2 in
impact wrench. Separate the hub from the lower arm by removing a pinch
bolt and applying a prybar. Use the appropriate pin punch (3/16?) to
remove the pin holding the CV joint to the transmission. Remove the
brake caliper and carrier, and wire it out of the way. Lift off the
brake rotor and set it aside. For the entire hub, disconnect the sway
bar link, remove both bolts at the bottom of the strut, and separate
from the hub with a small prybar.

At this point, the axle alone, or hub/axle assembly. can be removed.
The entire assembly is a bit heavy, but manageable.

Reassembly is pretty much the reverse. Note that the CV joint and
tranny stub axle have a chamfer on one side of the pin hole; these
must be aligned in order for the pin to go back thru. Use a punch to
re-do the staking on the axle nut.

It's about a one-beer job unless there is significant rust.

This is a good time to service the brake system, too.

ByeBye! S.
Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

Thank you much for the information. I was told when i got my parts
car to look in the area where the door latches to see what year the
car was, and it says its an '89. Yes it does have ABS. Now i just
got to thinking, because i also have an '88 I guess Loyale sedan, i
say i guess because i cant find the name of the car anywhere on the
body, anyway, i just went to check to make sure the legacy _is_ an
'89. So because of the ABS i cannot swap the hub/axle is there any
thing that i can do that will keep me out of the auto parts store?
Maybe it is something else going wrong? What should i check? Thank
you again for the help!

 

[S]

Hi Again

Thank you much for the information. I was told when i got my parts
car to look in the area where the door latches to see what year the
car was, and it says its an '89.

Aah, that. They start their production runs in like September or
something. It's probably a '90.

Yes it does have ABS. Now i just
got to thinking, because i also have an '88 I guess Loyale sedan, i
say i guess because i cant find the name of the car anywhere on the
body, anyway, i just went to check to make sure the legacy _is_ an
'89.

The Loyale will have the EA82 (1.8l) motor, the Legacy will have the
EJ22 (2.2l) The engine ID is stamped on the engine block, top, front,
just to the left of the center as you're looking at it. If there's too
much slime to see the ID number, EA82's had a distributor, the EJ22
has a coil pack under a plastic cover. What else? Oh; I think the
Loyales used that funny 13 inch rim right up to the end; early Legacys
will be 14 or 15 inch, 5 hole.

So because of the ABS i cannot swap the hub/axle is there any
thing that i can do that will keep me out of the auto parts store?

Well, I guess I phrased it wrong. The hub/axle parts will physically
_fit_, no problems, but you will lose the ABS, as the sender is on the
axle and the sensor is in the hub. If you go this route, also unplug
the ABS fuse. The brakes will continue to work just fine, but w/o the
ABS function. A warning light will come on to remind you of this. If
you get that far, you might take a look, but I don't recall there
being a way to accommodate the sensor on a non-ABS hub. You just might
be able to pry the sender (a notched ring) off of the ABS axle and
install it onto the non-ABS unit.

If you're real adventurous, I'm sure you could build an ABS set from
parts at hand, but we're talking a lot of work; new bearings,
dis-assemble and rebuild the axle, etc. Better off IMO, to hit a
salvage yard for the parts; might be able to get 'em to pull a
hub/axle/brake caliper as an assembly for about the same $$$ as any of
the individual parts alone. Be sure they come off of a lo-miles car,
as these are common wear-out parts on any Soobie. Parts from any
Legacy thru '94 anyway should exchange OK.

And since by this point you're already in up to your elbows, I'll add
that _if_ you find a low mileage car (ie.<50-70K), and yours has
more'n 150K or so, grab the entire front end including the struts and
control arms. Not too much extra work to install, but boy-o-boy what a
difference it'll make.

Maybe it is something else going wrong? What should i check? Thank
you again for the help!

Sure your wheels are on tight? Bent or badly out of balance wheel? Bad
tire? Try swapping the fronts and rears, or the wheels off of the
parts car (remember, they all gotta be the same size) to see if that
makes any difference. That's about all I can think of. Good luck.

ByeBye! S.


Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101