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G'day everyone, and happy new year! Great to be back in the lucky country, here for another month before heading back to India...

Pulled the tarp off the outback after 18 months of not being driven at all. Jump started first time, engine is running beautifully! Very happy that he started, beats the sh*t out of have a hire car!

However, we have a noise issue. I was hoping it would fix itself while we were gone, care of the car fairies. Alas, no fairies came to visit

Basics: 1997 Outback, manual, running 4.11 dual range and 215/70/16 Yoko Geolanders which are almost new.

Here is the *hopefully* relevant info:

- Sounds like a medium pitch humming/whining
- Originates from the front end, marginally louder on drivers side
- Vague sound with no distinct direction or origin
- Gets louder with vehicle speed, from no noise at all at walking pace to smothering conversation at highway speed.
- Unaffected by gear selection
- Unaffected by engine speed

In addition to the noise, there's another clue too:
When breaking with some power (i.e. stopping at the lights, steep downhill) or breaking hard, the break pedal 'bounces' or 'pumps' about 2 cm - not sure how else to describe it. At the same time, there is also a rapid shake of the steering wheel from side to side, moving about 2 cm either way.

Tyres are balanced and wheels were aligned when the tyres were put on about 1000km ago, no four wheel driving or major potholes since.

My suspicion is that the front discs are warped, thoughts?

Thanks,
Owen

Hmmmm sounds familiar to my problem also on my 93 L Series, I had spoke to Paul about getting my front rotors and pads changed next time I'm in Rocko, also getting my shocks and springs changed.

I have had balance and alignment done also, along with a recond steering rack and still have that problem you are having.

I did notice a slight difference when I removed, cleaned and rotated (from left front to right front) the Castle nuts and two washers then tightened them up with a breaker bar, but I still suspect it is the rotors.

Cheers

WayneO.............

OWEN MAAATE!!!

How goes?

That issue sounds like a bearing and warped discs. The brake pedal bounce reads like an abs scenario - I wouldn't expect that under general hard braking. Dunno what to do about that. Warped discs are usually felt through the steering wheel rather than the brake pedal...

Looking forward to catching up if possible

Cheers

Bennie

Welcome home Owen and Happy New Year to you too

I'd say the noise is from the car's disc rotors that have sat around for a bit. I'd stomp on the brakes a few times from some good speed (try not coming to a complete stop) but make sure no one is behild you.

The noise might sound like it's coming from the front right because that's the closest one to you??

If the car wasn't doing this before you went away, then I doubt the discs are warped. This really only occurs when the discs are too thin or have got wet whilst hot.

Gotta love how the Subaru can sit for so long and just a bit of power and back to life they come

El_Freddo wrote:OWEN MAAATE!!!

That issue sounds like a bearing and warped discs. The brake pedal bounce reads like an abs scenario - I wouldn't expect that under general hard braking. Dunno what to do about that. Warped discs are usually felt through the steering wheel rather than the brake pedal...

Looking forward to catching up if possible

Cheers

Bennie

G'day Bennie! Hope to see you soon, sometime toward the end of the month? I'm thinking someone should organise a drive somewhere...

Brake pedal 'bounce' has pretty much gone with driving, still a lot of surface rust on the brakes so I'm going to take the car in to get them machined early next week.

RSR 555 wrote:Welcome home Owen and Happy New Year to you too

I'd say the noise is from the car's disc rotors that have sat around for a bit. I'd stomp on the brakes a few times from some good speed (try not coming to a complete stop) but make sure no one is behild you.

This helped a bunch, thanks! Shaking of the steering wheel has lessened A LOT but still present.

RSR 555 wrote: The noise might sound like it's coming from the front right because that's the closest one to you??

Definitely worse on the right side! Rode in the passenger seat today and found it much quieter, wife even commented that it is louder on the driver's side without me asking...

RSR 555 wrote: If the car wasn't doing this before you went away, then I doubt the discs are warped. This really only occurs when the discs are too thin or have got wet whilst hot.

It was doing it before we left the country, I was hoping the car fairies would fix it while we were gone, alas...

Update:
Drove the car back from Sale today, 2.5 hours on the freeway and then half an hour of city driving. The sound is much worse when holding a corner, in both directions. It is a pulsing humming. Worse under engine breaking, sound reduces by about 20% when braking or accelerating hard during cornering, instantly goes back up to original volume once brakes or accelerator are released.

Will take the car into a brake joint on Monday, hopefully after the discs are machined the noise goes away... if not I'll have safer brakes and have eliminated one potential problem...

I'm worried this could be a front diff issue...

O.

ScubyRoo wrote:G'day Bennie! Hope to see you soon, sometime toward the end of the month? I'm thinking someone should organise a drive somewhere...

Will have to see how things pan out. I'm currently in the throws of a HG, then we're off to Mildura on the 9th. The weekend after could be a goer...

Aust day long weekend is out, then I'm on a first aid course down at Seaford and I should be back at work during that course... So much for "holidays"!

Cheers

Bennie

Took the car into a service joint today, they confirmed that it is a wheel bearing. Definitely front right, and maybe front left... hard to tell as they can vibrate across.

Called a few places for quotes, ended up booking into Pedders in Heildelberg Heights on Friday morning. No tools or shed to do it myself...

Quoted ~$200 per side. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks for the help,
Owen

El_Freddo wrote:Will have to see how things pan out. I'm currently in the throws of a HG, then we're off to Mildura on the 9th. The weekend after could be a goer...

Aust day long weekend is out, then I'm on a first aid course down at Seaford and I should be back at work during that course... So much for "holidays"!

Cheers

Bennie

Weekend after I'm already busy... bugger! How are you during the week?

Subabits has them pre-fitted into the stub axles so you can possible pull them out and swap over with them? Or get them to do it. I had my last one done there, can't remember for how much though.

Let us know if that fixes it.

Found a 'shudder' and steering wheel shake on mine ('85 L wagon )under heavy braking during the xmas driving.

Around here there is normally no heavy braking so this is new to me. New CVs already both sides.