Follow up... we had the car on stands today... It's not a u-joint set up. We think that the e-brake shoe (because its so gone) is cocking sideways in its housing and momentarily binding the shaft up which is causing a thump in the driveline. As a sidebar, I cannot get over how tight the suspension is in this car for 153,000 miles as well as the condition of the body.

this is a happy Subaru once I get the bugs ironed out.

Sounds like kind of like the infamous Suabru Torque Bind...

http://legacycentr...ary/torquebind.htm

Posted by Agent Skelly Sounds like kind of like the infamous Suabru Torque Bind... http://legacycentr...ary/torquebind.htm

My Outback isn't an automatic... it's a 5speed.

Props for having a 5spd, not too common on those. Yeah I've felt binding in automatic ones.

yep, i got screwed again.

I have been talking with the subie people over on a Legacy-Outback forum about the mystery thump in my car and after several back and forths, i think i have figured out that the center differential in my Subaru is no good. I have no idea how expensive this is to replace or even if it's worth doing on this car. I DID NOT want to sink a ton of money into this car.

As I trust many of you on this forum, what's your recommendation? Should I just scrap it and salvage what money I can out of it, or what? I am pretty bummed about the whole affair as I really like the car. But I am not sinking $1000 into a $1500 car... that's just dumb.

Anyways, some guidance here folks would be good.

sell it and try and recover some of your money back or even a small profit.


Ever car ive bought Ive managed to break even or make a profit, post it up for 1299.99

once again, all hope is not lost. I finally had my brother drive it. He's been a mechanic for over 20 years. We took it for a hellbeat and he listened to it, watched it and he doesn't think its the center diff or the transmission at all. He was leaning towards a siezed up U-joint, but after watching me back and forth the car with the wheels cranked, he's leaning toward a CV shaft being bad, primarily the inner joint being seized. It seems to make sense... the car doesn't do it until it's been driven at least 10 to 15 miles... the thud is at wheelspeed and cyclical. I have an appointment monday to have the timing belt done and the thump addressed. My brother says its one of those things that you really should have it on a lift to see what's going on under the car.

opinions?

Source some junkyard parts and DIY over time. Weekends with beer and buddies. Too nice a car to scrap. I love those things. Is fix it.

Posted by jeepdave Source some junkyard parts and DIY over time. Weekends with beer and buddies. Too nice a car to scrap. I love those things. Is fix it.

i don't drink beer and none of my friends really are into cars anymore.

Posted by Samurai i don't drink beer and none of my friends really are into cars anymore.

Then drink Zima and have your brother help. It's not rocket science. I've done those on other cars and they're not that hard.

CV joints are pretty common on those- and very nice to change. The inner joint will have a roll pin holding it onto the stub axle... remember that before you try to yank the axle out.

Depending on how expensive to fix, or how bad the problem is, maybe just drive as is. Unless you need something rock solid, (okay, safe) at sustained highway speeds every day.

Example A. of 1. My '96 Cutlass Supreme has the expensive to fix rear discs. The car cost 400.00 two months ago. Have put about 1600 kms on it in and around town. They want 700.00 to do the rear brakes. They squeal, drag and rub a little until moving. Am seeing how far I can go without putting money into this car. So far 3.00 in AT fluid. Tight car, like it.

Example B. of 7. '92 Caravan, 128K 3.3. front calipers seized but drivable until hot. Sat 4 years. Ratty muffler, leaking master cyl and rear cyl starting. And more small stuff. Might be a money pit, am not going to go there, will have it blown up in a film or something... Trying to get my 800.00 out of it as is. Or keep if the Olds sells, listed today.

Posted by splumer Then drink Zima and have your brother help. It's not rocket science. I've done those on other cars and they're not that hard.

i am a diabetic... no alcoholica, but thanks for the thought.
I talked to a couple of other people today and they told me the same thing... Subies are known for fucked axles... I am hoping that's what it is.

Yeah there cheap too , there's a special tool to get the dowel pins out if you use a regular punch you can get it stuck (learned the hard way)

I'm thinking its the CV joints too...however, I do know that the center diff is pretty easy to replace if you got the time and space for it. I asked one of hte local rally guys here who said its no worse than pulling a transmission.

http://www.subaruf...eplace-them-46979/

i have decided to put money into the old Kobayashi Baru... ordered the timing set today. Going to follow that with the half-shaft and then exhaust system. Brake system will be last.
So now I will have a $3000 $1500 car.

Posted by Samurai i have decided to put money into the old Kobayashi Baru... ordered the timing set today. Going to follow that with the half-shaft and then exhaust system. Brake system will be last. So now I will have a $3000 $1500 car.

Look at it like a restoration.

Posted by splumer Look at it like a restoration.

no one restores a 2000 Subaru Legacy Outback... However, there is a webshow in Australia called "Mighty Car Mods" and they did an 11-second Liberty (Legacy here in North America) using an EZ36 out of a B9 Tribeca and a 6speed manual... and then turbocharged it. ;)
this is a link to episode 1 of the build... Enjoy.

Update to the continuing saga of my Subaru... had the timing set changed thursday. Wow! I can't believe that belt didn't snap. It had to be the factory belt! Every 3" or so, there was a crack or split all the way across the belt. One of the idlers had enough play where i'm amazed it didn't break and fly out the timing cover. Timing is everything (lol). Had the oil changed as well... Amazingly, the engine doesn't 'rattle' when i start it now. Amazing what happy fresh oil will do, no? And lastly, the reason the car sounded like a Sherman tank was the fact that the intermediate pipe and muffler weren't connected... So, the garage tack-welded the two together best they could. At one, the mouthbreathers that owned the car backed into something and snapped the exhaust off, including the hangers. The muffler is actually a combo with a piece of pipe and the asking price on that is around $100. (Eyeroll) Ghetto-fabbed a solution and will probably slap a happy happy thrush glasspack on it for now.

Well next stop is probably the clunking CV shaft...
...then the catalytic converters
...and then the brakes

should have just bought mine, its on craigslist for $3,995.