Subaru - Legacy - Suspension :: 2003 - Tires Thumping (as If Flat) During Slow And Tight Turns
Mar 15, 2014
We have a 2003 Subaru Legacy named Penny. Lately she's been "thumping" when we make slow tight turns -- usually when pulling into or out of a parking spot. This is less of a noise, more of a sensation. Thumping and bumping as if the front tires are flat, but that's not the case. To complicate matters, it doesn't seem to happen first thing in the morning. Starts showing up after a drive of 30 - 40 minutes and continues to get worse the longer we drive throughout the day. Driving straight is fine, less sharp turns also fine. Mechanic guessed axle and replaced both front axles last week. But the problem persists. We are independent musicians, traveling often, and NEED this car to drive reliably!
View 9 Replies
Advertisement
I have a 2002 Subaru legacy wagon, 185k miles, 5 speed manual, thumping noise when making sharp turns at slow speed, happens only after I drive over about 10 miles, does not happen after the car sits for any length of time.
View 5 Replies
97 Outback, 143 K, auto. 2.2. When in a tight turn in a parking lot or doing a U turn, the car lurches, like my p.u. does when in 4 wheel drive. Not as strongly, but it does not feel right. There is no CV joint noise, tires seem equally worn. The seller says it is tires, my experience with 5 different soobs says no and I never carefully match tire wear, ( I do not replace all 4)If it is not tires, what might it be?
View 11 Replies
I hear a thumping sound in the rear of my '97 Legacy wagon (Brighton model). The sound occurs when the car moves. Once the car has been running for several minutes the sound goes away. What is the cause and fix?
View 3 Replies
Spring has arrived and the whoop-de-dues are reminding me that the suspension in my 2013 passat tdi is rather soft. it rides great on a smooth highway but i would be curious if there is a way to change the suspension so that it 'floats' less on uneven pavement and in tight turns?
My goals would be:
1. float less on uneven pavement
2. track flatter and smoother in tight turns at speed
3. maintain highway comfort or dam close to it (99% of my driving)
4. remain at stock height (i am not lowering this car up here!)
It may not be possible to achieve all of this but at this point i do not know what is possible or what the pros and cons are of any suggested changes. A quick search of 'tdi suspension' on vwvortex gave me a few hits but mostly for golf and jettas.
View 11 Replies
My boyfriend has 95 subaru legacy L 2.2 that has issues. NEW: coil pack, fuel pump, spark plugs n wires, battery. (I forget the rest)
Background: While running the car almost out of gas (as usual) it starts to run rough, just thinking it was the gas, he gets gas and heads home but it does not fix the roughness. It stalls in driveway (lucky). A friend brings over obd scanner. Reads codes for cylinder 1&4 misfire. It starts and runs but sounds like crap. I tested the coil pack and the reading was bad, so got that and sparks n wires. Cleaned a bunch of fuel related parts (its been a while) and took out injector but apparently it was not back in all the way because fuel came spray/flooding out while another friend had a sparkplug out and was testing it for spark!! (luckily he was not harmed).
After this it has not started. We did get the injector back in all the way, and waited to work on it figuring it was flooded and that time would work. Next was the fuel pump, yay i can hear it now, boo still didn't work. Now car clicks. Ok, starter out, tested THREE times at advance auto, and once at napa. They both say it is good. (I have my doubts though, it sounded slow to start up to me). Battery is also tested, bad cell. Checked flywheel, Put starter back in and new battery with 625 cold cranking amps. Car cranks now, but no start. Clicking noise when crankshaft turns.
Q: Do the engine is still flooded?
Q: Did the flooding foul the new spark plugs?
Q: WHY is the crankshaft clicking?
Q: WHERE is the nearest cliff?
View 6 Replies
My rear tires (Nokian) on my Subaru Legacy 1999 all wheel drive car are noisy and chopped after only 18,000 miles (tires were in front for 4,000 miles; at that point I had to get two new tires which were put in front). My mechanic does not recommend rotation so they haven't been rotated. No, I don't know why. So now they are chopped but have lots of tread.
View 13 Replies
2013 SF Limited AWD = long base, 41K miles
Slow speed sharp turns left and right taking off from a stop I hear a thumping/light popping in the driveline. Seems like it could be a differential issue?
I also hear an unusual noise while accelerating in a straight line.....under throttle from a stop, it sounds like a rapid chirp on and off, every other second. Almost like a valve tick. The noise is heard under acceleration in gear, not when cruising at light throttle. I put the transmission in neutral while rolling, revved up the engine and the noise is not heard. Only happens when in gear and accelerating.
View 3 Replies
The car has 175,000 miles on it and is having issues starting but only sometimes. The starter turns over but the engine doesn't catch. Usually if I open the hood, pretend to know what I'm doing, and wait a bit, it will start within 10 minutes or less (sometimes it takes a few tries.) I hear a click when the starter is going and the engine isn't catching, very much like the click I hear if I'm driving with the AC on and the AC needs to draw power. I've recently had a tune-up including new fuel filter, spark plugs and wires. The mechanic can't figure out what's wrong (doesn't seem to be the battery or the battery terminals). The car even started up FINE at 40 below. I can't really see a pattern to it.
View 3 Replies
My 2015 Subaru Legacy will randomly downshift, when in Automatic, only on LEFT turns! The dealership says there is a sensor that is "overly sensitive" but now it is a safety concern when pulling out into traffic. I never know if it will occur. Most of the time it will shift back into automatic on its own but there have been times where i have had to use the shifter paddles to shift up then it will kick back into automatic. It only has 31,000 miles, bought it used with 18,000 miles. I have also noticed if I don't accelerate slowly, it seems slow to shift automatically and reduce RPM's. I don't want 36,000 mile warranty to bypass without this resolved.
View 19 Replies
My 1994 Subaru Legacy has been running unbelievably smoothly for the 7 years that I have had it. It has just over 160,000 miles on it, and our mechanic suggested that we change the timing belt as preventative maintenance. Since that incredible investment (worth over 50% of the car's value), I have had one problem after another. Once running, the car runs very well, but getting it started is another story. It takes several tries to start, it shakes back and forth, it makes horrible noises, and once the engine finally turns over, it is hesitant to engage the gears. The mechanic thought it may be the cam sensors, so he replaced them. That made absolutely no difference. What could be wrong with this car that was perfectly find until the timing belt was changed?
View 4 Replies
i have a Subaru legacy rs 1996 twin turbo, about 6 months ago now i replaced both front outer CV joints and boots due to a grinding when turning at slow speed e.g a car park. the grinding had gone and its was all fine until now the same grinding as come back. its it normal for the CV joint to wear out that fast or could there be a different problem?
View 5 Replies
OK, after some bearing issues I replaced the crankshaft with a reman. The engine is now in, but it is not turning over like I think it should. It just feels too tight, and cranks slow. It cranks smooth, nothing hitting. It is hard to turn with a wrench on the front bolt. I am wondering if I messed up on the torque on the rod bearings.
I torqued them according to the book. First to 29 to 33 ft lbs, then rotated an additional 90 to 120 degrees. I went with the lower of the numbers, 29 foot pounds then an additional 90 degrees. The mains I tightened to 30 ft. lbs. then an additional 90 degrees.
Are these the correct specs? I did smear a little grease on the main journals before installing, but did not do this for the rods as the book says. Is this maybe something to do with my issue?
I did not measure with plastiguage to see, I didn't realize I was out of the stuff and didn't want to drive 50 miles away to get some! I am also wondering if heating up the bearings on one rod journal might have warped the rod and is binding not allowing it to turn. I did notice when I put it back together it turned a little hard, but figured it would be ok once it started.
View 3 Replies
I have a 2010 Subaru Forester and it has started to make a weird noise when I make slow and sharp turns, like when I am pulling out of a driveway or entering a parking spot. It is not exactly a knocking noise, it is similar to the one when a small piece of rock is stuck on the tire threads, but it is in the center of the car.
View 3 Replies
I got an 03 f250 with a 10 inch lift on 40x14.50 tires on 20x10 fuel hostage wheels. They rub my springs pretty bad when trying to make even the slightest kind of tight turn and the sound they make when they rub is even worse than them actually rubbing. My question is should i stay with this tire and wheel setup and try to get some 6061 billet aluminum 2 inch spacers? (I'm not sure about going that route though because of what i heard about spacers) or go down to some 38s with a 20x14 wheel that hopefully would push the tire away from the hub like spacers would do. I'm leaning more towards going to 38s because of the rubbing and also because I feel they might look better on the 10 inch lift rather than the 40s but dont know whats the best thing to do.
View 12 Replies
About a year ago, the radio in my car starting working intermittently. First a speaker or 2 went out. Then the radio would play only occasionally (usually on warm days). Finally it quit altogether. The radio got power and showed stations or cd tracks, but there was no audio. We looked at fuses, wire connections, speakers, etc. Finally I got a new radio, and once installed, there is still no audio.
View 3 Replies
My 2003 Subaru (about 14 years old, 165K mi) started making a thumping/clicking noise only when I turn right. It had been going on for weeks when I finally I took it to the mechanic, and of course he couldn't hear a thing. He drove it in circles, took the wheel apart, checked an axle boot that he replaced on it last summer, checked the axle. He said that the brakes squeak, but everything is fine. He told me to keep driving it until it gets worse. Didn't charge me anything.
5 days later (today), the noise comes back. Only when I turn right. I also feel a faint vibration below my feet. I drove it to the train station to get to work, put on the parking brake like I always do, but noticed that there was a burning smell from the front end. When it was time to go home, I noticed that there was something funny about the brake pedal. I normally press the brake when I start the engine, and usually it gives. But this time, it didn't and acted like it was stuck. I took my foot off, pressed again, and it was fine. I had also released the parking brake. Driving home, the thumping noise was gone.
Typically, this noise is worse in the morning than it is later in the day when I go home. Can a loose parking brake cable contribute to a thumping noise when turning in one direction, or are these all unrelated problems? I am stumped. Are CV joint issues typically inconsistent like this?
View 7 Replies
In the couple of days since my last oil change, my 2003 Subaru Legacy (161K miles) won't start after sitting for some time. It turns over and runs for literally one second, then dies. It is standard transmission. If I have it out of gear and apply gas, it will start and stay started, but if I take my foot off the gas, it stops. I don't have to apply a lot of gas (not floor it). Once it is warmed up it runs fine. It seems to start fine if it sits a little while, but anything over an hour, and it doesn't start. One place I read said it could be the security system, with my key needing to be re-programmed. Other possibilities seem all over the map.
View 9 Replies
Back in January I had my right front wheel bearing and u-joint go out, so I replaced them both. At the time I didn't realize my outer stub axle shaft was wore so I just put it back in. After a little driving the right side started to "thump" and "pop" when I would make hard left turns driving around town.
I replaced the outer front stub axle shaft and seal again because the old one was worn down. This eliminated any play in the u-joint. After a bit of driving the thumping and popping noise came back.
I decided to dig into it today so I pulled it all apart. When everything is apart it turns easily, no issue at all. When I assembled the wheel bearing, torqued it to 55 ft/lbs and installed and "locked" the hub I noticed something peculiar. I can barely turn the whole assembly by hand. I have to put a good amount of force to get the whole assembly to turn at all. When I walk to the driver side with all the same parts there i can turn the wheel bearing and locked axle shaft with one finger on the studs.
I have been in this thing 5 times and can not figure out what the heck is wrong. I can't figure out why this stupid axle shaft and wheel bearing are so hard to turn, together or separately, and I can't figure out how to get my front end to stop that thumping and popping.
View 6 Replies
I'm not sure if this is a stupid question or not, but can tire misalignment cause flat tires? I ask because earlier tonight my drivers side tire went flat as I was taking off from a red light. The tire doesn't look damaged from the outside. I put the spare on, which looked practically new since I had never used it, but within three miles the spare went flat.
When I got my tires rotated a few weeks ago I noticed a slight pull to the right, but after a day or two I stopped noticing it. I'm not sure if I just got used to it, or if it was just me not being used to the new tires.
I am having the tire patched tomorrow, but The thought that the misalignment might be causing this has just stuck itself in my head and won't go away.
View 10 Replies
I drive a 2004 Volvo v70 (non turbo). It died on me about 3 times in 5 years on tight turns ((switchback). It hadn't happened for a couple of years but now it has stopped 3 times in the last couple of months. It is very dangerous as the steering stops working and I have to totally stop, put my car in park and restart.
View 2 Replies
