Subaru - Outback :: Heavy Vibration When Running Over A Rumble Strip
Nov 25, 2012
My 2001 Outback has developed a problem in the last few days. When I move the car from a dead stop, I go through a brief period of heavy vibration coming from the back of the car, exactly as if I am running over a rumble strip. It occurs as I am accelerating away from the stop just after the clutch is totally let out. Once I get to a high-enough velocity, I no longer feel it. However, if I maintain a very low velocity I can feel some vibration but not quite as pronounced as it was coming from a dead stop.
I have been able to make this happen in 1st and 2nd gear, I have not tried in 3rd, 4th and 5th. It does not happen in reverse. I tested the clutch by putting the car up against the back wall of my garage, revving the engine and putting the car into 4th and 5th gear and the car stalled, as it should. The clutch did not slip. This clutch has about 60,000 miles on it. The previous clutch was replaced at about 85,000 miles. The problem has been getting worse steadily during a just completed a 700 mile holiday round trip. Could this be the clutch? Could it be something in the transmission?
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I am experiencing a slight rumble-strip-like vibration/noise when veering to the right. There is no noticeable vibration when driving straight or to the right - sounds like it's coming from the front. I thought it was my tires but had them rotated with same symptoms/ I first noticed this shortly after I had them rotated in July. So it's probably front suspension.
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I recently bought a 2004 Mustang convertible V6 auto with 180K miles to be my daughter's first car. The car has a driveability issue. It has a "rumble-strip" like vibration at speeds between 35-55 mph. This is when accelerating or decelerating. If I slip the car in neutral when driving the vibration is gone. Here is what I have done: new plugs, wires, coil. New u-joints. Front end needed a new tie rod end on right side, new transmission filter and fluid (only replacing lost pan fluid). Another thing wrong with the car (possibly related?) is that the ABS & traction control lights are stuck on indicating a system failure with the ABS.
Note that when replacing the ujoints I noted a couple of things:1- there is SOME amount of play at the transmission tailshaft bushing. It seemed excessive to me, but a local transmission shop told me that if it is not leaking fluid that it is not a problem. I did not gage the movement, but it was close to 1/16".2 - The other thing I noticed is that the universal joint for the rear yoke was a little bit stiff, meaning that it did not move as easily as I would have thought that it should. This was the case with both the old rear u-joint and the new, This indicates to me that the pinion trunnion ears are not perfectly aligned, but not sure what I should expect.
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About a month back my wife and I were on our way home from dinner and when we exited the interstate I heard an awful rubbing sound coming from the engine compartment. I wasn't quite sure what it was or how to describe it. I was concerned it was the timing belt right away. I limped it home sputtering and misfiring and listened for a moment before shutting it down.
The next day I checked all the accessories. Nothing wrong there, so I realized it must have been the timing belt. I began striping the rest down and confronted carnage. One of the bearings had gone on an idler pulley and the gear was riding the bolt. the belt had moved out of position and began to cut into the backside of the plastic cover. By some miracle it hadn't completely snapped or jumped timing.
I replaced all pulleys, the tensioner, the water pump, and the belt. After my buddy and I got it back together it seemed fine aside from a slightly rough-ish idle for a day or two, but then the misfire got quite bad. I chugged it up to my wife's parent's place. We borrowed a car from them, and then I went into repair mode again. I reasoned that perhaps the plugs had fouled when the belt was messed up initially, so I replaced the plugs. Didn't have wires on hand. Fired it back up. No bueno. Same misfire and chugging. Still borderline driveable.
So, I tore down the belt again to find that the intake cam on the passenger side was about 5 teeth off. Seemed further out than my friend and I would have left it, but I got it lined back up within a tooth and put it back together. Still no good. Still misfiring. So we tried it a couple more times. One of us started to doubt the cause, but I talked him to try with one more reset. This time I wanted to get everything absolutely perfectly lined up. We did. I fired it up. Silky smooth, ran like a sewing machine. Put it back together and everything seemed fine. For a day or two.
The misfiring began again. It bothered me that I hadn't managed to take care of the plug wires. I had the codes pulled and I had a steady misfire on ... I think it was 4. I replaced the wires on that side and everything was back to normal. Silky smooth operation. For a couple days.
I was on my way to work and had to brake very hard to avoid an accident. Like from 70 to 0 wheel-lockingly hard. Immediately a misfire at idle returned. Doesn't seem to be an issue when not at idle, but it's hard to say. I guessed that it was the plug wires from the other side. I replaced those today, gave it an oil change. Still misfiring. I dropped by autozone. Codes read - misfire everywhere but 3, and I'm guessing that maybe a sensor for 3 is just messed up. The coil pack looked suspect, and I thought I'd do the PCV valve while I was at it. After replacing both the misfires continue.
I've yanked the battery to encourage the computer to reset. I'm at a loss at the moment. The only think I can guess is that perhaps my new tensioner is poop and I've jumped a tooth or two somewhere? I'm looking for guesses and wild theories here. Anything to try. I'm going to reconnect the battery shortly and if it's still misfiring, which I'm assuming it will be, I'm going to have codes pulled again.
Just to head this one off at the pass - I believe I got extremely lucky and did not damage the valves with the timing belt nonsense. Compression seems good, and I doubt it would have ran as well as it did as long as it did with valve damage.
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Every once in a while in heavy traffic the engine overheats. I can't get out to check on the highway bit I suspect a an isn't on. I can drop the temp in the usual way of blasting the heat but I can also drop it precipitously by turning on the AC! It seems to stay down even if I turn the AC off - at least for a while. The radiator is new and it has plenty of fluid.
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Care finally runs well and passed inspection. So I can legally drive it at speeds. Noticed what feels like widely space rumble strips when coasting 2003 explorer. I am now trying to check all my fluids ... trans seemed a bit low (PITA), rear and front differentials seemed full... but should they be checked with the engine running or off??
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I have a weird problem with my 2008 Elantra GLS 86K Miles on it. I did a couple of searches on this problem but didn't find any threads. About a month ago I noticed that when I braked hard at highway speeds 65 to 70 Mph I would get a noise that sounded like I was driving over the rumble strips on the side of the road. The rumble was the same frequency no matter what speed you are going, it doesn't get faster or slower. The problem slowly got worse to the point that it would happen at 25 to 30 Mph. The noise sounds like it is coming from the front but I can't tell which side. I figured that it was probably rotors and time for a brake overhaul so I replaced the rotors, pads and hardware on the front and the back. I used synthetic brake grease on the slides and guides. I also replaced the brake fluid with synthetic DOT 3.
When I did the back brakes I found that the wheel bearing on the passenger side was leaking lots of grease so I replaced it with a Timken bearing. (I live over an hour away from the nearest dealer so I did the repairs myself.) While I was working on the bearing I pushed the rear shock up and out of the way and it stayed in the up position for quite a while, aren't the shocks under pressure and usually push right back down? (Just an off subject thought) Well after replacing the bearing the rumble strip noise went back to just happening at speeds from 45 Mph and up. I was also thinking of pulling the fuse on the ABS and seeing if the problem goes away but will pulling the fuse hurt the car in any way or trip a code? I know what the ABS sounds like and this is not the same noise you get when sliding on ice.
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When my 2004 jeep liberty sport goes between 40 and 50 miles an hour it sometimes shakes like it is going over a rumble strip if i release the gas pedal it stops was wondering if it was some sort of trans sensor that was starting to go bad ...
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My OBXT is running way too hot when heading up hill. Recently have had the caps and cooling system pressure tested and all passed. I had the head gasket replaced, water pump, timing belt, pulleys, etc. The engine was also pressure tested and passed.The Subaru techs and I are at a loss.
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I have a 2004 outback with just over 100k miles on it. It has been making a loud vibrating sound lately. It makes the sound when idling and even louder when I step on the gas, but at highway speeds the sound disappears. I do not actually FEEL a vibration, it just sounds as though something is vibrating/rattling. We had a mechanic check it out and they thought it was an exhaust issue. Apparently not, because the sound is still there.
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My wife drives a 2006 Honda Civic. She just drove back from Vermont - we live near Boston - and on her way back the idle was unusually rough and twice she said it felt as if she was driving over rumble strips, even though she was on smooth pavement. The first time she was going 40 and the second time she was barely moving. She also noted that once, at a stop sign, the car wouldn't slowly move forward when she took her foot off the brake, as it usually does. She had to give it gas. The thing is, the problem is very intermittent.
She says the only thing that is constant is the rough idle, but the engine check light is NOT on.
The last work that was done on the car, about a month ago, was the replacement of the calipers and shoes on one of the brakes. My wife had driven for some time with the squealing noise that indicates you need to change your brake shoes without telling anyone about it. She used the radio fix.
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I have a 2009 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with 42k miles. I purchased the vehicle about 2 weeks ago, and since the day I got it i noticed a vibrating noise inside. It is not too loud and so it did not bother me at first, but I have become increasingly more and more annoyed with it. It is constant, as long as the engine in running. It varies in pitch depending on the rpm of the motor, but never goes away. Does not change with the air conditioner on or off, and does not change with the radio on or off. It is not engine noise, and is not noticeable outside the vehicle, but it loud enough that it is heard by all in the car.I took it to the Subaru dealership and they could not pinpoint the noise, and said that the vehicle was sound.I then had a mechanic friend look at it, and he traced it to under the driver's side kick panel, but could not pinpoint it further.
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My '05 Expedition will be driving normal at highway speeds, and when I need to apply a little more throttle to start up a hill I get a shutter thru the truck that sounds and feels like driving over a rumble strip. It doesn't last but just a second or two, but it happens frequently. Is it something in the 4wd? Transmission? or.......?
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2007 Subaru Outback, 110 K mile sI drive 200 miles each way, once a week to DC on Sunday and back home to the mountains of Western MD on Friday. All problems happen on that long drive, not on local trips. Only happens when I'm driving in the mountains.
Symptoms: Sometimes overheats (needle gets close to red area, but not quite into it). I pull off and stop the engine for 5 minutes, start the engine, and needle goes to normal area. This happens only after driving about 2 hours. Continue the trip without problem. Never had to stop more than once.
A/C sometimes doesn't cool. Harder to tell now that it's cooler outside, but it put out only warm air one day two weeks ago. The next morning, it worked fine. Heat does not work very well. Set at max (85), the air coming out is barely warm. Also, the passenger side is colder than the driver (dual controls, both set at 85).
May not be related, but I can hear a sound like water gurgling when the engine is running. It's very soft and seems to be inside the dashboard behind the steering wheel. There are no apparent leaks anywhere. Seems to only do it when I am pressing on the accelerator.
My mechanic checked the A/C gas, flushed and filled the cooling system, looked at the temp sensor inside the car, and doesn't know what to try next. Could this be a computer problem, or is it mechanical?
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I have a 2004 Subaru Outback. This fall I started having intermittent problems starting the car. It would run like a champ, no problems. Then every once in a while when I would try to start it, typically happens after it has sat all night, it would turn over just fine, motor would catch, then the motor would quit running (almost immediately upon start). It is kind of like the old days when your carburetor was not adjusted quite right and you would have to keep one foot on the brake the other on the gas while stopped at a stop light to keep the motor running.
The first time it happened we added "heat" as we thought it might be water in the gas line somewhere. It started, then ran just fine. This winter the problem started recurring more frequently. We added injector cleaner, it seemed to work a bit, but did not solve problem. We took it to the shop, and they could not figure out what was going on as nothing is registering on the computer and the car would start just fine for them. Brought the car home it worked OK for a week or so, then started up again.
The motor would catch then would quit running almost immediately. We were able to get it running good enough to get it to the shop (kept one foot on gas at stop lights, etc so would not kill). My car has been at the shop for two weeks now. It finally misbehaved on their watch, and they replaced a sensor, but they are not sure it fixed anything. They are keeping it so see if they can get a better diagnosis.
My first thought was the gas pump, but they said they had never seen a subaru gas pump fail and usually when a pump goes out, it goes out. They thought it could be electrical, but not sure as the problem is so intermittent. I would like to get my car fixed and back home. It's a great car; when it is running it runs great. The shop we work with is very good, and they are reluctant to start just replacing parts if it is not going to fix the problem.
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This has been happening for the past 6 months or so. I recently had new ball joints, 4 wheel alignment, and 4 wheel balance. Even with this I'm noticing a very slight high frequency vibration at highway speeds. I noticed on one of the front wheels that a weight fell off, so this might explain the high speed vibration.
However - When I'm starting at 0mph, and accelerate to say 50mph for example, the car vibrates rather substantially as the speedometer moves from around 25mph to just past 30mph. After those speeds it goes away.
I've also noticed that it tends to be worse if I'm going up hill, which, according to the laws of physics, would tell me that going uphill would put more pressure on the front end, given it's heavier with the engine there. If I'm going downhill it vibrates much less.
When I drive I tend to not accelerate quickly, meaning, I don't 'punch' it, and accelerate gradually instead. If I'm driving on a level, well-paved road, and accelerate quicker than regular, the vibration seems to not be as heavy.
Any other tests for this? Struts, control arm, steering knuckle, drive shaft ?
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My wife and I recently bought a 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT with an automatic transmission. Last week, we had the timing belt changed by a mechanic I've gone to for the past four years and trust a great deal. He changed the timing belt, drive belts, water pump, pulleys, tensioner and a few hoses, and everything seemed to go off without a hitch. After picking up the car, though, we noticed that the idle seemed much rougher than it had in the past. We can't tell if it's also rough during driving, or when the car is in park or neutral, but there is definitely considerably more vibration when the car is stopped in drive and idling--you can feel it throughout the car. I haven't noticed it until the car has warmed up.
I asked my brother, who is a mechanic in another state, if he had any thoughts, and he said it could be that the belt is off a notch, a vacuum leak or an unplugged sensor. I brought the car back to the mechanic today to see if it he could fix it, and he said that the CEL would be on if it was a vacuum leak or unplugged sensor, and that the car has an automatic idle that the belt change would not have adjusted. He asked if the vibration was getting any better, since when the battery was unplugged it would take the computer awhile to relearn the correct idle, but we've driven it a few hundred miles and it hasn't gotten any better. I left the car with him to take a look at it, but he just called and said he couldn't find anything wrong.
I want to chalk this up to us imagining something, but we both have no doubt that there has been considerably more vibration at least when the car is idling since we picked it up after the timing belt change. Is there anything else that it could be or that I should ask my mechanic?
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My vehicle had a shudder which felt like driving over a rumble strip. It would usually occur after hitting a small bump at around 35 mph and hearing a clunk underneath. The shudder lasted just a few seconds. Checked the whole steering, suspension, chassis, drivetrain, u-joints, rear e-brake shoes etc. Finally found that the RF axle shaft could be moved up and down excessively in the steering knuckle. Removed axle shaft, R&R u-joint, vacuum hub seal and the torrington bearing in the hub. (used to call it a spindle bearing) ...
There was a little bit of wear into the stub shaft where the spindle bearing rides. That removed the play from the axle when it was all re-assembled. I was very happy until about a month later when it started doing it again, but not as bad as it was originally. I think maybe the stub end of the axle shaft needs to be replaced due to the wear in it. I don't want to just throw a somewhat expensive part at it without some info about "superduty shudder".
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Today and yesterday day mark the first time since I have owned my truck, that I have really taxed it with a load or serious work.
I have 8126, miles to date, and hadn't felt this annoying and somewhat pronounced shudder at throttle- tip in. Only from a dead stop. I'm doing some work to my house, so as I type this I have about 700-800lbs in my box. I've never felt this shudder empty as I do with a load, and starting out on an incline.
It feels like the rear is rolling over a "rumble strip" for the first few feet of throttle input, between 5-10 mph and then smooth everywhere else.
Rob- if your reading this, I can't remember if your shudder was similar, or if yours did it empty or only when towing or hauling a load.
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So I have been unable to figure this problem out and so had my mechanic, I am starting to think this car is cursed. I have an 07 outback with about 54000 miles on it, a few weeks ago it through a P0303 for a misfire in the third cylinder, thought nothing of it, light went off in the next couple starts and the car was running great. Had this happen a couple more times but only after the car had been out in the rain. Each time the problem went away. Now the car has sat in my garage for four days, I got out to start it and get an extremely long crank but no turn over. Try again and after 5-6 seconds car turns over but is running really rough and stalls out. Disconnected the battery checked hoses, everything looked normal, reconnected the battery and now the car is running fine.
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Have a 02 v10 125xxx miles have had grinding noise on drivers side sounds like driving on rumble strip took out the unit hub everything looks good changed out the needle bearing because it was frozen still have sound after needle bearing replacement sound goes away if hubs are locked so question is it the unit bearing or stub shaft...
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