clicking front end

[05barbee]

front end clicks whenever turning kinda sharp at slow speeds. i bought the car used about 6 months ago and was told it was doing it for about a year before that. it is a 93 legacy l awd with the fwd fuse installed and aprox 145000 miles. this is my first subaru, so please take pity on me. any help would be greatly appreciated.

[jefferson]

You have a cv joint out on one or both axles. Time to replace them.

Jeff

[05barbee]

how can i tell if it's just one or both? i'm not current on front wheel drive systems (i'm used to working on my pickup truck). the book i've got just tells how to replace them, not troubleshoot them. also, did i get a good deal on this? 93 legacy l, 145,000 miles, timing belt replaced at 130,000, couple of surface rust spots (maybe 3 about the size of a quarter), good tires, interior almost perfect (just missing the drivers side sun visor), automatic that shifts flawlessly. i paid $800.00 for it.

[fishbone79]

You can probably tell by getting under there and seeing how much play is in the shafts themselves - side to side, moslty. If one is shot, chances are the other is on it's way out. Replacing them is a 1.5-2 hour job, and you really should do both at once.

FWIW, I think you got a pretty good deal.

[evolutionmovement]

Chances are the boot's shredded. It's rare to see one go without the boot torn, so look for that. Usually what causes the failure is the boot tearing, the grease getting thrown all over the inside of the wheel, and the joint subsequently wearing itself out.

I'd bet the visor's missing because it wore out and kept falling down and annoying the previous owner. That's why mine's gone.

[drewriviera]

By the way, I have to replace both of mine too...Is there ANY company that makes these better than stock?

[gijonas]

Is there ANY company that makes these better than stock?

No way,unless you have some custom made,or cryo treat them or something.Dont buy NAPA ones,and the factory ones are expensive but last forever if taken care of.

[fishbone79]

Where I previously lived there was a place that rebuilt them for $30/shaft. We were broke at the time, so I brought them 2 OEM one's from my wife's car and had them done; they have lasted 50k without any issues, and actually have very minimal play in the bushings.

For giggles I put a dial indicator on one last year at 42k and there was ~0.030" of wiggle-wobble in the shaft.

[Baulde]

You can replace a CV in 15 mins once you figure things out.

But for starters. You need to remove 5 lug nuts, one axle nut, one ball joint bolt and a roll pin.

If you can loosen(break) the axle nut (32mm) while the tire is on the ground it can make things easier. May need a large bar for this.

Lift the car and place on jack stands. With enough room for you to get underneath

Remove the tire. the axle nut and then the bolt that is on the bottom of the hub assembly(housing) and on the top of the ball joint 14mm I think.

Pry the control arm off the hub assembly by popping the ball joint out of the hub assembly. Might be sticky the first time, be careful not to pinch the ball joint boot. This can be a little tricky until you get the knack.

Now the entire hub assembly and strut will kind of move out of the way. I tend to tie it off to hold it aside, toward the front of the car.

Knock the roll pin out of the cv on the transmission side of the cv axle. You should use a pin punch but some Robertson screwdrivers will double if they fit. And you will never need on on a Subaru anyways.

Now pull the cv out, and new one is pretty much the same in reverse only you need to notch the axle nut when finished.

In addition to this I also wire brush the ball joint and ball joint socket in the hub assembly(housing) then anti seize it. Next time I pull it apart with anti seize on every bolt it damn near falls apart when a wrench touches it.

Myself and a friend did two front cv's in his car in less than half an hour including unpacking and cleanup. We chew cv's up pretty quick in the winter with our shenanigans . But normal driving they should last forever.

I hope I did not miss a step