Had the shakes

Flywheel, Clutch, Transmission, Axles, etc...

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legacy92ej22t
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Had the shakes

Post by legacy92ej22t »

I wasn't sure if this was more appropriate in the Drivetrain or Wheels tires and brakes forum so I stuck it in here.

Anyways, I had been getting a pulse and shudder when braking at higher speeds over the last month or two, with it getting especially bad over the past few weeks. I figured I warped the hell out of my front rotors and wasn't really too concerned because I have a new set of Mountain front rotors waiting to go in and I planned to swap when the weather would cooperate.

Well I went ahead and changed over to my summer wheels recently and figured I'd take a quick look at my front brakes to see what was going on but not swap yet because I didn't have the time. I didn't notice anything obvious but my driver side axle nut caught my eye because it had come unstaked! I go to look at it and I could turn it with my fingers! :shock: I couldn't believe it. :oops:

I tightened it down, restaked it and went for a drive. The brake shudder was almost completely gone. Since I've still got a little shutter when braking from higher speeds I figure that the problem caused my front rotors to warp slightly or I cooked my wheel bearing :evil: (I think it is the rotors though).

I guess the moral of the story is that when you experience brake shudder and pulsing in the pedal, check your axle nuts too. It could be the problem.
-Matt

'92 SS 5mt. All go and no show. Sold :(
'94 Audi UrS4 Modded (new project)
'96 Outback 5mt.
'07 Legacy 2.5i SE

[quote="Redlined"]
Oh... and I hope the fucker get bunked with Gunter, arrested for raping Gorillas.[/quote]
Legacy777
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Post by Legacy777 »

your bearings probably aren't in the best shape because of this either.......
Josh

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ciper
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Post by ciper »

I agree with Legacy777. Even loosening the axle nut while the car is on the ground can cause damage.

As a side note, I had similar shaking and its caused by flat spotted tires because I didnt drive the car often enough!
legacy92ej22t
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Post by legacy92ej22t »

:evil: I really hope it's not the wheel bearing because I just replaced it 6k miles ago and they aren't cheap!

I'll have to double check soon.
-Matt

'92 SS 5mt. All go and no show. Sold :(
'94 Audi UrS4 Modded (new project)
'96 Outback 5mt.
'07 Legacy 2.5i SE

[quote="Redlined"]
Oh... and I hope the fucker get bunked with Gunter, arrested for raping Gorillas.[/quote]
ciper
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Post by ciper »

You replaced it 6000 miles ago and it has been loose the entire time? Your lucky you didnt become a candidate for the Darwin Award!

Did you use the latest part number for the bearings when you did them?
legacy92ej22t
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Post by legacy92ej22t »

It hadn't been doing it since I replaced it. It just started doing it slightly a month, month and a half ago. It had only been bad the last couple of weeks. I guess the nut came unstaked and slowly came loose.

I had to replace the driverside bearing only because I had to destroy it to get my axle out. I didn't use a Subaru bearing. I got one from a local parts store. It was a lot cheaper (in more ways then one probably) then the Subaru one. I ran WAY over budget when doing my axles because of all the problems on the driverside so I went cheap. I was a little stressed about it before but if it's messed up then I guess I'm glad it was a cheap one!

I'm sure that what ever happened wasn't good for my bearing (probably shortened it's life a little) but I truly believe that the rotors are causing the slight shudder. Maybe I'm just being optimistic but I think if I swap in my new ones that I'll be ok. I'll jack my car up soon and do a bearing check.
-Matt

'92 SS 5mt. All go and no show. Sold :(
'94 Audi UrS4 Modded (new project)
'96 Outback 5mt.
'07 Legacy 2.5i SE

[quote="Redlined"]
Oh... and I hope the fucker get bunked with Gunter, arrested for raping Gorillas.[/quote]
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