legacycentral bbs

Hello to all!

Just became member after buying a ’92 Legacy L Wagon (5-spd manual, 122K) – in fact, my fifth Subaru.

I am happy with the car (everything works) but I notice a funny metallic noise coming from under the front end just when I drive over an uneven manhole cover or on rough terrain (on good pavement the sound is never heard).

A loose exhaust pipe, I thought. So under the car I went.

The view from below was great: no rust, no cracked CV boots, no fluid leaks (heck, the oil filter is OEM!) but I could not find anything loose. The exhaust pipe is tight and I saw no missing bolts anywhere.

In my search for the noise origin, I remove the front left wheel and upon checking the brakes, I notice the rotor slightly loose. Not like falling off or anything: calipers and pads are in place, the rotor has no scores and so far the brake system is working just fine.

Basically, it looked like the rotor was a bit loose because I took the rim off. As far as I can tell, once the rim is mounted back in its place, everything should be right.

Because I cannot reproduce the weird noise (it only happens once when the front tire hits the pavement imperfection), at this point I assume it could be the ceramic chips inside the catalytic converter.

But I am still intrigued by the slightly loose hub. If anyone knows the way things are supposed to be, please drop me a note – it will ease my concern.

Thanks in advance.



Louie

Yeah, without the wheel on there, the rotor is supposed to be loose...

As for the noise....it could be something suspension related....im not the best at tracking down noises...

Andrew

Yup, the wheel and lugs are responsible for holding the rotor in place.

Can you describe the noise any better? Does it sound like something scraping? Like something rattling? Like something banging around?

Check to see if the backing plates to the rotor are too close (is it scraping?). Otherwise I suggest a loose heat shield - very common. I don't think our converters are the pellet style.

Steve

Thanks to all for the postings.
I am glad to know there is no problem with the rotor.
As far as the noise, the heat shield mentioned by

Oops!
Sorry about that, hit the wrong key. Like I was saying, the heat shield mentioned by Steve seems plausible. Will check next. Thanks again to everyone!

Louie

Had it inspected today and the mechanic told me the shims on the front left brake are loose and that is where the rattling noise is coming from.
As a matter of fact, when the brakes are being applied, the noise disappears.
But the shop owner told me shims come only with the calipers and to replace all the front calipers it will cost me $350.
It sounds a bit expensive, considering that there are nothing wrong with the calipers to begin with.
So, I want to tackle the problem myself later on (might as well change the pads while I am at it).
I would like to know if anyone has any advice on servicing the brakes, finding replacement shims (or fixing them), best brake pads, etc.


Louie

If the shims he means are the brake pad shims he's lieing right to your face. They come with pads when you replace them. And I can assure you it wont be $350. However if the mechanic just had his wording wrong and you do need new calipers and you have at least 16"x7" wheels you might as well get the Subaru 4pots for like $100 more.

Thawa, I thought exactly the same - hence, I'll do it myself.
The mechanic was a nice guy who took his time while driving the car to show me how the noise disappeared when the brakes were applied. And he was clear when he said the brakes were fine.
But back at the shop, the owner took over and gave me this expensive quote.
I knew it was unreal but I did not say anything at the time.
In fact, I also asked for an estimate on rear struts (something I will have to replace in the near future) and he quoted $370 (all prices are "labor included").
In any case, I still have the OEM 14" steelies. Any reccomendations on brake pads?
Thanks!


Louie