miltoney

Well today I finally had a chance to look the car over really good myself, and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I think the sound is coming from the exhaust. I had my wife give it a little gas while I stood outside the car (she heard the sound immediately by the way, so I'm not crazy!), and I could clearly hear the rumbling coming from the muffler. I don't know if it's supposed to sound like this, I find it hard to believe Subaru would put something like this on a Legacy. The muffler still looks almost brand new, but I realize there could still be a pinhole in it somewhere.

 

It is definitely not tires, they are in fact shitty tires the dealer installed, and they are noisy as hell on the highway, but this is not the sound I am talking about.

Miltoney,

 

The tech could be absolutely right as far as the tire theory. Can you please indicate what brand and size tires you have please and what the tread level is as well as that could play a big role if it is in fact tires. 4/32 of tread is a lot more noisy then 10 or 8/32 and I generally replace all of mine at 4/32 because of the loud grumbling and general loudness at this point.I personally have become Uber sensitive to tire noise in my cars in the last ten years or so. Since you are hearing a rumbling sound it could very well be the tires. However I generally hear that noise in the tires at highway speeds or on rougher pavement never at super low speeds at all.

 

As far as the wheel bearing issue on both my 4th gens I thought it was the tires however My mechanic had to listen to the bearings as my issue was more of a binding feel at speed with very minimal noise. This does not seem to be the case in your situation however.

 

The tires are brand new. Dealer installed when I bought the car. It's not the tires or sound would persist regardless of throttle position.

miltoney

I had what may be similar symptoms (as far as noise is concerned) in my '16 2.5i.

Rumbling that increased with engine rpm but seemed to be less loud after the car was warmed-up/driven a bit. We did have an exhaust smell as well though.

Turned out to be a crack had formed in the bellows of the front exhaust.

It is unfortunately tough to verify for sure as there is shielding and insulation over the entire assembly.

Link to my posts for reference:

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/exhaust-smell-recall-wuj-95-281725p5.html

See post#73 for my findings.

This is a known issue and there is a recall WUJ-95 though they refused to cover mine and I had to replace it myself.

Hope this helps.

 

Interesting, thank you. Although being an 18, this shouldn't be my problem.

 

The dealer looked at it today and I got exactly the response I expected. They told me over the phone they couldn't hear anything, so when I got there i asked one of the "techs" to ride with me. Of course with me in the car there was no denying the sound, and he said it sounds like tires to him...lol. so I said to him funny the tire sound stops everytime I take my foot off the gas. Then he changed his tune and started going on about the cvt and how it runs in a high gear to save fuel bla bla bla...the guy was obviously clueless.

 

I don't know, I guess I'll just ride it out for a while, see what happens. It's not that bad, I can tolerate it, I just don't think its right.

Exhaust leak?

 

I don't think its an exhaust leak, although I haven't 100% ruled it out, but it just doesn't sound like that. it sounds more internal, and the underside of the car certainly doesn't have enough corrosion (has almost none) to make me suspect that, unless there is a defect in the exhaust somewhere.

 

I'm just afraid the dealer is going to tell me they don't hear it, or that it's normal. I swear I will lose my shit if they tell me that...

Kind of a long story, I traded in the 17 for a truck and then about 6 months ago we tried to sell my older 2012 legacy but I couldn't get what I wanted for it, so my wife and I talked and decided to get rid of the truck and bank some money for as long as I could keep the car running. Well, as soon as I sold the truck, that car was nothing but problems, I was working on it every weekend. I got sick of it and traded that car in for this 18.

 

It's a beautiful car, a limited with only 24000 miles, was apparently kept in a garage because even the underside of it still looks brand new. But I think I see why someone traded it in!

 

As far as diagnosing, I am pretty mechanically inclined, I do most of my own work. I even changed the timing belt on my 12'. But I have never heard anything like this sound. Whatever it is, it is definitely not right, and I suspect it could be something serious. I did purchase a good warranty, so it will get fixed, eventually.

Not saying that it's not the cvt, but it is definitely not a 'normal' cvt sound. It is actually quite uncomfortable to listen to for any length of time, and it is a relief to get on the highway where the noise stops (and then the excessive road noise kicks in, but thats neither here nor there).

 

I owned a 17 legacy for a couple years that didn't make this sound.

 

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it

Just picked up an 18 Legacy 2.5i a couple days ago. It has an issue where upon very light throttle depression, there is a rumble, almost like the sound a car with a traditional transmission would make when it is in too high of a gear for the speed and needs to downshift. There is also a minor vibration with it. It only occurs with light throttle input, like enough to maintain speed on a flat road. Foot off the gas, it stops. Foot into the gas, it stops. It is most prominent at lower speeds, I don't notice it on the highway at 70 plus.

 

Needless to say, this makes driving anywhere but the highway less than desirable. I did notice a rumble during my test drive but thought it was the bass from the Harmon Kardon, because it seemed to stop when I turned the radio down.

 

Anyone have any idea what this could be? Very frustrating considering I just bought the car. It is obviously going to the dealer, but I don't have alot of faith in them and would like to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible.

Yeah, I guess that would explain why Tirerack doesnt list them as an option for this car. Oh well, onto craigslist they go.

I just picked up a used 18 Legacy limited today with 18 inch wheels. I have a set of 16x6.5 wheels that I used for winter wheels on my old subaru, I am wondering if they can be used on this car.

 

Appreciate any help!

It was the cause of most of my problems, but the hard pedal still persists. A silicone based grease is supposed to be used on the pins. I don't care anymore, the car has bigger issues and I have decided to bail on it.

Understood, sometimes you have to decide enough is enough…

 

I don't mean to shit on the car, I actually plan on buying another Subaru...it's more a factor of where I live. 10 years is about the limit here in the northeast.

Attempted to change the right rear wheel bearing and couldn't even get the axle nut off because it is so badly rusted...decided it is time to get a new car. This thing has me busy every weekend and I'm sick of it.

Yes, I push the brake pedal out of habit from driving vehicles with push button start, I know it isn't actually necessary with this car.

 

I think I MAY have found my problem. I have completely replaced my front brakes, including calipers, and they were fine at first, but after a week or two really started to feel like crap...vibrating when braking at high speed, excess dust on the wheels, clunking over small cracks/gravel roads, and the problem I made this thread for, the hard brake with engine off. I was watching youtube videos to make sure I didn't miss something obvious, and I saw a video from "mr. subaru" where he applied some synthetic brake grease to the pins and then stated that it was the incorrect grease, and that it would cause swelling of the bushings on the slide pins. I used synthetic grease, and sticking slide pins from swollen bushings would explain all of my problems.

 

I am going to tear it all apart tomorrow, I will report back with what I find.

Lately My brake pedal is rock hard (lol) when I press it right before I start the car. It is fine once the car starts. I suspected a bad brake booster check valve, but I can't seem to find the part anywhere. Does this car have one? And are there any other things that could be causing this?

Sounds like a sticky brake caliper to me. After you have driven for a while feel your wheels. If one is warmer than the rest, that is the one with the sticky caliper. I had the exact same issue and new calipers solved the problem.

I'm getting a P0327 code in my 3.6R so I'm wondering if someone can help me out. I don't know where they are located, and also which one would be 'sensor 1'.

 

thanks yalls

I want to keep my 17 for as long as I can and was worried that the new 20 would be too tempting to trade in for. I'm not worried anymore.

Quick question for you guys. I picked up my winter tire and wheel package today. I know the idiot light for the TPMS sensors are going to stay lit with the snow tire package. My question is do I have to reprogram or train the original stock wheels when I switch back? Thanks.

 

Nope, you don't have to do a thing. I put my summers on and the light goes out after a few minutes.

My new winter wheels and tires, just tried them to make sure they fit and to see how they look. Glad I went with these instead of the black steelies.

 

 

 

http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww261/miltoney/20160918_134403_HDR1.jpg

 

http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww261/miltoney/20160918_134329_HDR1.jpg