Bensjamin

I’m wondering if the sway bar itself is the culprit. Is the front sway bar on a 2008 Subaru legacy 2.0GT the same as the front sway bar on a 2009 (gen 3 BP) Subaru outback? I’ve measured the thickness of them and they are the same, but I’m not sure if it’s different in other ways. The reason I ask is we have a blown up Outback and I was thinking of doing a cheeky wee swap of the sway bars if they are the same.

I don’t think it’s the end links because it’s not a clunking noise. The car passed a WOF yesterday and I was talking to the mechanic about the noise. When I left I had him stand by the driveway to the business and listen for the noise when going over the bump/curb/gutter. He couldn’t figure out what it could be based on the sound but suggested it could be the struts? I’ve noticed that I don’t have the stock Bilsteins up front, but they are in the back. Someone prior to me must have changed them and he said that maybe if the wrong springs are installed then they could be rubbing on the top of the strut. Thoughts??

Good point. I do know that the rear control arm bushings are shot, but I’ve bounced on the rear of the car like mad but couldn’t get it to squeak/creak. Would the front of the car going over a bump cause much movement for the rear control arm?

Hey thanks for your reply. I did notice that the left ball joint boot was split, so I sprayed a liberal amount of silicone in there but there was no improvement to the sound. When I compare this sound to the sound of a creaking ball joint on YouTube, it sounds similar but still a little different. I also cannot recreate the noise while bouncing on the front of the car - it’s only when going over bumps.

Hello! I’ve got a 2008 JDM Subaru Legacy 2.0GT auto. 140,000km on the clock. Something in the front end is creaking/squeaking when going over bumps, but it only happens when the car is “cold” (in the first 5 mins of driving). After things have warmed up/expanded, the creaking/squeaking sound will stop even when going over bumps. The lower control arm bushings were shot, so I got those replaced on both sides. Still makes the noise. I swapped the polyurethane sway bar bushings for rubber ones and sprayed them with silicone WD-40. Still makes the noise. What else could be making the noise? Ive added a short clip of the sound while going over a bump. Hopefully it works. RPReplay_Final1711313165.mov

Hello! I’ve got a 2008 JDM Subaru Legacy 2.0GT auto. 140,000km on the clock. Something in the front end is creaking/squeaking when going over bumps, but it only happens when the car is “cold” (in the first 5 mins of driving). After things have warmed up/expanded, the creaking/squeaking sound will stop even when going over bumps. The lower control arm bushings were shot, so I got those replaced on both sides. Still makes the noise. I swapped the polyurethane sway bar bushings for rubber ones and sprayed them with silicone WD-40. Still makes the noise. What else could be making the noise? Ive added a short clip of the sound while going over a bump. Hopefully it works. RPReplay_Final1711313165.mov