HugoStiglitz Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 2006 Legacy Wagon 5MT 2.5i Trying to diagnose few different suspension issues on my front suspension. The most recent one is a startling vibration/stuttering coming from the passenger side wheel at highway speeds. It only lasted a few seconds. In addition to this, I get a popping noise when coming to a slow stop (stop signs). For one, I know that my LCA bushings need replacement, but I don't know that they would cause this play described below. Trying to diagnose this latest problem... I jacked up only the passenger side wheel and found that there is play when pulling the wheel hub straight out (tire still attached, lugs are tight), maybe 1/2"-1" total. It seem to be at the rear of the wheel where the play is, as if it pivots towards the front of the wheel. I am able to pull it out and push it back in. I tried this on the drivers side and it does not articulate in the same fashion. Inspected the LCA, tie rods, strut, hub and nothing in noticeably cracked, or disconnected. What could cause the hub to be able to be able to articulate like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doobaruGT Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 pop = sway bar end link? articulation = wheel bearing? Updated parts list since original part-out here. Original Full part-out of my LGT HERE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HugoStiglitz Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 The end links look Ok. I'm thinking that noise is strut related, but I'm not sure how to tell if the strut mounts are bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HugoStiglitz Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 Looks like the ball joint causing the wheel play. I got it on jack stands and its clearly moving at the ball joint where there shouldn't be play. If it has cracked or failed, I'n not sure if I'd be able to pop it out. We'll see! http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-Do-I-Know-If-My-Car-Has-Bad-Ball-Joints-/10000000177633328/g.html "Checking the Ball Joints If a ball joint is suspected of being bad, it needs to be checked. This requires jacking up the vehicle so that the weight is off the tire and the wheel can move freely. Some try to check the ball joint without jacking up the car, but this only allows the upper ball joint to be checked, not the lower. Since more and more cars are being built with McPherson struts, this check is largely useless. With the wheel and tire raised off the ground, grasp the top and bottom of the tire. Try to rock it in and out along a vertical axis; a fair amount of force is needed to overcome the weight of the wheel and tire. It should not move at all, except for side-to-side movement for steering. Any rocking in and out indicates that at least one of the ball joints is bad. Take a pry bar and place it between the lower control arm and the wheel hub. These two parts are connected together by the ball joint. Try prying them apart. If there is any movement, it indicates that the ball joint is worn and bad. Grasp the grease fitting and try moving it. If it moves, it indicates a bad ball joint or just a bad grease fitting. Whether it is the ball joint or the grease fitting that is bad can be determined by whether the ball moves with the fitting. If the fitting moves without the ball and is dry, it may be the case that only the grease fitting is bad. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 In regard to the struts/strut mounts.. From the little I know about suspensions, I've heard that when the strut mounts and their bearing start to go bad, the bearing could freeze up. If the bearing freezes up, it could cause the spring to bind and pop. After I recently replaced my struts, I accidentally put a part in the wrong place, which basically locked up my strut mount even though it was brand new. As a result of the frozen strut mount, I got a popping sound when turning the wheel as shown in the video below. The bottom of the spring was moving with the wheel turning, but the top of the spring was unable to turn with it, causing the popping below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGuJMVwxDxw&feature=youtu.be As far as the ball joint goes, it sounds like the ball joint should have minimal up and down movement, less than .3mm. I've attached what the factory service manual says about the front ball joints. I don't think a popping noise coming to a stop would be the strut mounts or ball joints, but I'm not positive. I would fix the lca bushing(s) and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HugoStiglitz Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 The play was actually side to side not vertical. Just finished ripping out the ball joint, it was completely trashed. We had to remove the knuckle and take a grinder and cut slits in the cup and pry and bend until it finally gave way. The shaft and ball itself were completely seperate from the cup, which was causing the play. Also I broke the pinch bolt, which many have done on here, I think I've read every case and method in trying to remove the ball joint from the knuckle with downward pressure on the LCA. In NO instance would this have been possible in my case haha, that sucker was not budging whatsoever. I even gave the trusty bull pin a try. I must have let this linger for far too long. Also my former mechanic clearly misdiagnosed this issue, there's no way this happened overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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