Driveshaft or Propeller Shaft Donut disentegrated

[Jolbaru_LGT]

I’ve also noticed that the steering wheel visibly oscillates on the freeway and you get a little wobble in it that you have to control. Still seems to point straight though. Also a potential driveshaft issue?

 

Might be? Worth a check. FWIW, I had a vibration that stopped when I replaced my shitty moog sway bar endlinks with Kartboy. Brand new moon’s were toast after 10,000 or less miles. They couldn’t handle the upgraded 21mm rear sway bar. But in your case, I’d check those, the CV joints for play, lift the car, and physically shake the wheels, maybe shake the steering rack back and forth, then the driveshaft. Could also be a bad tire. It’s hard to say.

[Jolbaru_LGT]

To the guys who installed the one piece DSS driveshaft,was there any modifying/cutting/ bending involved?

 

Nope. Went on like a dream. You’ve gotta remove the exhaust heatshield and unbolt the mid pipe to get enough room to slide it out the back. I luckily had a new exhaust donut that goes where the mid pipe meets the down pipe. That donut was crumbled and crappy. The hardware from the exhaust shield was fine. A little rusty but ok. The hardware where the down pipe meets the mid pipe was also fine, pretty robust stuff there.

 

So, I’d recommend new Subaru dealership nuts and bolts, and spacers that hold the driveshaft in and that donut. You’re not going to get any of that with the DSS driveshaft. Only a really nice driveshaft.

[Pleides]

Yeah the center support bearing and donut was toast! You definitely don’t want that to blow when you’re driving. Especially going 60-80mph on the freeway. I thought the driveshaft was going to poke through the floor and come up via the center storage thing between the seats. It was that violent and sudden. No warning...

Yeah get the serviceable one. Tell your mechanic about it, and make sure he gets the proper new nuts and bolts from Subaru.

 

This honestly doesn't look too hard to replace yourself and it seems like my service department is letting sales screw with their cars in service again so long as we wear a mask. Any idea what part numbers to look for? I'd just be replacing the bolt and washer, right? No road salt to see here, so I'd think most stuff would be re-usable.

[Pleides]

Might be? Worth a check. FWIW, I had a vibration that stopped when I replaced my shitty moog sway bar endlinks with Kartboy. Brand new moon’s were toast after 10,000 or less miles. They couldn’t handle the upgraded 21mm rear sway bar. But in your case, I’d check those, the CV joints for play, lift the car, and physically shake the wheels, maybe shake the steering rack back and forth, then the driveshaft. Could also be a bad tire. It’s hard to say.

 

Endlinks are all new so I doubt it's that, but I do know I need some control arm bushings, so that's my best guess. I monitor tire pressure more than the average bear and the tread looks nearly new with 12K on Michelin AS3+. CV joints are new as well. Oh well. On to more diagnosis!

[Max Capacity]

To the guys who installed the one piece DSS driveshaft,was there any modifying/cutting/ bending involved?

 

No, it's a direct bolt in.

 

Just to keep things clear, DSS to us racers, refers to the The Driveshaft Shop, not The Driveshaft Store.

 

Us old Honda racers knew Frank the owner, I've had to call him from the track once.

 

For the bolt's most dealers web site's have a link to Parts. Click on it and look them up. Or go to the sticky up top and check one of the recommended Vendors.

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/oem-online-subaru-parts-vendors-list-42243.html

 

I like, https://www.subaruonlineparts.com/ I was talking to Benny the other day. PM him if you need.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Max Capacity

[zactek]

Nope. Went on like a dream. You’ve gotta remove the exhaust heatshield and unbolt the mid pipe to get enough room to slide it out the back. I luckily had a new exhaust donut that goes where the mid pipe meets the down pipe. That donut was crumbled and crappy. The hardware from the exhaust shield was fine. A little rusty but ok. The hardware where the down pipe meets the mid pipe was also fine, pretty robust stuff there.

 

So, I’d recommend new Subaru dealership nuts and bolts, and spacers that hold the driveshaft in and that donut. You’re not going to get any of that with the DSS driveshaft. Only a really nice driveshaft.

 

Thank you,what spacers for the driveshaft are you talking about?

I have a Borla catback which has a considerably smaller resonator,any chance I won't have to unbolt the midpipe to get clearance?

[zactek]

No, it's a direct bolt in.

 

Just to keep things clear, DSS to us racers, refers to the The Driveshaft Shop, not The Driveshaft Store.

 

Us old Honda racers knew Frank the owner, I've had to call him from the track once.

 

For the bolt's most dealers web site's have a link to Parts. Click on it and look them up. Or go to the sticky up top and check one of the recommended Vendors.

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/oem-online-subaru-parts-vendors-list-42243.html

 

I like, https://www.subaruonlineparts.com/ I was talking to Benny the other day. PM him if you need.

 

I usually use Subaru parts warehouse because they're close, have good discounts,and don't charge tax. I'm in NY and actually been to the one you recommend,but got a bad vibe from them after how I was treated; they kept stringing me along for months about a LGT wagon they were supposed to get in. This was when I was looking to buy one 6 years ago. I never pay retail for parts,lol

[Max Capacity]

https://estore.subarupartswarehouse.com/a/Subaru_2006_Legacy-25L-TURBO-5MT-4WD-GT-Limited-Wagon/_54101_6028480/PROPELLER-SHAFT/B13-199-01.html

 

You can see the mounting there.

[Infosecdad]

Thank you,what spacers for the driveshaft are you talking about?

I have a Borla catback which has a considerably smaller resonator,any chance I won't have to unbolt the midpipe to get clearance?

 

I removed my stock driveshaft and installed this one without removing any exhaust components. I have a 3" Stromung mid and didn't have any trouble working around it.

[Max Capacity]

FWIW, I removed that big heat shield over the mid pipe back in 2011. So don't feel there's a real need to keep it.

 

Having said that, do you think it may help the carrier bearing stay cooler ?

 

Mine lasted until about 250,000 miles.

[Jolbaru_LGT]

This honestly doesn't look too hard to replace yourself and it seems like my service department is letting sales screw with their cars in service again so long as we wear a mask. Any idea what part numbers to look for? I'd just be replacing the bolt and washer, right? No road salt to see here, so I'd think most stuff would be re-usable.

 

I’m not sure what year, and model you have but if you go to the local Subaru dealership, either online or in person, (wouldn’t really do over the phone) you could figure it out. For me, this might help. But I can’t confirm fitment.

 

44022AA123

 

https://parts.wildesubaru.com/a/Subaru__Legacy/__6028480/PROPELLER-SHAFT/B13-199-01.html

[Jolbaru_LGT]

FWIW, I removed that big heat shield over the mid pipe back in 2011. So don't feel there's a real need to keep it.

 

Having said that, do you think it may help the carrier bearing stay cooler ?

 

Mine lasted until about 250,000 miles.

 

It's my opinion that everything the engineers designed has a purpose. You could leave the heat shield off, but why? It's very light and blocks heat and debris from the components like you mentioned.

 

Some people argue the engine cover does nothing, I tend to disagree. I had a friend that thought you didn't really need a belly pan. Lol, then his alternator blew from water damage. I'm from the school where if it's available, and OEM, put it on. If it's broken or compromised, replace it.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Jolbaru_LGT

[Chocoholic005]

It's my opinion that everything the engineers designed has a purpose.

 

You'd be surprised how much stuff we design that has little to no purpose. A lot of early development of a new model is based on cooperate design standards, previous knowledge, and requirements for plant assembly that end up being completely unnecessary or overbuilt. Since we don't test vehicles for being overbuilt, most of these parts that are excessive or totally unnecessary are never caught; and when they are caught, it's usually because someone is looking for a cost saving measure and ran the necessary tests without said part, only to find it passes the tests.

 

Additionally, there are a lot of parts that are purely visual (like the engine cover) that serve little to no purpose for the performance of the vehicle. This extends well beyond body panels and interior bits, and can compromise the cooling system, suspension/chassis, underbody and more depending on the design office's requirements.

[Jolbaru_LGT]

You'd be surprised how much stuff we design that has little to no purpose. A lot of early development of a new model is based on cooperate design standards, previous knowledge, and requirements for plant assembly that end up being completely unnecessary or overbuilt. Since we don't test vehicles for being overbuilt, most of these parts that are excessive or totally unnecessary are never caught; and when they are caught, it's usually because someone is looking for a cost saving measure and ran the necessary tests without said part, only to find it passes the tests.

 

Additionally, there are a lot of parts that are purely visual (like the engine cover) that serve little to no purpose for the performance of the vehicle. This extends well beyond body panels and interior bits, and can compromise the cooling system, suspension/chassis, underbody and more depending on the design office's requirements.

 

Eh, I’ve defended the engine cover before and it’s not purely visual IMHO, it locks into the ducting and serves a pretty good purpose cooling and keeping the hot things away from the cool bits. I’m glad to have it.