Draco-REX Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Had an interesting moment the other day while I was changing the oil in my Leggy. Ever since I bought the car in August, there has been an odd noise from the driver's side front. It occurred whenever the driveline would lurch (i.e. 6 - 4 downshift and punch it, or stalling the engine). It sounded like a 'crunch' and sort of like threads rubbing against metal. So I thought it might be an engine mount first. But I've had a car with a broken engine mount before and it didn't feel the same. The control arm bushings look intact and I didn't have the thumping under braking or other indicators of this. I thought maybe the front bushing had failed and the tire was making contact with the fender since the sound seemed to change a little when I changed tires. But there was no indication of rubbing. I finally thought the CV joint had partially failed and the axle was being tossed off-center briefly. Turns out I was half right and half wrong with my first guess. When I crawled under the car to change the oil I saw that the driver's side bolt that holds the transmission crossmember to the body had backed out about 5/8"!! I didn't get pics because my first reaction was to get it tightened up asap. (Dewalt cordless impact FTMFW!) The passenger's side bolt wasn't fully torqued either.. I'd hate to think what might have happened if it had fully backed out. So the 'crunch' noise is gone, and it didn't cost me a penny to fix. Whew! But there were some unforeseen benefits to getting those bolts tightened. There had always been a feeling of disconnect between the car and myself when I was driving. I always chalked it up to the Leggy being more of a 'Luxury' offering than the Impreza; especially the WRX and STI. So I figured I'd have to live with it. But now the throttle response is much better and the overall car feels tighter. That disconnect is gone. Another thing that is now fixed was a secondary thump after I go over bumps. I thought it was a sign of failing struts, but apparently it was the transmission bouncing on the loose bolt. So, moral of the story is, give your crossmember bolts a check next time you're under there. Someone at SIA might have been having an off day.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Sweet! Nothing like an inexpensive fix! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted November 14, 2010 Author Share Posted November 14, 2010 Sweet! Nothing like an inexpensive fix! Yeah, but scary that it happened in the first place. And that it passed the supposed 150-point inspection at the dealership I bought it from.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 OK, that is a bit scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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