subieblondie Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Hi all.... I was wondering if anyone can help me troubleshoot a rough idle issue... My 07 n/a automatic had a new wheel bearing and axel put in Thursday And now it is idling rough when in drive only, and only when the car has come to a stop. Like at a stop sign or traffic light. When I shift to park, or when the car is in motion the idle returns to 'normal'. Has this happened to anyone else??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieblondie Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 Follow up Question... Could this be caused by possibly bad motor mounts? Again, it sounds like a rough idle, but the rps do not change. It is like a vibrating noise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyGT15 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 MY car is currently doing this. Does your car actually drop in RPM's or is it just your car is vibrating? What are your RPM's at a stand still in drive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieblondie Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 The RPM's stay the same, and around 800-1000... It is just the vibrating that sounds like it is a rough idle...without actually changing the RPM's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyGT15 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 My car does that all the time. Haven't really looked into it. It could be because of the motor mounts though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyGT15 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Do you have a check engine light on at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieblondie Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 No, the cel is not on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp233 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Is the AC on? That can affect engine vibe when stopped (foot on the brake), in Drive. One thing you can always do, is loosen the motor mount nuts, and the pitch stopper, to let the engine "settle" in its place (don't run the motor like this), and then torque it all back up. Also, same story with the trans mount. Easy thing to do is loosen all of those, on a level surface, then tighten them all up and see if it resolves it. I did this once on an old Legacy wagon, I pulled the car onto ramps and then loosened the motor mounts and trans mount, then used a jack to raise/lower the whole thing, then loosened the pitch stopper, shook the motor around a tiny bit by hand, than while on the ground on its own weight, got underneath and tightened all the mounts back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 I would bet they knocked a vacuum hose off when they did the work. It sounds like it is idling a bit high while in gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 From what I'm reading, this could be caused by an aftermarket axle if that's what you had installed. Was the work done by subaru or an independent shop, do you know what kind of axle was used? I know that it might sound odd to suggest the axle, but it looks like this is a common issue with subarus and aftermarket axles, but only certain brands. A few threads I've read have specifically cited napa axles, but I don't know if there are multiple napa grades or what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieblondie Posted June 15, 2013 Author Share Posted June 15, 2013 No, the ac isn't on when this happens. The hoses looked ok but a second look won't hurt It is a aftermarket axel so I might have to look into that possibility. Thanks for the suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmoove Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It's the axle. I just had my front passenger axle changed out at an independent shop, and I'm having the exact same issue. It wasn't doing that before it was changed out. Im debating what to do about it. It's not horrible, and if I creep forward a bit at a red light or something it goes away. Did you end up doing anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I just want to clarify in my last post that aftermarket axles only seem to be an issue with A/T subarus, not M/T ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmoove Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Yeah, mine is an automatic. Unfortunately.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieblondie Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 I haven't had a chance to get one from Subaru but I have been trying little things to make it not as bad. I will try the moving forward a little. I have been just moving the wheel and usually I can find a 'sweet spot' where it will stop with the annoying sound and vibration. Why is it that after market axels do this to a/t? So annoying and more $ to spend now :-/ With all this things with this car, I've decided it will be my last subaru. My Audi was easier to maintain then the legacy is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob-2 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I haven't had a chance to get one from Subaru but I have been trying little things to make it not as bad. I will try the moving forward a little. I have been just moving the wheel and usually I can find a 'sweet spot' where it will stop with the annoying sound and vibration. Why is it that after market axels do this to a/t? So annoying and more $ to spend now :-/ With all this things with this car, I've decided it will be my last subaru. My Audi was easier to maintain then the legacy is. You put non-OEM parts on a car and are complaining about Subaru? Your logic is poop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmoove Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I would imagine that it doesn't do it with manual transmission because when you're stopped, the car either isn't in gear, or the clutch is pressed in, so there's no "pressure" (for lack of a better word) on the drive axles. With automatics always being in gear, there's always forces acting on the axle, even when stopped. Unless it's in park or neutral, which is why the vibration goes away. I think it's some kind of resonance vibration that only happens at that low rpm. I can't explain why it goes away when I creep up a bit and stop though. I'm worried about the vibration wearing something else out, is why I'm concerned. I know what you're sayin about the Subarus, or at least the GT's. They do seem to have their nuances, maintenance wise, ie. what fluids you use, or having to replace all 4 tires if one goes down. Seems like there's always something more to learn about them. But, I personally don't mind. It's still my favorite car I've ever had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmoove Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 You put non-OEM parts on a car and are complaining about Subaru? Your logic is poop. Yeah, I definitely slipped this time. I've just never had it happen before with an axle change. Then again, I've never had to change one on an automatic before. I've used aftermarket on a manual before without any issues. Lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob-2 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Yeah, I definitely slipped this time. I've just never had it happen before with an axle change. Then again, I've never had to change one on an automatic before. I've used aftermarket on a manual before without any issues. Lesson learned. While it's a Japanese company these cars seem to be slightly better then domestics on service. I'm sticking to OEM for everything possible, there are some things lost in the 'specs' that appear to matter. This is my last Subi as well, for a host of reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob-2 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I would imagine that it doesn't do it with manual transmission because when you're stopped, the car either isn't in gear, or the clutch is pressed in, so there's no "pressure" (for lack of a better word) on the drive axles. With automatics always being in gear, there's always forces acting on the axle, even when stopped. Unless it's in park or neutral, which is why the vibration goes away. I think it's some kind of resonance vibration that only happens at that low rpm. I can't explain why it goes away when I creep up a bit and stop though. I'm worried about the vibration wearing something else out, is why I'm concerned. I know what you're sayin about the Subarus, or at least the GT's. They do seem to have their nuances, maintenance wise, ie. what fluids you use, or having to replace all 4 tires if one goes down. Seems like there's always something more to learn about them. But, I personally don't mind. It's still my favorite car I've ever had. All 4 tires is with any awd system keep that in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmoove Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Yeah, I'm stickin with OEM from now on as much as possible. I usually do. Just got lazy this time I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp233 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 This is the difference between a $60-80 axle that is made in China, with what level of quality standard? There's a reason the parts store axles are cheap. There is probably slop in one of the CV joints themselves (bearings and races) and that is what is vibrating for you. Buying one from Subaru or from a reputable shop (like one that rebuilds Subaru axles such as MWE), can be worth it's weight in gold. On an N/A Subaru, they are easy to change, well at least the old 2.2's are/were. With no turbo/piping in the way, I've changed those axles in less than 30 mins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieblondie Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 I agree I always use parts from subaru unfortunately this was damaged when doing a bearing and the only place open was auto zone so I didn't have a choice. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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