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Front end shake

12K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  1 Lucky Texan 
#1 ·
This site has been good source for new to us 2003 Subaru Outback LL Bean with now 155K miles.


Our '03 Beans got front end shake, not vibration, shake like waved rotor once while.


Not always, once a while mainly under breaking or decal when load on front kind of situation.
Most of time runs very good = no vibration or shake even under breaking spirited pace and break works fine and take corner decent for wagon.
Got balanced brand new set of 4 tires now with about 3000 miles on it.


Member here mentioned to check inner tie rod. seen from under the car no leak or loose anything.
It got a lot of surface rust, but do not believe any structure rust damage.


I am guessing Tie rod (inner and outer) ball joint, possible link for stabilizer?
I do not believe LCA, but maybe possibility?
Previous owner was older lady and struts seems not too tired yet.
Brake rotor and pads are not new, but it does not look too bad.
I think Diff make little noise, but not bad and I do not think that is from drivetrain.


I do appreciated if you could share your experience (if you had similar issue) and how it fixed.


Thanks for your advice to all ahead of time
 
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#2 ·
Jack the front wheels up, can be one at a time.

SAFELY support the car. Grab the tire at 12:00 and 6:00 and try to move it, then 9:00 and 3:00 and try again. It helps to have someone looking at the suspension while moving the tire/wheel to look for any movement.

That's how I found my bad inner tie rods.

Good Luck!
 
#4 ·
i have the same problem, and this afternoon while changing the diff oil i did notice a leaking bushing exactly like Glennda5id described above , does anyone have a pic of the bushing so i can be sure im looking at the correct one, being in South Australia i am struggling to find a work shop manual,
 
#5 ·
if it's just cracked enough to leak its fluid, I'd keep driving it.

Certainly if pieces of the bushing are missing or it moves around excessively or knocks, it needs replacement.

OEM units may still be a little pricey, cross shop the Febest brand on Amazon.


some pics here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/935890-post18.html
 
#7 ·
Another vote for the Transverse Link Bushing as that was my trouble also on my old 96 Legacy. Replacing it cleared up the braking shakes right away. I went OEM on those and they were expensive!

Now, on my new to me 03 OBW I have gone with the Febest brand. $50 for both sides vs $180 The quality looks fine but time will tell if they hold up. My theory is that if they last for 30 or 40 k miles I can easily replace them for another $50 and I'm still $80 ahead and by then I will have sold the car anyways.
 
#9 ·
i,m in South Australia and went to my local subaru service center today to get a price for the new bushings $4OO for each one, so $800 total with me doing the work, luckily i droped in to see my neighbour afterwards and found that he has 2 front ends of 2003 outback H6 wagons , the same model i have , and he has given me the bushings and the rest of the front ends incase i need some other parts in the future.
 
#12 ·
I've got to believe that for the price the Febest bushing was solid rubber but it's not a harsh ride like urethane would be but it's probably not as smooth a ride as an OEM liquid filled bushing either. It probably won't last the 100000+ miles like OEM would but I won't have the car that long anyways. It's been on the vehicle for about 3000 miles and so far no issues.

Ya pays your money and takes your chances.
 
#14 ·
Well, you have a point there, LOL!

So much of these conversations depend on how a particular car is being driven or has been driven over time. I drive pretty conservatively and generally don't have fast starts or brake really hard so any bushing I put on will usually see minimal wear and tear. Plus I live in Phoenix and our roads are not full of potholes like in other areas of the country.

I'll post an update in January or so when I've put 5000+ miles on the Febest rubber.
 
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