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Old 10-08-2020, 08:24 AM   #1
OUScooby
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Default 2003 WRX Wgn, violent driveline shudder

I all, I'm looking for help diagnosing this issue I'm having with my 03 WRX 5MT. The problem first presented itself as a slight vibration when pulling away from a stop. Believing it to be a bad transmission mount of something non serious like that I ignored it at first and continued to drive the car fro some time. Eventually it progressed into a knocking sound, at this point I thought it might be a broken CV joint. I looked under the car and a torn CV boot on the driver's side front axle seemed to confirm this, so I ordered a new axle from the auto parts store. Before I could pick up the axle the knocking quickly progressed into a loud banging that violently shakes the whole car. I replaced the axle with the torn CV boot last night but that did not do anything for the problem.
The banging occurs at low speeds after pulling away from a stop, but goes away suddenly above 25mph. It's done it in both 1st and 2nd gear. I'm wondering if there is a problem with in the transmission or in one of the differentials.
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Old 10-08-2020, 09:33 AM   #2
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Did you replace the trans mount?
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Old 10-08-2020, 10:18 AM   #3
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Aside form the transmission mount, have the motor mounts been checked / replaced?
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Old 10-08-2020, 11:23 AM   #4
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Scooby,
I had gremlins in my drivetrain sounding like a differential carrier bearing gone-bad.
I pulled the transmission and split it open to check carrier bearings. All looked good.

I had a blow-out on driver's side front. My spare 'was' a small diameter spare, and when limping into the nearest town, the drivetrain would wrap-up and release with a bang. I don't know if the small diameter spare was causing the wrap-up, or the ABS system reading one tire spinning faster than the other three and applying braking to compensate.

The end result was my Viscious Coupler had burned up and was making a terrible growling noise at any speed while drivetrain was turning. yep
So i ordered a new Viscious Coupler from Subaru, installed it, and my noise went away. hip hip hooray

Even tho i like spinning hookers in the snow, i think running the small spare for 15-miles was the cause of the slippage and differentiation of the Coupler which burned it up.
Every time it would wrap-up and release it made the bang. who knows.

Len
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Old 10-09-2020, 02:07 AM   #5
OUScooby
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Quote:
Originally Posted by viper_crazy View Post
Did you replace the trans mount?
I inspected the trans mount and it did not appear to need replacing

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai Jack View Post
Aside form the transmission mount, have the motor mounts been checked / replaced?
I did not check the motor mounts, the banging shaking seemed to be affected by vehicle speed not engine speed so I didn't think to check those, but I'll have a look at them to be sure.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greaser007 View Post
Scooby,
I had gremlins in my drivetrain sounding like a differential carrier bearing gone-bad.
I pulled the transmission and split it open to check carrier bearings. All looked good.

I had a blow-out on driver's side front. My spare 'was' a small diameter spare, and when limping into the nearest town, the drivetrain would wrap-up and release with a bang. I don't know if the small diameter spare was causing the wrap-up, or the ABS system reading one tire spinning faster than the other three and applying braking to compensate.

The end result was my Viscious Coupler had burned up and was making a terrible growling noise at any speed while drivetrain was turning. yep
So i ordered a new Viscious Coupler from Subaru, installed it, and my noise went away. hip hip hooray

Even tho i like spinning hookers in the snow, i think running the small spare for 15-miles was the cause of the slippage and differentiation of the Coupler which burned it up.
Every time it would wrap-up and release it made the bang. who knows.

Len

I have a manual so I don't have a viscous coupler
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Old 10-17-2020, 07:19 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai Jack View Post
Aside form the transmission mount, have the motor mounts been checked / replaced?
motor mounts appear to be fine
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Old 10-17-2020, 07:21 PM   #7
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So I took a little video just pulling away down my street so so people can see and hear what my car is doing, here it is:

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Old 10-18-2020, 11:42 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OUScooby View Post
motor mounts appear to be fine
like did you check them or they just look fine. lots of time you cant tell just by looking.
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Old 10-19-2020, 10:08 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subaru_gc8 View Post
like did you check them or they just look fine. lots of time you cant tell just by looking.
Agreed, you can't tell just by looking.
How old are they?

That is a lot of shudder and motor mounts and/or transmission mount would be highly suspect based on what the video shows.

Not sure if I asked already or not:
- Driveshaft. Original? Have you checked to see if the bearings are gone or if the center bushing is bad?
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Old 10-19-2020, 08:46 PM   #10
OUScooby
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subaru_gc8 View Post
like did you check them or they just look fine. lots of time you cant tell just by looking.
Visual inspection, I suppose I could jack up the motor and look at them, but I also don't suspect them because I do not get this knocking by reving the engine at a stand still, its only from moving the car forward, thats what leads me to believe the problem lies in the transmission or something after that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai Jack View Post
Agreed, you can't tell just by looking.
How old are they?

That is a lot of shudder and motor mounts and/or transmission mount would be highly suspect based on what the video shows.

Not sure if I asked already or not:
- Driveshaft. Original? Have you checked to see if the bearings are gone or if the center bushing is bad?
I did not think to check the driveshaft. By the center bushing do you mean the 'horseshoe' mount for the drivershaft? Where are the bearing?

As an argument against it being a bushing or mount, it only does it in 1st and 2nd (or at least at low speed some I'd only be in those gears), and it does not appear to be affected by bumps or potholes.

I'll crawl under the car at my first opportunity but that may not be until the weekend.
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Old 10-20-2020, 10:19 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OUScooby View Post
I did not think to check the driveshaft. By the center bushing do you mean the 'horseshoe' mount for the drivershaft? Where are the bearing?
Yes, the 'horseshoe' mount for the driveshaft.
Presuming you are using the OEM 2-piece driveshaft.

There is a center bearing there that the driveshaft rides in.
- It does wear out.
- It will not make the noise all the time
- If that is what it is, then you will need to replace the driveshaft.

Another possibility is one or both driveshaft u-joints. If they are bad, you'll need to replace the driveshaft.

While you are under the car, check to see if anything is rubbing, like the exhaust pipes or something. You should have a 1/2" clearance from everything to account for movement between the item and the car body / frame.
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Old 10-21-2020, 12:10 PM   #12
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That is interesting for sure. Sounds like something is having trouble getting up to speed if that makes any sense.
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Old 10-22-2020, 12:56 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kenliu84 View Post
That is interesting for sure. Sounds like something is having trouble getting up to speed if that makes any sense.
I'm wondering if it is something internal in the transmission. I was moving cars around to put this one in the garage and when I was pulling back into the driveway with the steering wheel at full lock I felt something like diff binding I get with my 6MT when I have the dccd set to lock.
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Old 10-28-2020, 10:55 PM   #14
OUScooby
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So it wasn't the driveshaft. I did find a missing exhaust hanger so i replaced that but it made no difference, that was kinda wishful thinking that that would solve it anyway.
I took the car to a transmission shop today, the problem has gotten worse, driving there I wasn't even sure I was going to make it before the car knocked and shook itself apart. Anyway, they think all signs point to center diff. They are going to take it apart and see.
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:29 PM   #15
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You can't repair a center diff, its a swap out thing as there's like 3 people on earth who could repair it and 0 of them live in southern California. Good news is you can swap it without removing the trans so there's not a huge remove and replace trans labor cost.
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Old 10-29-2020, 10:40 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Unabomber View Post
You can't repair a center diff, its a swap out thing as there's like 3 people on earth who could repair it and 0 of them live in southern California. Good news is you can swap it without removing the trans so there's not a huge remove and replace trans labor cost.
And even more good news, I happen to have a 5 speed in my garage with a bad front diff that I could pull the center diff out of to swap in!
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Old 11-11-2020, 07:10 PM   #17
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Check the driveshaft and the rear diff bushings (clunk kit). Sounds like something is binding up.
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Old 11-12-2020, 10:29 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by hybrid gti 2 View Post
Check the driveshaft and the rear diff bushings (clunk kit). Sounds like something is binding up.
See Post #14
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Old 11-12-2020, 03:15 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OUScooby View Post

...it only does it in 1st and 2nd (or at least at low speed some I'd only be in those gears)
I know the car's currently in the shop... but just out of curiosity, did it behave in the same manner when backing up?
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Old 11-13-2020, 12:57 PM   #20
OUScooby
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I know the car's currently in the shop... but just out of curiosity, did it behave in the same manner when backing up?
No, it did not do it in reverse.
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Old 11-13-2020, 12:59 PM   #21
OUScooby
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So it turns out it was the u-joints on the drive shaft as well as some bearing in the trans. Also got some gaskets replaced in between the trans case sections. Trans is good, and the car is back and on jack stands in my garage while I set up my coilovers and change a wheel bearing.
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