GT Wagon
05-22-2011, 12:53 PM
This is on my wife's 97 Legacy 2.2. Background: it started to make a high pitch squeal in the rear earlier this week in the rear. I had swapped in rear WRX calipers a few months ago and I knew one pad mounting bracket may have been a tad too close to the disc causing the squealing. I had re-seated it back then and the noise went away, just came back on Thursday. This morning I pulled the rear caliper/carrier/disc and cleaned off some rust with a brush to ensure the carrier was sitting perfectly flat. I put it all back together , put on the wheel and I notice there's a ton of play. It looks like you haven't tightened down the wheel lugs but its the entire hub assembly moving including the wheel/disc/bearing assembly. If I engaged the parking brake it mostly went away. For the record I jacked the car up earlier last week to check for bearing play and did not get any play in the rear end at all so this is new from a couple days ago. The car has been sitting since Friday.
Took everything off again to inspect. If I grab the hub and shake I can visibly see play in the entire hub. Since the wheel/disc is off I can also see the play extends to the rear axle going into the diff, it all moves together. The axle moves back and forth as the hub moves up/down. If I hold the axle with one hand the play in the hub mostly goes away. Put it all back together and there's still play, now what's weird is I have nearly the same amount of play in the other rear side wheel. Again there was no play a few days ago. Went for a test drive and there's no rumbling sound or other noise typical of a bearing. What I did hear was the bracket that holds in the pad rubbing on the rear disc most likely because the disc has tilted in, there's visible wear where it rubbed on the disc.
This doesn't exactly look to be a worn bearing to me, really what are the odds both sides went at the same time ? And if it was the bearing then why does the play extend into the axle shaft ? Could it be something else that has loosened up allowing play on both sides ? Any ideas what this is ?
Took everything off again to inspect. If I grab the hub and shake I can visibly see play in the entire hub. Since the wheel/disc is off I can also see the play extends to the rear axle going into the diff, it all moves together. The axle moves back and forth as the hub moves up/down. If I hold the axle with one hand the play in the hub mostly goes away. Put it all back together and there's still play, now what's weird is I have nearly the same amount of play in the other rear side wheel. Again there was no play a few days ago. Went for a test drive and there's no rumbling sound or other noise typical of a bearing. What I did hear was the bracket that holds in the pad rubbing on the rear disc most likely because the disc has tilted in, there's visible wear where it rubbed on the disc.
This doesn't exactly look to be a worn bearing to me, really what are the odds both sides went at the same time ? And if it was the bearing then why does the play extend into the axle shaft ? Could it be something else that has loosened up allowing play on both sides ? Any ideas what this is ?