Steering knuckle swap

Hello again.

96 Legacy Outback w/ABS. Front right wheel bearing shot.

Went to car-part.com. Got complete knuckle/hub assembly for a 98

Forester. Low mileage. Plan to run this bearing until it goes. Car-part.com said parts were interchangeable.

Part came and tone ring assembly seems to be different.

Will this work on my 96 Outback. If this has been covered, please point me towards the correct thread. Feel free to talk trash for not being able to find the thread.

Thanks

a 98 forester will work on a 96 outback.

the question is, did they send a 98 forester w/ABS?

how does it look different?

can you post a pic?

Yes, it is an ABS knuckle/hub assembly.

My Subaru is at my father-in-laws where I am going to do the swap.

The used knuckle was on my doorstep when I got home. Here are a couple of pics of the used 98 Forester knuckle. I will try to explain w/98 as a reference until I can get pics of the 96 tomorrow.

On the 98 Forester knuckle, there is about 1 1/4" space between the back of the hub and the teeth on the tone ring. On my 96, there is only about

3/8ths of an inch. Just enough to clear the heads on the lug studs.

Also, the tone rings themselves are a shiny as the day they were new.

Almost like stainless steel or something.

If the knuckles are the same, then it seems like the ABS sensor would be different to make up for tone ring spacing difference. I had wood chopping chores to do when I got home so I haven't checked to see if sensor was the same.

Answer may be obvious when I compare the two side-by-side, but I am doing this at my father-in-laws so I would like to have my ducks in a row when I get there.

If anyone has experienced this any help would be greatly appreciated.

well the proof is in the pudding. if the tip of the ABS sensor is in close proximity to the tone ring and it picks up the signal it is supposed to, then it will be fine.

maybe insert the sensor into the new knuckle before you tear the other one apart.

Thanks Johnegg.

All sensor #'s match. I guess the proof is in the pudding.

I'll take everything over in the A.M. and see what is going on.

I'm doing the swap this weekend. I'll post some pics of my 96

tone ring setup tomorrow.

Hello guys.

I am a complete idiot. Let me start by saying this is a great forum and all of the advice has been spot on. I'm sure it is dumb*&@es like me that must be frustrating. I took the front right rotor off today at the in-laws and everything matched perfectly w/the 98 Forester. No need for pictures. I had to replace a broken lug stud on the right rear the other day and I must have assumed the tone rings would be the same on front and rear. Sorry to waste your time. My proof wasn't even close to the

pudding. Maybe tapioca.

Thanks for all of the help and I'm sure you will hear from me again.

I'm hooked on this DIY stuff.

Thanks Broknindarkagain. You too Johnegg

You guys are great.

Later

Quick question.

I am going to replace axle during swap because of broken boot.

Roll pin slot has chamfer on one side. Does this have any bearing on which way roll pin is removed and inserted in axle.

i have read you are supposed to drive them in from one side and out from the other, but i can never remember which side and i just go with the way it is lined up.

use a 3/16 inch punch. if you use one too small it will slip in side of the roll pin and get stuck. 1/4" is too large. with the right combination of socket extensions you can drive the pin out from above working the hammer above the engine. a 1/4" drive extension on the punch, with a matching socket to keep it on the punch , works great . from there up almost any size will do, but having them ''snapped '' together will make it easier to stay on target. drive the pin all the way out so it drops to the ground.

NOTE: the axle can only go on one way because there is an odd number of splines. if it is rotated 180 degrees the holes for the roll pin will not line up correctly. so do not rotate the trans axle stub after you remove the axle and note when you remove the axle which side is up, chamfer or not. this will save a lot of headache.

start the roll pin in the axle cup before you install the axle. (don't drive it in so far that it blocks the splines.) that way once you have it in place you can use the same trick with the extensions to drive it home. i don't use the punch to drive it home, i set the socket over the roll pin. once that is maxed out, socket touching the cup, i then use just the extension to set it flush. when re-installing the axle, it may help to have the punch in the axle stub hole when sliding the axle on so you can line up the role pin with the punch, both pointing in the same direction.

also, before you remove it, note how close, the distance, the cup is to the trans housing. this will give you a guesstimate of where to locate the cup before driving the pin. it can be a little tricky. finding the right place. it is hard to tell if you need to slide on the stub more or remove it and rotate it one spline.

good luck.

Great tips Johnegg. Did the swap today. Changed axle, knuckle and lower ball joint.

Had trouble with the pinch bolt so I just changed the whole ball joint since I was swapping knuckles anyway. Everything went well. Bought a set of long pin punches from Harbor Freight for $8.00. Was able to do everything from underneath. Good advice on lining up holes for roll pin. Marked camber bolt w/my childs crayon which quickly rubbed off so I will need an alignment. I would suggest scribing the camber bolt. Great day, saved a bunch of cash and learned alot along the way.

Thanks to all.

Live and learn. All in all it was a great experience. I know crayons are best left to the kids. Thanks for all the help. I need new tires anyway so I will get an alignment while I'm there.

Until next time.

Jeff.