4EAT issues 1998 Legacy GT

Please bare with me I'm a female with limited mechanical knowlege...I just bought this Legacy and there is a high pitch winding noise that won't go away, my first thought is trans but it was shifting fine, it only makes this noise during acceleration, going downhill or coasting it stops. He said someone told him that this was a subaru noise, I didn't buy it but its my first time owning a legacy GT to. Previously I had WRX and 2.5 rs's. So anyway 3 weeks later I started noticing from stopped position that it was jumping. I checked fluid, car running cold and is full, doesn't smell burnt, bright red and guy I purchased from said he had it flushed approx 13,000 miles ago. The car just rolled 116k miles. The power steering pump appeared to be leaking so it was replaced.

Any thoughts anyone?

Thanks for listening...

Hello, and welcome! Now, about that noise, my thoughts would be any of the following:

Accessory belts

PS pully/pump, AC compressor (mine screams)

(saw someone mentioned a timing belt / pully in your Welcome thread)

Trans or diff internal issue... could have been the reason Previous Owner flushed it

Wheel bearing

Rubbing at the wheel - dirt, brakes, etc. Since the noise is intermittent this'd be less likely, though I have a noise of my own from wheels that disappears under braking...

See if you can track it down to engine, transmission, or wheels. If you lay on the throttle in neutral, does it go away? Coasting downhill vs descending under power? Limit to 2nd, 3rd gear? If nothing else, get it (carefully!!) on four jackstands, or two + FWD fuse, and push the pedal slightly?

Hello and thank you so very much for the help and ideas! I did listen and it seems to be coming from the trans only after warmed up, maybe bad seal? It does continue though while in park and gas is accelerated, I will try other gears and neutral too on my way to work today. I'm really hoping I don't need a trans. So I want to check out every little thing possible before I will be convinced its the trans and really do not want to go to dealer but I was thinking I might take it in to have them check over every little thing and give me a list...lol

Thanks again so very much!

Lisa

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Oh I forgot to add that my ac condensor is shot, so ac is not working, it needs a new condensor. And the heat/air only comes out of the defrost vents so it needs that part too:( I'm just concerned about the trans before I fix those things..

Thanks again.

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Sorry for such delay; this isn't my usual forum haunt. But, if the noise is present while gassing it in park, I don't actually think it would be the transmission... perhaps the flywheel or fluid coupling, but in park the gears shouldn't be moving - there is a little lever that physically catches the tranny gears in [P]; that's what keeps you from rolling on small inclines. Any thoughts on front vs rear of transmission?

Unfortunately, I don't know enough to diagnose your noise much more than this... You can check out Subaru Legacy International, or perhaps SubaruOutback.org as other forums that'll answer some questions about the '98 Legacy platform. Moving into conjecture, a whine might be a pressure leak of some sort, vacuum or fluid... or maybe slight mechanical rubbing as parts warm up or expand.

And I've just reread your post. Can you detail what you mean by "jumping from stopped"?

Hello, thanks for your reply, I do agree that since I discovered that it makes that noise in park too, that is probably not trans and that's why I hoping to hear thoughts from others. The jumping I spoke about was when I first take off going from 1st to 2nd seems to shift hard, like it shifts hard but doesn't do it in any other gear. Maybe I'm just being oo sensitive...lol, I have been driving a brand new truck for a couple years and its so much quieter.

I also noticed the other day when it was wet out that when I was turning right at a decent speed, coming off a ramp, that I heard what sounded like metal clanging around but stopped once I straightened out the wheel, the sound seemed to be coming from the rear drivers wheel or at least back end of the car. Maybe the sound is there all of the time and typically don't hear it but just something I noticed. I have replaced bearings on a few subarus now so it could be that.

I just don't want to fix anything until I figure out the main noise in case its something major.

Also the resevoir on my power steering pump is leaking, when it was replaced it was just the pump and not the resevoir because I noticed the resevoir was rusty and it appears to be leaking at the gasket where it meets the pump.

Thanks for all of the great info, hope this helps more than confuses you...lol

Have a great day!

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