Legacy got stuck in the mud...

Yes believe it or not! even symmetrical AWD couldn't get me out of this one, it had rained the night before so by the time I was done trying to get it out the mud was up to the middle of my front wheels and up to the front fender (the back didnt sink in at all). In the morning I was able to get it out by using a tow chain on the front my friends Tahoe onto the rear hook in the back of the Legacy, we had to put the Tahoe in 4WD to get enough traction to pull the legacy out of the mud. Now that the car is out I've noticed a little vibration that occurs past 50. Is it possible that there is mud in my suspension that may be doing this, or does this have something to do with the tires or wheels being caked in mud, or am I just going crazy after seeing my Subaru being pulled out of the mud?

Also, how do I clean the undercarriage of my car and the fenderwells? there is a lot of mud that was flung into them any special precautions or can I just pressure wash the dirt out of them?

I'd say start with giving your wheels a good hosing off...

It doesn't take too much crud clumped in one of 'em to make your wheels feel awfully unbalanced.

Last winter I had a not very large chunk of snow in one of my rear wheels and the vibration was so bad I thought I'd have chipped teeth by the time I made it into work.

Franz, don't make me post pictures.

I also highly suggest cleaning out those wheels and any spots you can read very thoroughly. The least bit can make things rattle.

nothing could have helped you there unless you had 6 wheel drive it would be pretty much impossible to pull yourself out. Your friends truck who probably weighs 2x as much as you had to engage 4wd to pull you out.

I dont think your 2 rear wheels which probably had less than half your cars weight on them could have done much...

Get under there with a pressure washer and you'll be fine...

I've been known to get a little "muddy" when I had my WRX, though, I can't say I've even gotten stuck...

You may not want to clean off your wheels....it may be painful to see all the scratches on them.

You should see mine after doing a gravel section a number of times, per I think May in the calendar. It was fun. Oh well.

Blame it on the RE92's.

...is what you need!

http://www.gemplers.com/pix/prod/PG61917.jpg

CRAZY KEN

You might have to pull the wheels off or put the car on ramps to fully clean out the wheel wells, drive shafts, and suspension arms. A good pressure spray should do it. The vibration is almost certainly some mud caked on the inside of your wheels- on the back of the spokes or on the back side of the rim lip.

-Nick

With all of the melting snow, some unpaved roads in cottage country are softer than ever -- I know, I got stuck in my cottage driveway over the weekend, mud and gravel up to my door sills. I finally managed to extract myself, stinking clutch and burning tire smell which persists several days later.

Must have gotten some gravel stuck between my rotors and the stone shields, tried to dislodge but looks like I have to remove the wheels to rid myself of the gravel.

yeah had same thing after doing donuts in the sand this weekend on my LGT. 99% chance its just the debris in your rims causing them to be unbalanced. have had the same thing happen in the snow in my buddy's TL a few times...

nothing in my rims, although there used to be, wobbly steering at highway speeds until I drove into a DIY car wash, pressure-cleaned the tires, rims, rotors, calipers....still hear scratching/thunking noises that changes with wheel speed. Pulling my tires this evening, can't stand the sound.

nothing in my rims, although there used to be, wobbly steering at highway speeds until I drove into a DIY car wash, pressure-cleaned the tires, rims, rotors, calipers....still hear scratching/thunking noises that changes with wheel speed. Pulling my tires this evening, can't stand the sound.

ouch that sucks. Got some sand in the brakes? I get that budbogging on my ATVS a lot and have to spray it out of the disk/caliper with the hose...

Good luck man keep us updated

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o160/fiidgett/100_2915.jpg

I'd say start with giving your wheels a good hosing off...

 

It doesn't take too much crud clumped in one of 'em to make your wheels feel awfully unbalanced.

Oh yeah. I've done some off roading in the mud. However, I've found that even when I get so deep in that I can no longer go forward, I can shift into reverse and shoot backwards outta it. Leaves and awful mess behind though.

I'd like to have some tires for doing this kind of off roading.

After taking off 2 wheels, found the culprit - a 3/8" piece of gravel stuck between the "stone shield" and my inner rotor on the front passenger wheel. The stone shield's lip is curved so the stone couldn't exit on it's own, had to bend the shield slightly to pry it out. Finally, the finger nails-scraping-on-the-blackboard noise is gone.

However, rims are scratched up from spinning in muddy gravel, and my clutch feels like it's slipping a bit. Any thoughts on whether the glazing will scuff up after some normal use and my clutch will return to normal, or should I start thinking about a clutch replacement? I have over 50,000 miles (83,000km) on it, with only the occasional stink/studder in the past 4 years.

Is it possible that there is mud in my suspension that may be doing this, or does this have something to do with the tires or wheels being caked in mud

"Ya got mud in ya tiahs"

---"I've got mud in my tires?"

"Yeah...ya got mud in ya tiahs"