1998 Outback Oversteers like crazy.

My wife reported that the Legacy outback is drifting around a bend in the dry paved road that leads to the house up north. She usually drives around 60+mph in the jeep cherokee with full confidence, but finds she has to slow with the subaru. When we first got the car in winter, I found moderate throttle would initiate a power slide that you could control pretty easy.

 

The PO said the car had a posi-traction rear differential and that made drifting real easy. I noticed the rear wheels were a couple of inches closer to the top of the wheel arches than what factory ride height is for a Legacy outback. The PO also said there were all new struts and springs all around the car. He said they were sensa-tracs. It looks to me like the part number for the non-outback legacy struts is different than for the outback equipped legacy. I think the shop that replaced his struts must have put the wrong struts in back. I am going to see what part numbers I can find on the struts. I am hearing a clunk from the front once in a while when turning in a parking lot and changing direction, so I gotta see about that.

 

Is there a common wear item that is known to trigger a tendency to oversteer?

This is why you don't buy cars that aren't stock.

 

 

 

Is this road smooth and flat? Covered in gravel?

 

How are the tires? Are all four the same?

I did not know the struts had been replaced or what factory ride height was when I bought it. I agree that the best car to buy is one that is stock. The PO had bought it new, (and is old with kids like me....not a tuner), and when I asked why his rear ride height wasn't factory, he seemed embarrased. He said it was higher when out of the shop and they, "settled".

 

The tires are all the same size, correct based on the sticker on the door post and factory service manual. All four are low to mid-line M+S with better than 50% tread. front pair are brand X, and back pair are brand Y, same basic tread pattern.

 

The road with the curve in question is smooth ashphalt with no dirt or gravel. I have been driving for over 30 years, and for some of it over 140,000 miles per year in full road warrior mode commuter traffic, so I am pretty sure there is an issue or issues with the suspension I need to address.

Posi-traction? Like clutch type limited slip differential? Highly unlikely on the Outback unless it has R180 STI rear diff.

 

The stock diff is vicous coupling LSD. Very mild and nothing that would cause what you describe.

 

Indeed check the shocks and foremost check alignment and the tire pressure.

I'm definitely no expert in suspension tuning, but I'd be inclined to agree with your general diagnosis. I believe oversteer can be caused by having stiffer rear than front suspension.

 

If it were my car and I were planning on keeping it for a few years, I'd just replace all four struts with stockers.

it seems like you car doesnt have a rear sway bar, i would check underneath the car to check that both are there and are held up correctly

It may also be worth switching the wheels front to rear. You said they are two different sets of tires, so it could be part of the problem. Rotating them is at worst a free and easy way to rule something out...

Not worth, but mandatory. You should use same equally worn tires all around on AWD Subaru.

Mine does the same thing. Same miles (140k) on a 96 Outback. The butt is lower by 2 inches. Steering is awful. Pushes through corners like a snowmobile.

I found that if I keep nothing in the back,and have half a tank or less of fuel,it isn't as bad. But yeah...it sucks. I only drive it if I have too, and never take it upcountry.

To the best of my knowledge, the suspension is stock,at least I never found any work orders for suspension work, and the records are pretty complete.

I'd replace the springs,but I can't find them. Not stock ones anyway. I don't feel struts are going to help. Feels Like it has spring sag. Struts aren't going to give any lift,unless they have air assist.

Posi-traction? Like clutch type limited slip differential? Highly unlikely on the Outback unless it has R180 STI rear diff.

 

The stock diff is vicous coupling LSD. Very mild and nothing that would cause what you describe.

 

Indeed check the shocks and foremost check alignment and the tire pressure.

 

or RS R160 LSD rear end

 

I have stock sways, actually my front sway is off currently. I just auto-x the hell out of it this weekend. Had a bit of understeer but being able to flick it gas it allows me to slide the rear out. LOL I only push or understeer when wet, it sucks. I'm looking into a 25mm swaybar for the back

Thanks for all the feedback, I will post what I find when I get under it and investigate. There is a stock legacy outback at the junkyard that I was thinking of buying the strut assembly out of, but, I dunno if its worth putting struts and springs that could be 12 years old on the car. Subaru factory parts seem well made compared to other brands, wonder how long they usually last? I will price new struts and springs from my jobber while I am at it.

 

I really like the car. The PO lives among the ski hills. His very long driveway winds through a swamp with huge trees as a canopy and then up a steep hill to his house. When I went back to ask more about the history of the car, the snow had collapsed on itself and made his drive solid ice. The sun was out and rivers of water were running down his drive. The car just walked up his drive, climbed the winding hill and turned around. I think the AWD is working OK.

i cant get my car to oversteer to save my life! haha. i've got understeer problems pretty bad

I am trying to get use of father-in-laws shop with hoist so I can check it out and drop the gas tank while I am at it. When I did the brakes, I noticed the rubber bushing on the trailing link seemed pretty spongy, but, I dunno what normal is on a Subaru. Factory spec on toe in on rear is zero +/- 0.12" so I will check to see if it is out. I dunno with ride height off spec if the loading of the back springs on a curve is introducing some, "bump steer". I will see if maybe there is a lack of compression travel so If it loads in the corner the travel stops and it turns into a haywagon.

sounds like the alignment is way out. if there is to much toe out, it will induce oversteer!

OK, I crawled under it with the tires on ramps and I do not see anything obviously wrong. The tires at rest seem to point straight ahead and are vertical. I verified that both front and rear sway bars are installed and connected. The rear sway bar bushing at the lateral link is loose enough to move, and a couple of the bushings in the ends of the lateral links look like they are not centered. I will raise the car on jacks and see if I can detect slop in the bushings or other suspension parts. Still waiting to get use of the hoist.

Yeah, all older cars will have slack in those u-shaped joints that connect the rear sway bars. I actually replaced them on mine because they were so loose they made an annoying clunking sound. It takes a lot more than that to make the car "oversteer like crazy" though.

Stupid Question:

 

Is one of your End-Links (on the Front Anti-Sway Bar) broken ?

 

You did mention getting an occasional "clunk" up front.

Having a rear anti-sway bar and effectively no front anti-sway bar could certainly make your rear end a bit "loose".

There are no stupid questions, I will check it when I get back up to the carport. I have my jack & stands there. Thanks, the clunk is starting to annoy me. I gotta post a picture somehow.

I drive a bus. Trust me, there are stupid questions:

 

"Is this the East Main Street bus?"

 

"Well, I dunno, let's see, it says 'SOUTH MAIN' in GIANT LETTERS on the front, and 'SOUTH MAIN' in slightly smaller letters on the side right next to the door and it announced "MAIN STREET, SOUTHBOUND when I opened the door to let you on. So NO."

 

WTF, there isn't even a Main Street East. It's North Main, or South Main. The road doesn't ****ing run North, South AND East, WTF stupid people with stupid questions.

 

/rant.

has the alignment been checked?

The PO says a shop installed the struts and springs, (he paid to have most everything done). They would have aligned it. The recall to add clips to prevent a busted spring from ripping the tire sidewall was done. The alignment looks to be in spec, I know how to do alignments. I had a Ford EXP with the back wheels cambered in over 10 degrees, and rear track was way off the front track. The EXP didn't behave like this.

 

I am thinking the problem is from installation of wrong parts combined with worn or busted parts. I will try and get it jacked up this week.