Rear diff or wheel bearing?

Hello my fellow Subie enthusiasts! Subiegirl99 is back yet again... This time I have a question concerning a sound I've been hearing in my '99 L wagon. I first thought it was an exhaust leak, but after extensive research (YouTube Subie vids) I now realize that it sounds more like what a bad wheel bearing or rear diff sounds.. My question is, if the rear diff is blown, would engaging FWD (with the fuse) cause the sound I'm hearing to disappear? I've inserted the fuse and the sound is still there. I'm really hoping that it's just a bad wheel bearing. If it's the diff, Idk what I'm going to do! Thanks!

So I took my Soob to the shop this morning to find out exactly what's going on. Turns out it's the rear driver's side wheel bearing and hub gone bad. I'm so relieved... Can't wait to have her back without the constant hum!

Good news. That's a pretty difficult fix for a hobbiest, but the parts aren't expensive so getting a shop to do it is mostly just labor.

the rear diff will make noise regardless of whether the FWD fuse is in, the sound would be the gearing grinding, and that happens usually while spinning, not just when engaged via the trans. the only time ive heard it go away with the FWD fuse is if it has only progressed to the point where it whirs while under load.

 

good to hear it was a hub bearing, fairly easy repair on the wallet.

Just an FYI - I bought an LSD for $100 picked up in Dallas. Rear wheel bearing was twice that. Installing the LSD was not much fun...

Any attempt to replace my wheel bearings has been a pain. Their always stuck so hard that even using a puller with the e brake pulled and in gear, it still rotates the wheel. Ended up having to hammer at it for like 6 hours. In the end the axle fell apart into 3 pieces and i assumed all joints were destroyed at that point and just grabbed a whole spindle from a wrecking yard

You're supposed to free the axle first from the hub. Torch the hub if things are difficult. My axle was free because I replaced the diff last winter and had to get the axle out to modify it..

 

For the bearing, I just used two long bolts at the each side of the hub, through the wheel lug bolt holes with nuts tightened all the way to the bolt holes. Just tighten the bolts while holding the nuts in place and the bearing assembly will eventually pop out.

 

I got the new bearing without a hub, so had to use the old one. Luckily I got a hydraulic press, so getting the hub in to the bearing was as easy as pulling a lever.

 

When installing the new bearing, I would do something that I didn't do because I felt lazy.. Apply some copper paste to the lip of the bearing that goes in to the spindle, and to the part of the axle that sits inside the hub. That way you or someone who needs to do the job again someday, will not have that hard of a time.

Amen to that rskst, definitely use some sort of antisieze just in case you have to pull it apart again. Never a fun job when all the tricks you can think of won't work

 

And I did have the axle still in the diff, it was a rear wheel bearing. We would torque on the puller and that would just rotate the wheel and in turn rotate the axle which was then moving my other wheel. Basically just lots of pb blaster and lots of time