my girlfriend has a 2002 forester and it is making a very loud noise while driving, sounds like a helicopter coming from the front/right. when you let off the accelerator it changes pitch and sounds like more towards the middle…checked for axle play or anything rubbing and things look ok…very confused, i’m a former VW tech and i’ve never heard this noise before
The right side CV joint might have a problem and may need to be replaced. That is my first thought on this.
A bad tire with a separated tread can make a “whump whump whump” noise.
tires are new and so is the right/front axle. maybe a bad hub bearing? or tranny issue?
The axle nut was tightened down a bunch I assume? With the wheel off the ground you might try rotating the tire while placing a fingertip on the back of the steering knuckle near the wheel bearing. A rough bearing, if bad enough, can be determined this way.
Automatic transmission? If so, verify that the final drive oil is full. This is not the same as the ATF.
A common mistake with auto trans Subarus is that someone may inadvertently drain the final drive of the transaxle by mistake when their intent was to change the engine oil. This usually causes a whining noise but it can lead to a rumble or roar.
Even a new tire can be bad right off the production line, so the fact that the tires are new does not exempt them from suspicion.
I imagine something else in the drivetrain could be the source of the noise, but I don’t have experience with Subarus, so maybe someone else will have a bright idea for you.
yea that makes sense i’ll check the bearing and the final drive oil level…like i said in my original post i was a VW tech so no experience with subarus…i appreciate the help thank you
tires are new does not mean they are good.