Hi, I have an 08 Subaru Outback with 32,000 miles. I?ve been having a problem with what I?m told is ?mud in my wheels?. Is that possible? The car makes a very loud grinding, metal on metal , screech when it?s dirty. Two different dealerships have replaced various parts with no success. The local mechanic discovered power washing the wheels makes the sound stop. Unfortunately it?s spring so that only lasts an hour or so. Mechanically the car checks out fine so, I?m stumped. In the last 6 months we have replaced the brakes, rotors, wheel Barings, axel, lug nuts, stabilizer bar, tires? the list is getting a bit long. The sound is constant and so loud right not that my radio will not go high enough to muffle out the sound. I would really like to get to the bottom of this before my earplugs wear out.
How are you using the vehicle?
What is your driving environment?
Define “dirty”.
If you’re slogging through mud every day or 4-wheeling than yes, it is possible that mud is causing the problem. If not, than I’d be reluctant to “buy” the theory unless I actually saw it.
One theory I WOULD buy is if he were to say that the dust shields behind the disc brakes are bent and rubbng.
Disc brakes and heavy mud conditions never worked very well…When the one ton trucks went to disc brakes, the guys out in the oil-patch hated them, they were always getting packed full of mud and destroying themselves…
Wow, so it is technically possible. Thanks. The car is driven 3-5 days to/from work and normal shopping trips. I?m not technically mud bogging; however, I rarely drive on paved roads and they are muddy enough to get stuck or pulled into the swamp from time to time. At first the mud theory seemed logical, but I went through the car wash three times this morning and cannot get it to stop. Everything looked ok when I checked the brakes, but I?ll go check out the dust shields. Thanks for the tip!
Humm, so is there a solution or do you just try to stay out of the mud?
There’s no solution that I know of.
But that shouldn;t stop you from picking up magazines at the bookstore on off roading, visiting off roader forums, and trying to find one.
Really strange.
I own a similar vehicle the 2005 Legacy GT wagon (lowered Outback without all plastic) and have taken it on mud season roads in NH at my family’s mountains place. This includes soup that is 4" deep and good AWD or 4wd required. It has never made any sounds with the brakes.
I don’t buy it…Also the Forester and my WRX(Impreza) does not do this.
I had a similar problem with my 2000 Ford Explorer. My wife was complaining about a weird squeal from the driver’s side tire. When I drove it, I never could hear the sound, so I shrugged my shoulders, much like your dealer mechanics.
I was mowing the lawn one day, and heard this horrible screeching. It was the Explorer coming up the street. My wife was horrified, and thinking the wheel was about to fall off. I pulled off the driver’s side tire, looking for something that got jammed, and couldn’t find anything. Probing and taking apart the brakes, I noticed an anti-squeal clip that is supposed to keep the pads quiet was rubbing on the top of the rotor. Apparently, the backer plate to the disc brake pads was cut just a tad too small, and letting the anti-squeal clip contact the top of the moving brake rotor, causing the squeal. Kinda ironic. I removed the clip, and the squeal has never returned.