Squealing and Shaking

dlim said:

. . . could those issues also lead to a shaky steering wheel on the highway? Or is that more likely caused by what UhOh mentioned [wheel balance]? Is it easy to check/fix/replace these on my own?

Click to expand...

Shaking steering wheel on the highway is almost certainly wheels out-of-balance. Bad wheel bearings and bad ball joints and bad tie-rod ends can aggravate the problems.

An '06 XT has ball-bearing rear bearings - not one of Subaru's better ideas. The fronts are tapered rollers, and unlikely to give much trouble. The usual symptom of bad rear bearings is noise.

To check ball joints and tie-rod ends, jack up one front corner of the car (wheel off the ground). Grab the tire at 3:00 and 9:00 and shake it back and forth vigorously, like you're trying to turn the steering. If you feel play in the wheel, then it's ball joints or tie-rod ends (most likely the latter).

Have your wheels re-balanced. If you have steel wheels, then while you're at the tire shop, have them check the rims for bends, run-out, etc. If you have alloy wheels, it's possible to bend one, but unlikely.

If the shaking 'comes and goes' then you might have a slight imbalance on both front wheels. The test for this is to go around a long sweeping curve (preferably on a smooth road, if any still exist). At some point, the two slightly-out-balance front wheels are perfectly synched and will transmit vibrations to the steering wheel. Drive further around the curve and the vibrations go away. Re-balance is the cure.

Checking for loose tie-rod ends can be done at home.You can also replace tie-rod ends at home with the right tools. Ditto for ball joints. All the rest of this is tire-shop stuff. The tire shop can - and should - check your front suspension for 'looseness'. It just takes a second and most good tire guys will do it.