PLEASE PLEASE Help!

That sounds like a ticking valve. But all is not lost...Subarus have notoriously loud valvetrains. I know my valves are louder with conventional oil and are much quieter with synthetic. I would change the oil and filter immediately with a good quality synthetic 5w-30, and inspect the oil coming out. If you see little gold flecks or anything out of the ordinary...I hate to say it man but you might have fubar'd motor on your hands. If its in fact a ticking valve it could quickly turn into knock if not addressed. :wtc: :wtc:

I know what its like dude....I saw a few puffs of smoke from the tailpipe a few months ago...and your stomach just turns. I hate that feeling. Thankfully it was not an issue...just running pig rich from the heat...but still. I know the feeling.

If you bought it from a dealership did you get some sort of warranty? I hope so. :wtc:

 

I think thats probably true. I'm really not the expert, though. If only Will were awake.

If you could get a video of the actual sound itself I'm sure we could help you a little more. Seriously...the valvetrains and injectors in these cars are retardedly loud. The motors alway sound like they're sick even when perfectly healthy, so that could be what you're hearing.

Have you checked for any oil leaks? The cold weather could have shrunk something and caused a leak? Its worth checking.

I would also get a compression test and a leakdown asap. Any dealer or mechanic should be able to do this for you.

 

ur shits fucke dude. buy an sti shortblock
(im drunk if u cant tell)

still go get a 2.5 shortblck.

Mine ticks but fuck it. its so worth it

 

Found the thread. Well, the guy who answered is telling you that you have a spun bearing. Which is not good. How many miles are on the car?

And do you have AIM?

 

I have gmail too. My username is gldstn2. Just seems more efficient than a thread.

 

lifter tap isnt that abd

i noticed mine ticks every now and then... I noticed it after I did a couple of 110+ mph pulls possibly your slut was ragged out

again, save up for a 2.5 shortblcok

 

^^ Sounds like your doing pretty good Dana I need to hang out wit chu' instead of working... lol

\threadjack

 

lol not as good as you'd expect but the alcohol helps cope. Just hit me up. Im gonna be moving in december

/really end thread jack

 

If the sounds are the same as in the video, you have valvetrain noise.

Sounds like its time for a valve lash adjustment.

You should try to come up with a way to accurately record the noise you are hearing and post it.

Rod knock is QUITE obvious and depending on how bad the engine was starved for oil will show up as quickly as 'when i shut it off everything was good, the next time I started it it was KNOCKING!!!' I have had that happen to me once.

In the case of rod knock, the engine was oil starved, no question about it. Time to think about a new engine, block assy, heads, cams, oil pump/pan/pickup tube/cooler, etc etc. NOT CHEAP. A complete engine from a junkyard or elsewhere could be cheaper but you just dont know about its history so that one could be (and most of the time IS) a ticking time bomb.

However, there is one other thing: Timing belt tensioner. For some reason the early 02 WRX's had a known issue with an aged tensioner. For some reason when cold and for the first bit after start up the thing would have no pressure in it and the thing would knock like crazy sounding like rod knock. Sometimes it would last for 1/2 a second, I've heard some that lasted long enough for me to get out, get my stethoscope and locate it. All of them eventually get quiet, usually within 2 minutes after startup.

Since you've got 87k miles on it you are only 13k away from needing a timing belt.


Back to valve lash: As temps change, so does the clearance. If you notice it getting quieter as it warms up then its def. valve lash. Warm up being the entire period (10~30 minutes), not just a few seconds after startup.

If your car needs the adjustment you have a few options:

1. Take it to kingwrex at SOK (SUBARU of Kennesaw). Your engine should have the shimmed buckets which can be done in car. Its NOT cheap due to the layout of the engine. Expect to pay about 10hrs of labor. Thats what I charge if I do it in car or pull it out. Pulling the engine out speeds up the adjustment time, but you spend extra time pulling the engine. Doing it in the car saves the pull/put back time of the engine but it still takes a long time to do. Shims are not something thats kept in stock at a dealer, so you'll likely be without your car for a week or so.

2. Live with it. No harm will come from driving on a noisy valve train. It'll take eons before something bad happens. Unless its really noisy.

3. Attempt to adjust it yourself. I dont recommend this unless you've had a few engines apart and back together SUCCESSFULLY.

4. Do #1, but have them pull the engine and convert your shimmed buckets to SHIMLESS buckets. All this takes is: Discard the shims and buckets and buy the shimless ones. You may have to pay for the baseline 4.68 bucket(s) so they can do the base measurements in order to order the other 16 buckets correctly. These things are around $14 each IIRC. The shimless ones are LIGHTER. They reduce reciprocating mass and slightly reduce valvetrain friction.

5. Have an independent shop do it. Unless you are having Top Speed do it, just dont do this option.

 

Could also be exhaust leak? The ticking kind of reminds me of that...does it get louder as you rev it? WJM is probably the best person to diagnose it, but just thought I would throw that out there.

 

Check your oil first and double check the sound descriptions.

 

My motor makes a similar noise, It sounds like a loud valvetrain and fuel injectors clicking to me. Its a higher milage motor, try changing your oil with a thicker oil... such as a 10w-30 synthetic.

 

Thanks Will for your input.
I noticed mine stopped when I switched oils. My motors pretty quiet now except for every now and then varrying temperature

I was kidding last night BTW, but I would recomend saving for a 2.5 shortblock just for the shear enjoyment of it.

 

that works.

 

Woohoo!!

See, I told you these bitches is noisy.

Now you can rest easy. Glad I could be of some semblance of help.

Now we should go find that "U HAZ A SHPUN BEARING NO KWESHTUN" guy on nasioc and poo in his hallway.

 

Its a key component for your flux capacitor. Its very important. Reinstall it nao.

Nao, you hear me?

 

"Bitch my flux capacitor has t3h knockz0rs. Fix dat shit bitch. NAO."

 

I never reinstall those covers. Trash it.

 

no prob!