Loud ticking/tapping noise from EJ20T

[Guest scoobydoov3]

hey guys...ive got a 97 ver 3 impreza wrx with 165000kms.....the engine is real noise when idleing and im thinking its the tapeds or shims or watever it is that subarus have lol. i service it every 5000kms with magnatec and dont really thrash much but i sure do thrash lol.

some help on what to do to make it quiter would be helpful

[Guest boostin]

It could be tappets, injectors, big ends, sticking valve....

Hard to say without hearing it. Where abouts are you??

[Guest scoobydoov3]

im in ellersille...its been doing it for a while now but hasnt been that bad...and has a weird idle. as your stopping at the lights and u stick it into neutral....the idle idles at about 1000rpm which then slowly decreases to 4-500 rpm.

quite weird. some help would be great

[dumbskate]

with 165k on the clock the idle control valve (ICV) could do with a good clean. Its worth doing for the five minutes it takes and all you need it a good screw driver and some cleaner of choice (CRC, WD40, Upper engine cleaner).

Back to the tapping (of whcih I also have) what is the usual daily pattern of the ticking? Does it come on a start up and remain constant or does it get quieter with the warm up? Also is it through the rev range?

My "tocking" is not too loud (compared to old 1st gen legacy I have owned) but is a very odd one that seems to come from deep in the engine. I have a BH Legacy so my lifters are solid so it rules them out. I had the Suby mechanic have a good listen and he thought is was something deep down that wouldn't be found without rebuild. The perfectionist in me woudl love to get rid of it but the motor goes fine so I am happy.

[Guest scoobydoov3]

i guess maybe cleaning the idle control valve would be good..been reading abit about it. now to my ticking noises....i've put a screwdriver on my injector and my inlet manifold and placed it on my ear for a listen and i can hear ticking from both. dont know if thats even a good way lol but i tried it anyway.

hearing about your ticking..mine definitely isnt coming from the block where yours is...

sublab thinks it could be my injectors or maybe my solid shims that need adjusting????

[Guest scoobydoov3]

 dumbskate said:

Back to the tapping (of whcih I also have) what is the usual daily pattern of the ticking? Does it come on a start up and remain constant or does it get quieter with the warm up? Also is it through the rev range?

mine doesnt seem to tick that loud when warming up...but once its warm the ticking gets loud. and ive got no idea what you mean by through the rev range....

[dubbedup]

as you acelerate does the noise get faster.... or when you rev the motor up does the tapping speed up etc

[dumbskate]

 scoobydoov3 said:

mine doesnt seem to tick that loud when warming up...but once its warm the ticking gets loud. and ive got no idea what you mean by through the rev range....

I would think that rules out piston slap as that would present itself at start up and then get quieter as the engine warms up and the metal expands.

Just in case we can both get a hint of what our engines are doing my engine has a ticking noise that is always there no matter what temp and seems to come from a very central part of the block as it can be heard at equal volume from both wheel arches.

Also I didn't know that solid shims needed adjusting as that is the point of a solid shim. Mine are solid ( I have been told) so I was under the impression that this ruled them out.

[Guest scoobydoov3]

 dubbedup said:

as you acelerate does the noise get faster.... or when you rev the motor up does the tapping speed up etc

yea the noise gets faster as i rev..but i cant tell when im driving as my cars way way way 2 loud lol

im just really hoping its not a big end bearing as i needa drive to paihea for new years from auckland lol and i really dont wanna break down on the way or back lol

[Guest scoobydoov3]

 dumbskate']

[quote name='scoobydoov3 said:

mine doesnt seem to tick that loud when warming up...but once its warm the ticking gets loud. and ive got no idea what you mean by through the rev range....

/quote]

Just in case we can both get a hint of what our engines are doing my engine has a ticking noise that is always there no matter what temp and seems to come from a very central part of the block as it can be heard at equal volume from both wheel arches.

yea my engine ticks no matter what temp it is but its just not as loud when its cold if you get what i mean. and yea i can hear ticking from both sides of the engine. im sure it could be the injectors as it seems like its comeing from that area..i just wanna make sure

[Wiretap]

 dumbskate']

[quote name='scoobydoov3 said:

mine doesnt seem to tick that loud when warming up...but once its warm the ticking gets loud. and ive got no idea what you mean by through the rev range....

/quote]

I would think that rules out piston slap as that would present itself at start up and then get quieter as the engine warms up and the metal expands.

Just in case we can both get a hint of what our engines are doing my engine has a ticking noise that is always there no matter what temp and seems to come from a very central part of the block as it can be heard at equal volume from both wheel arches.

Also I didn't know that solid shims needed adjusting as that is the point of a solid shim. Mine are solid ( I have been told) so I was under the impression that this ruled them out.

Solid lifters dont need 'adjusting' as such, but they can need reshimming, as the cam and bucket/shim wear down over time, resulting in a constant ticking at all temps.

[Guest scoobydoov3]

 Wiretap']

[quote name='scoobydoov3 said:

mine doesnt seem to tick that loud when warming up...but once its warm the ticking gets loud. and ive got no idea what you mean by through the rev range....

Solid lifters dont need 'adjusting' as such, but they can need reshimming, as the cam and bucket/shim wear down over time, resulting in a constant ticking at all temps.

is there a way of figuring out if its lifters?? as im sure it could be injectors 2???

[Stoffa]

when was your water pump last changed?

[Guest scoobydoov3]

i was planning to do it soon but its not due for another 10, 20,000 kms....just dont have the guts to do the timing lol.

[QRAF]

if you were in hamilton i'd recommend going to see driftrex he's had his cambelt off a couple of times in the last week so would be a pro now lol.

water pumps can only last from 80-100,000kms so is probably due along with the oil pump cam seals and lifters and other bits that need to be done with the cambelt.

my cars done 227,000kms and its got some ticking noises but i just put that down to its age.

[Guest boostin]

Timebombs tick before they blow up, unless its a digital one, and sometimes they beep.

Try using thicker oil, like a 15w50. I was using a 10w30 and it was noisy as. Chucked the thicker oil in, and its nice and quiet now.

[Guest scoobydoov3]

 boostin said:

Timebombs tick before they blow up, unless its a digital one, and sometimes they beep.

Try using thicker oil, like a 15w50. I was using a 10w30 and it was noisy as. Chucked the thicker oil in, and its nice and quiet now.

sweet cheers for that boostin...yea i been using magnatec but ok will try thicker oil next.

[Guest]

Pro-ma has a product mbl8 concentrate check out link bottom of the page have found works well on Subaru's liters

http://wilkinson.promastore.co.nz/Store/PerformanceProducts/Lubricants.aspx

Thanks Mike.

[dumbskate]

 pro-ma said:

Pro-ma has a product mbl8 concentrate check out link bottom of the page have found works well on Subaru's liters

http://wilkinson.promastore.co.nz/Store/PerformanceProducts/Lubricants.aspx

Thanks Mike.

This guy must be up for a ban

[Wiretap]

 dumbskate']

[quote name='pro-ma said:

Pro-ma has a product mbl8 concentrate check out link bottom of the page have found works well on Subaru's liters

url]http://wilkinson.promastore.co.nz/Store/PerformanceProducts/Lubricants.aspx[/url]

Thanks Mike.

This guy must be up for a ban

Agreed, thread-dredging to plug your own product when you aren't even a sponsor?