Why do my fuel injectors tick so loudly and what can be done about it?

[dumbskate]

Every since I bought by car (see sig below) at 105,000k there has been a decent ticking noise coming from the engine bay. It has never been an issue beyond the noise when you pass parked cars with the windows down but with summer coming on and those windows down more often I would like it gone sorted.

I gave the car an oil change today and had another more precise (screwdriver up to my ear) listen to a whole bunch of points around the engine and my "ticking" is definitely coming from the injectors. The passenger side seems louder but then again the rear drivers side one if tucked up under the header tank so that would block some noise on that side too. With a bit of a rev the pattern goes: Ticking injector at idle, give it a little gas and ticking increases tempo until about 2,300 rpm when the ticking goes quiet and I assume this is when the injector is working at full open or something like that. let of the gas and the ticking comes back in as the revs drop and goes back to its happy little tune at idle.

So I would like to know what makes injectors tick loudly and what is the usual way functions with reference to my story above?

[Guest boostin]

A noisy injector is a happy injector. There's SFA you can do about it.

[dumbskate]

 boostin said:

A noisy injector is a happy injector. There's SFA you can do about it.

So if I want a happy quiet injector? I mean they came from the factory quieter than this and they must have been pretty happy to begin with right? Sorry I dont know much more than the basics about injectors so I can only make basic assumptions without some more detail from people in the know.

[Guest boostin]

You could try sending them away for sonic cleaning, but I doubt it will quieten them down.

[dumbskate]

 boostin said:

You could try sending them away for sonic cleaning, but I doubt it will quieten them down.

Then I imagine I wont bother. So what makes them start off quieter from new and get to this stage? What is changing over time that I need to snatch back?

Not to sound like a broken record but to actually stop the audible ticking my options seem to be get another set of injectors that don't sound as loud. Is that about the gist of it in your opinion?

[Guest boostin]

Yeah you could do. Or insulate them somehow....??

[dumbskate]

 boostin said:

Or insulate them somehow....??

I think that would be more work than just replacing.

I think will leave this open to the rest of you for the night and see if anyone can shed a little more light than boostin's one liners. No offense boostin.

[Guest boostin]

None taken. But I do think you're being a bit picky. Injectors are noisy, more so on a Subaru as they are on top of the engine. But if you want to spend the money to quieten something that can't really be quietened, up to you.

[dumbskate]

what does my head-in is if they were able to come from the factory quiet and many cars with 100K on the clock like mine can still be quiet then why isn't mine. More than anything I still need someone to come on here and explain to me in brief why the injectors get louder over time.

[Guest itsgotgo]

Had my yellows sonicly(sp) cleaned,ticking never went away.

It never bothered me at all.

Like boostin has said,noisey is good.......just think of how many pulses that injector has done over 100k.

Where there is movement and friction,over time they will loosen a little,like x virgins really ;D

[dumbskate]

 itsgotgo said:

Had my yellows sonicly(sp) cleaned,ticking never went away.

It never bothered me at all.

Like boostin has said,noisey is good.......just think of how many pulses that injector has done over 100k.

Where there is movement and friction,over time they will loosen a little,like x virgins really ;D

So the ticking is from a moving part in the injector like an actuator opening to release the fuel during its duty cycle. With that logic wouldn't an injector with more movement than specified at the factory mean that it could now be allowing more or less fuel to be released during a cycle then Subaru designed it to? I am wondering because the engine has a little "splutter" in the power and a feeling of imbalance just when you touch the gas. Possible the passenger side injectors are now releasing an inaccurate amount of fuel and the combustion is on remain uniform across all cylinders when you touch the gas. Thsi can feel a bit odd in a manual with a worn factory clutch when you take off slowly on the flat.

[Treecrusher]

I don't know any more about this than you do, but from what I can make out injectors aren't serviceable (other than cleaning) So if the internal tolerances have worn slightly to make them a little louder the only way I can see to fix them is replace them.

[dumbskate]

 Treecrusher said:

I don't know any more about this than you do, but from what I can make out injectors aren't serviceable (other than cleaning) So if the internal tolerances have worn slightly to make them a little louder the only way I can see to fix them is replace them.

Yeah that is what I am thinking also. I mean Subaru must put a life time on this guys and the internal tolerance gets worse over time and the noise increases then I may have a set that need replacing if I want a non ticking Subaru. Plus if the ticking is only an annoyance to me and does not reflect the performance of accuracy of the injector then they may still be good for someone else.

I woudl still love to know how they degrade over time and what there life-span is though.

[DRFVDR]

how the hell can u hear your injectors:)

over my exhaust,intake,and stereo me lucky if i can hear my engine

[dumbskate]

 DRFVDR said:

how the hell can u hear your injectors:)

over my exhaust,intake,and stereo me lucky if i can hear my engine

Yeah its a stock TT apart from the rear muffler, Im not big on loud stereo's and I tend to drive around town fairly cruisey with the windows down so I hear the ticking quite distinctly coming out of the front wheel arches.

But seriously if you can in anyway add something useful to the basic questions of how long to injectors last? and do they become less effective as they get louder/sloppier I woudl love to hear them.

[Guest boostin]

I've never had a worn out injector. Blocked, yes. Burnt out, yes. But never worn.

Google injectors and how they work. That will give you an understanding of what causes the noise.

[dumbskate]

 boostin said:

I've never had a worn out injector. Blocked, yes. Burnt out, yes. But never worn.

Google injectors and how they work. That will give you an understanding of what causes the noise.

Yep, Googled. Understand the principle. So all I need to do is replace my injectors with a new and/or quiet set to achieve my desired result.

[subieboy]

 dumbskate']

[quote name='boostin said:

I've never had a worn out injector. Blocked, yes. Burnt out, yes. But never worn.

Google injectors and how they work. That will give you an understanding of what causes the noise.

/quote]

Yep, Googled. Understand the principle. So all I need to do is replace my injectors with a new and/or quiet set to achieve my desired result.

Just one qeustion

If its working and has no issues and the only problem is the ticking noise...

Why bother???

I mean surely you can just turn the stereo up... ???

[dumbskate]

Yeah. My answer would be, and this is with no disrespect to you. When I have something that I not happy with and I know could be better. I am not one to just sweep it under the rug so to speak. I like to fix it and get thing back to how I like them.

[Shale]

Once you've owned a BC5 or BF5 Legacy... you learn to ignore noises unless they are accompanied by smells. ;D

[DRFVDR]

never seen a worn out petrol injector

Desiel ones get worn out and get rekitted every 200000 or so

yup u could replace them with new ones (which is the only way u can before sure getting a good set) but it seems a great expense for a minor issue. but it is your coin and if it is such an annoyance do it and fingers crossed that the new set just aint as noisey

[dumbskate]

 Shale said:

Once you've owned a BC5 or BF5 Legacy... you learn to ignore noises unless they are accompanied by smells. ;D

yeah I have had a few of those in my earlier Subaru owning years. But when you get up to a BH with a good life behind it you expect a certain level of quality in your driving experience. Once I pay for something I expect it to deliver on the promise. And if it doesn't I fix it until it does.

[dumbskate]

 DRFVDR said:

never seen a worn out petrol injector

Desiel ones get worn out and get rekitted every 200000 or so

yup u could replace them with new ones (which is the only way u can before sure getting a good set) but it seems a great expense for a minor issue. but it is your coin and if it is such an annoyance do it and fingers crossed that the new set just aint as noisey

I figure either hear a second hand set running or buy a new set and either way they will solve my ticking.

It might just be me or the fact that most of us fix our won cars but there seems to be a lot of "if it isn't really broken to the point of stopping my car from getting down the road properly, then don't fix it" in the vibe around here. Could just be me though.

[Shale]

More, there are more dramatic things that a lot of us fix or ignore, regardless of what kind of Subaru it is. My Impreza has ticking lifters, a whistling belt in there somewhere (presuming the prehistoric cambelt), no gas in the A/C, an antenna that's stuck up. The Legacy wagon has a stuffed coil with matching intermittent misfire, an exhaust that rattles, a strut that rattles, a wheel bearing that rattles, a door that rattles, a chassis that rattles, a bumper that rattles, a boot lining that rattles, four windows that rattle when they're down, and a whining front diff. Oh, and a chassis that goes DOONK around some corners...and something in the drivetrain that resists then goes TUNK really loudly in reverse.

The only things worth fixing, really, are the broken antenna, the strut and wheel bearing, the cambelt, the coil (feck it, biff all four and go wasted spark!)...

New injectors can't be cheap, and used ones may last a little while before they start ticking again. Ultimately it is your choice, as the owner, as to whether you replace a ticking something or not - especially if you have the cash.

The bigger threat in a Legacy newer than mine is ye olde BEB club winning ticket waiting to happen (touch wood!). And newness is no guarantee of good behaviour; there've been many a 4th gen Legacy decide that they don't want to play ball and either drink oil like beer, misfire left right and centre, or blow electrics :-\

But let's face it. If the ticking pisses you off that much, you might as well try and fix it.

[dubbedup]

is that all....