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Ok, I know subaru's are not the quietest motors, and ticking is a pretty normal. My 00 legacy at start up is quiet till throttle is given, give it a little gas I have a loud tick that gets faster the more gas you give it. Once the car warms up or after a mile of driving it gets quiet, I dont even here it, but loud till warm.

 

I'm trying to figure out what the heck it is. I just did the head gaskets 500 miles ago and made sure the valves were adjusted perfect. All the rollers and tensioner and timing belt were also changed. This was like this before I did the head gasket.

 

What is the common cause if the Subaru tick/knock issue? The car runs like a new car, but the first few minutes are a little embarrassing till it quiets up.

 

Any suggestions

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If it were me, I would change the oil, and add an additive. Old standbys like Bardahl, Rislone and Marvel Mystery Oil, instead offer things like "quieter lifters," "reduced oil burning" and a "cleaner engine." Most of these products are made up of solvents and detergents designed to dissolve sludge and carbon deposits inside your engine so they can be flushed or burned out.

 

Rislone and Marvel are my favorites. They have been around forever, and are still great.

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tick until warm up is classic piston slap description, have you looked into that at all? piston slap is quiet common on EJ25's and EJ's in general.

 

timing tensioners can tick when they fail too. if you watch one that does this (covers removed), it's moving alot (in ways that it shouldn't). you wouldn't think they could be confused with piston slap or knocking until you've heard it the first time.

 

otherwise, i've heard ticking EJ's too and not sure what causes it.

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There is zero sludge in the motor. 500 miles ago I had the heads surfaced, head gaskets oil pump,water pump, resealed everything, along with clutch, pp,bearings, knock sensor,slave cylinder, and I can go on.

 

Nipper...I have use mobile1 and nothing but in everything I own. When I put the motor back together I used motorcraft semi synthetic because I was going to change it in a few hundred miles in case of anything floating around from the rebuild. I guess I shouldn't of used the words "cheap oil". Motorcraft Synthetic blend may not be top shelf, but still good oil.

 

Piston slap is possible.. Once warm,, no tick

 

Grossgary,

 

All timing componets are new oem Subaru parts. I had this same noise before pulling the motor. Before I pulled the motor I thought it was rocker but still there after all were adjusted.

Edited by Rpm90001
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i use marvel mystery oil in all of my subies. its a must imo..

 

i've had some new to me subaru's that tick so loud the previous owner thought it had a rod knock. after resealing oil pumps etc, and it still ticking, i change oil to 10w40 with 1/4-1/2qt of marvel mystery oil.. 500 miles later the tick is gone..

 

marvel mystery oil is so thin it gets in the tiny places in a lifter and cleans them out.. not to mention it lubricates quite well. last ea82 i had, was a turbo car, motor was pulled and car junked for rust at 300k+, pulled the heads for an r&r, and it still had crosshatching in the cylinders, and everything was spotless, it wasn't even the dark golden oil color, it was shiny like aluminum should be..

i attributed it to marvel mystery oil in it since it was new, every oil change..

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copy that Rpm. did you tighten the oil pump backing plate screws?

 

sometimes bearings can create a ticking sound too, less common than other bearing signs but not unheard of - like the serpentine belt pulley bearings or possibly alt/power steering/a/c bearings. have a stethoscope or are you positive it's engine related?

 

piston slap seems likely, it's very common. subaru has updated pistons to correct it i believe. most people aren't going to go through that effort/expense though since it's benign mechanically.

 

indeed MMO is cheap, good stuff, and worth a shot.

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Yes,

 

I checked the backing plate,They were actually tight. It's hard to tell where it's coming from, sounds more like the passenger side. Is there a way to tell for sure if it's piston slap? This is my first subaru... So a lot of this is new to me. I just want to figure out what it is. Piston slap I will just deal with, but if it's something else I want to fix it. Is this something a "trained ear" could tell? I would stop at the dealer and have someone listen to it, but it is gone when warm. How does one confirm the noise is actually piston slap and not another issue? Is the 99 legacy sohc 2.5 one of the years with the slap issue?

 

 

I will give MMO a shot Friday when I change the oil. I have a bottle here, I guess it can't hurt.

Thanks,

 

Geo

Edited by Rpm90001
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I will give MMO a shot Friday when I change the oil.

 

I would add the MMO to your existing oil and let it do its thing while you drive the next 100 miles or so. Then drain it and fill with your new oil unadulterated!

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That makes a lot of sense. Going to add it tomorrow, I will vac a little of the old out first. I dont see what it will free up, but got to give it a shot. Anyone have a luck with any certain type of oil? To help quiet it? Brand? Weight?

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That makes a lot of sense. Going to add it tomorrow, I will vac a little of the old out first. I dont see what it will free up, but got to give it a shot. Anyone have a luck with any certain type of oil? To help quiet it? Brand? Weight?

 

I don't think a particular brand of oil will make any difference in quieting it down. It is the added detergents found in MMO that may make a difference.

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penzoil will cause sludge buildup, proven fact.. i always run castrol.. there again.. when i run a turbo motor 300k miles + and its still shiny new inside thats all the proof i need.. but i'm sure everyone has their own opinions.. castrol is just my choice..

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Put some MMO in tonight, will see what happens. The tick stays longer on cool mornings. Today after work, I started it and it was quiet at idle, could just faintly hear it..turned on the AC and it was ticking pretty loudly. Any load on the motor and it's noticeable till warm. Once warm it's 98% gone.

 

When the motor was apart, it was spotless. Even the pistons were clean, zero carbon on the valves..just spotless

Edited by Rpm90001
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