sunking247 Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Hi, I have a 1990 Subaru Loyale 3 spd non-turbo wagon, about 147,000 miles on her, runs like a dream usually. She's always had a clicking sound whenever I'm getting up to highway speed or hitting an incline. The clicking is there even when i gear down on a grade. It goes away when I back of the gas pedal and automatically comes back again if I press the gas a little harder again. I try not to drive her so that I get the clicking sound, as I've been told when it clicks it's actually bad for the car. I've been told it's due to either pre-combustion, or carbon build-up, neither of which can really be fixed so that they go away. I live in Denver, so when I do take my FWD wagon up to the mountains for some skiing, I'll run premium in her, and this will give her some more power and clicking doesn't set in so early, sometimes not at all. She does have a couple slow oil leaks, one from the valve cover gasket, but I just check that regularly and keep it filled. The big puzzling issue comes when I'm exiting off of the highway, for those who live in Denver, it's the eastbound 6th avenue exit off of I-25 South. It's a long cloverleaf turn to the right, where I'm turning onto a highway perpendicular to the one I'm exiting off of. No matter how fast or slow I go, once I'm almost thru the turn I hear the clicking sound, much louder this time, and clouds of dark grey smoke are coming out of my muffler. So much smoke that the car behind me has to slow down. I've got my own smoke screen! The smoke stops coming out after 50-100 yards, while it is coming out I can feel the car lose a little power, but once it goes away the power comes back again. Needless to say, I avoid this exit like crazy because I don't want to get pulled over or something. My question is this: What is making the clicking sound, and what's up with the smokescreen? Steven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Your clicking sure sounds a lot like dirty hydrualic lifters to me, but your explanation of the on/off nature of the problem when letting up on the gas pedal also sounds alot like a bad front axle.... you may have several unrelated problems. The smoke sounds like your automatic tranny vacuum modulator is bad.... taking the corner hard tilts the fluid enough to get sucked into the modulator valve. Is the smoke white or black or blue? White would indicate a bad modulator valve. They are only about $30 new. Check your tranny fluid too, as it may have gone down some due to the burning. Run some 20w50 oil, and half a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil and see if that helps the clicking. If it is the lifters, it's nothing to worry about - they will click for tens of thousands of miles with no ill effect. Just annoying. If it's an axle that's clicking, then you should replace that axle. Look at the boots and check to see if any are torn open. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondasucks Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 ACtually, the modulator is about 15 bucks.. must depend on where you go... Also, those years of vehicles had a problem with the PCV system that would cause it to suck oil into the intake on hard right turns, that could be the problem as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaRube Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 That clicking followed by smoke after the cloverleaf is the PCV sytem. Check this thread out for more info http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4598 My car wil also ping (click) hard on steep hills if I run anything less than premium in my tank. My EGR solenoid isn't letting the valve open to cool things down like it should. My solution until I get a new solenoid is just retarding the timing a little and running premium only. Less power and gas mileage, but no pings on steep grades anymore. Is your "check engine" light coming on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIS Subaru Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 I used to have this very same problem. The clicking is caused by early detonation (pinging) in the engine. Any time oil gets mixed with your intake air, your engine will ping. This can be engine oil or ATF. On my car, I had both problems. I would get the smokescreen both when exiting the freeway and when moving after waiting at a stoplight. I put a section of breather filter material into the PCV hose that comes off the driver's side valve cover (kinda like a tampon), and changed my vac. modulator on the tranny. Between the two, I've not had a problem since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 http://home.comcast.net/~c.moe/pvc_mod.pdf This will take you to a FSB about this very problem of smoking on hard right turns. I too freaked the first time I experienced it and started dreaming about my next car. Anyway, I never did the recommended fix but did replace the PCV valve (courtesy of Moosens - thank you) and haven't noticed the problem since. I hope the ticking is as simple a problem to solve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Charger! Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Just a funny story from one Denverite to another... I live in the Denver area, and when I was in high school I had this POS 81 GL wagon. I went to high school in Golden, so we would ditch class and drive up Lookout Mountain to fire off my potato cannon or do various other things, and I would use that smokescreen to my advantage. There is usually an abundance of cyclists clogging up the road, which hairpins its way up a mountain face, and they clog up the road because there's no shoulder. I used to be able to make my Sub smoke like crazy if I got in front of a cyclist about 300 feet, slammed on the brakes hard until it almost stopped, then popped it into 3rd and bogged it out. It would smoke like it was on fire, all the way up or down the mountain! That would piss 'em off good! That car didn't last very long, though... Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishy75 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 The pinging sounds like predetonation to me. Spin the disty and retard your timing a bit should help. Otherwise you could just always drive downhill:lol: Hi, I have a 1990 Subaru Loyale 3 spd non-turbo wagon, about 147,000 miles on her, runs like a dream usually. She's always had a clicking sound whenever I'm getting up to highway speed or hitting an incline. The clicking is there even when i gear down on a grade. It goes away when I back of the gas pedal and automatically comes back again if I press the gas a little harder again. I try not to drive her so that I get the clicking sound, as I've been told when it clicks it's actually bad for the car. I've been told it's due to either pre-combustion, or carbon build-up, neither of which can really be fixed so that they go away. I live in Denver, so when I do take my FWD wagon up to the mountains for some skiing, I'll run premium in her, and this will give her some more power and clicking doesn't set in so early, sometimes not at all. She does have a couple slow oil leaks, one from the valve cover gasket, but I just check that regularly and keep it filled. The big puzzling issue comes when I'm exiting off of the highway, for those who live in Denver, it's the eastbound 6th avenue exit off of I-25 South. It's a long cloverleaf turn to the right, where I'm turning onto a highway perpendicular to the one I'm exiting off of. No matter how fast or slow I go, once I'm almost thru the turn I hear the clicking sound, much louder this time, and clouds of dark grey smoke are coming out of my muffler. So much smoke that the car behind me has to slow down. I've got my own smoke screen! The smoke stops coming out after 50-100 yards, while it is coming out I can feel the car lose a little power, but once it goes away the power comes back again. Needless to say, I avoid this exit like crazy because I don't want to get pulled over or something. My question is this: What is making the clicking sound, and what's up with the smokescreen? Steven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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