lostinthe202 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 '96 OBW, 2.2, 5spd, 196k The other morning it was 2* out, coldest on record around here since 1995! When I started my car it sounded like a sewing machine. It's done this before when it was low on oil and occasionally when it's below 15* or so. Can cold affect the HLAs or is it just a coincidence? Even after warming up for several minutes and then an hour or so of driving it never went away. Now it's been about 3 days and I'm thinking I should address it. I've got 10w40 in there now which is only a couple of weeks old (and new filter) so I figured to try some 5w30 and see if that clears it up. Should I try seafoam? Should I skip the oil change method all together and just dig in? Too much work to do and not enough time!! Thanks, Will- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I would give the 5w-30 a try. Have the oil pump backing plate screws been checked? That should be done with every timing belt change as they come loose and cause the oil to bleed off. That is where I would start if the oil change doesn't help and it's never been done. With that mileage I would expect a few to be loose if they've never been tightened before. pmichaud just had a thread about redoing his, i've been talking to him off line as well the past couple days. he found one loose and one backed out quite a bit. Are you sure this thing has HLA's? I forget which EJ's have HLA's and which don't? If it doesn't have HLA's, it's 96,000 miles past a valve clearance check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 despite what some people may believe i believe it can..I also had this the other day on my 96' Leg. 198K miles...as soon as i started it it sounded like a sewing machine..lol...after a few minutes it went away....besides that i havent had a noise from my HLA's in thousands of miles....i wouldnt put to much thought into it unless of course you contine to hear them....i could be mistaken but i believe they went to solid lifters in 97... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 Alright, I'll give the 5w30 a whack. Gary, Yes the oil pump screws were checked at around 165k when I did the "nose job" As for what kind of lifters it's got, I've got no idea. I assumed HLA because of the tendency of the noise to come and go. Evo, That's the thing. I've had this happen before, few times in fact, but it always went away. This time it's been three days and it's still sounds like I'm running a sweatshop under my hood. I'll post back tomorrow after I've changed the oil and driven to work. Thanks! Will- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Very cold weather does affect engines, machines, and animals too. Give the 5-30 a try. But make sure the oil is room temp and not sitting out in your garage when you fo it. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 But make sure the oil is room temp and not sitting out in your garage when you fo it. nipper Dang, guess I should've checked this thread again before doing it. I figured since it's going to be cold every morning, it would either work cold or it wasn't going to work at all. It was still ticking after I did the oil change. I let it idle for 20 min. or so then shut it off. Guess I'll see what it sounds like when I get to work tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 i don't have the experience with newer EJ engines, but older ones do well with very ferquent oil changes and some marvel mystery oil added to the oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 My 95 Lego 2.2 was doing that too..from sitting and the extreme cold we were having..plus she was a little low on oil. I added a quart of 5w/30 and ran her for about 15 minutes.. started her the next day and was definitely quieter. From what I have been told the EJs are not as fond of seafoam or MMO as the older EA ER lines are. I am still going to add a little and run mine for abit right before we change the oil. Been learning lots about these EJ22s in a short time...the more I am learning ..the more I am liking them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 i don't have the experience with newer EJ engines, but older ones do well with very ferquent oil changes and some marvel mystery oil added to the oil. Yeah, this engine gets oil hungry after 3000 miles. I am currently on a 5000 mile or so schedule (the owners manual recommends 7500 miles!!) and I have been thinking of switching to three but, with amount of miles I put on this car, I already feel like I'm changing the oil every few weeks. But one's gotta do what one's gotta do if one wants to keep the same engine for another 100k. lots about these EJ22s in a short time...the more I am learning ..the more I am liking them +1 on that. If after 196k the only non-routine maintenance thing to go wrong is noisy lifters (OK since 120k when I bought the car) then I can live with that! It's almost enough to make me forget I'm driving a car that looks like a basketball shoe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 +1 on that. If after 196k the only non-routine maintenance thing to go wrong is noisy lifters (OK since 120k when I bought the car) then I can live with that! It's almost enough to make me forget I'm driving a car that looks like a basketball shoe! Mine has been alittle neglected and is still running great...makes me wonder why I ever wasted so much time with the EA ER lines. EJs are way easy to work on thats for sure. My 95 has 183K on it ..and seems good and strong...cant wait to get it lifted and gone over ..then start running it and keep some miles off my Impreza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmithmmx Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I have a 96 2.5 with HLA's. Mine are very noisey, but do quite down a little. I always have a tap though. I am using 5-30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsince77 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Very cold weather does affect engines, machines, and animals too. Give the 5-30 a try. But make sure the oil is room temp and not sitting out in your garage when you fo it. nipper Nipper, Everyone else seems to know what you were saying here, but I'm not getting it. Are you saying make sure the oil is warm when you do a change in cold weather? I generally don't, but I always drain the old oil from a warm engine and pour the new into a warm engine. Another note on the original question, you might try a synthetic 5/30. I use Napa brand, which is valvoline, in both the Subaru and our Nissan PU. The Nissan in particular has noticeably quieter starts at cold, below zero, temps with the synthetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 the idea i guess is that cold oil takes a long time to get out of and into the engine and doesn't flow very well as room temp stuff would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsince77 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 the idea i guess is that cold oil takes a long time to get out of and into the engine and doesn't flow very well as room temp stuff would. I thought that was what he was getting at, and it makes sense. I've never noticed much difference between summer and winter changes though. Sometimes I fill the filter before I put it on. It's kind of nice that the Subaru filter is oriented vertically. Anyway, didn't mean to hijack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 Anyway, didn't mean to hijack. No Hijack at all. I always run the car until the fans come on before I drain the oil, I did this time too, I assumed Nipper assumed that I had done that and that he was talking about using the warm oil in addition to warming the engine. If they don't quiet down I'll change them unless they are hideously expensive, doesn't seem like there is much to the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 Drove to work. They were definitely quieter, but still clicking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screwbaru2 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 You could try putting a quart of K1 in the motor before the next oil change and run the motor as usual to warm up. The K1 will help clean out oil paths and the HLAs. I've done this to every car at every oil change, I've owned since 1966 and have always had good running and good sounding motors. The times I had to change valve cover gaskets I was very impressed by how clean the inside of the engine was. It won't hurt the motor and may fix your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 On my EA82, you can always hear the HLAs on cold starts. If I use 5W/50 synthetic, it only goes for about 5 seconds, then goes away, If I use goo like 10W/40 (at 5F) it may continue for a minute or more. Just because thicker oil is harder to get pumped into the HLA's and until they get pumped up, they make noise (more correctly, they don't function as lash adjusters) so the lifters click against the cam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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