paradisemotel Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Howdy folks, I finally got in! I have a question, I'm l ready to buy a 1990 subaru Loyale, 198,000 miles,clean, noisy tappets! Is this normal? I have asked several mechanics they say yes, Well I want to embark on a trip and don't need any problems. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xforxlifex Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Noisy lifters are very common. Some people suggest throwing a quart of MMO (marvel mystery oil) in with each oil chage. I helps unstick the lifters. I tried it and didnt have much luck but im going to try again maybe ill have better luck. i dunno Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLCraig Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Often the noisy lifters are cause by a bad o-ring and seal on the oilpump. When they go bad, air gets sucked into the oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xforxlifex Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Yes you are right i forgot about that. But hope that its just the sticky lifters and not the o ring. MMO is a little cheaper and less work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradisemotel Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Originally posted by xforxlifex Yes you are right i forgot about that. But hope that its just the sticky lifters and not the o ring. MMO is a little cheaper and less work. How far do they go with them like that? I plan on keeping it for a while, but is it safe for a long trip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xforxlifex Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Well im really not one to say whether it will last on a long trip or not id let some on the more experienced guys on here answer that. My guess is dont loose sleep over it because your not the only one on here that has that issue. Mine comes and goes and when it comes it pisses me off a little. But try the quart of MMO with your next oil change you can get it anywhere from autozone to walmart. Some people on here swear by it. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syphon Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 My lifters were so noisy it sounds like the engine is about to explode... they've been ticking like that for about 2 years now. Recently drove the trip from Seattle to Ocean Shores (170 miles?) and then Seattle to Pullman (300 miles?) both round trips. Trust me, the lifters are embarrassing, but mostly non damaging and wont cause engine failure anywhere in the near future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradisemotel Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Well that's good to know! I will be leaving Ellensburg to Tulsa and back. It seems to quiet down after it gets warmed up. I haven't bought the car yet, but it is really clean and 4wd 5 spd. 2 extra sets of tires, mounted, for $900. It sounds like a good deal, Any comments, sugestions, words of wisdom? I thank you for taking the time and helping me, "New to the Sube" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutweiller Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Before changing the oil, run a quart of kerosene on the oil and run around town for a bit. Or add a quart of ATF and run around for a few days. That may clean things up right away,.. Check all the coolant hoses, and take the time to install a new thermostat, cap. I would say for such a road trip, cooling issues may be most probable problem Ask to see if the seller knows when the timing belts were serviced last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradisemotel Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Thank you kindly I'm feeling good, yes he has changed the timing belt and new c v joints and boots! Sounds like a good Idea on changing the cap and hoses,,, any other sugestions? Thanks, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I would have to dissagree on the kerosene. It will eat away at the internal gaskets quickly and could cause more damage than good. I would suggest Kerosene on a siezed engine, or sticky valves, but for noisy valves just try a quart of MMO. If it doesnt work, then put in a thicker oil like 20w50 (probably better to run thicker oil in FL anyhow since its hot there). If that doesnt work, then shrug it off and worry about something more important like head gaskets, timing belts and CV's. Ticking is normal for any subaru... no matter what year it is. Its something we all get used to. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibaru Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 suggest throwing a quart of MMO (marvel mystery oil) in with each oil chageMike No offense but my experience using MMO caused the rear main seal on my '76 VW Westy to soften and tear on the first treatment. Just a note of caution. ----------------- I love boxers, air or water cooled!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viceversa Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 This 92 Loyale is on its second engine. The last one lasted until 179K mis. I cannot remember if it was ticking or not. This one only has 100K miles but it recently started ticking. Seems to run OK otherwise. On this little disposable car, I am not worried. I get enough power, decent mpg and that's just fine with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canajun2eh Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 179,000 miles? Good grief! mine were hardly broken in at that mileage. I've had 3 different cars that all went to 275,000 miles (440,000 or so kilometers) before I had to do any major work other than timing belts and water pump and radiator. I wouldn't worry about ticking that comes and goes. Run with 20W50 oil in the summer, 10W40 in the fall and spring, 10W30 in the winter when it gets REALLY cold. By REALLY cold, I mean temperatures below -10F. Here's a useful thread about noisy hydraulic valve lash adjusters. You guys call them "lifters", but they don't do any "lifting" at all. http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~camncath/ea82_hydraulic_lifter_fix.htm The author's name is Cameron Caunce and he lives in Brisbane, Australia. I just tried the link, and it didn't work. I know it was good last Wednesday. If it doesn't work for you and you need the information, please e-mail me. I can FAX you the 4 page article. Rather than worrying about valve train noise, I'd be more concerned about overheating. Take the car on a hard highway run, and watch the temperature gauge. After the hard run, let it sit and idle. Does the electic fan come on after a while, and does it keep the temperature down? The temperature gauge shouldn't go any higher than 3/4. What's the condition of the radiator fins? Are any of them loose or missing? If in doubt, replace the rad and maybe even the water pump. Water pump replacement requires access to the timing belts because two of the mounting bolts are behind the left timing belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viceversa Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 At that mileage, it run into some kind of problem, or several. Wouldn't start, and when it did, was really low on power and had gone acceleration. I was told that it was running on 3 cylinders. It was also somehow loosing a lot of oil. I tried all I could to determine what it was, and then just had another EA82 installed. And it had this starting problem, probably different from the engine problem - crank, but not start. Checked the fuel filter and that's all I could think of. I guess I should have checked the gas line too. But for me this was the final straw, and I got a whole parts car and stripped it. EA82 is not a very good engine. About the only virtue I can think is its economy. It's very good on gas. And, with the new EA82, which only had 100K miles, I am now getting this tick-tick-tick. It's bad when it's cold, but to some extent, it ticks all the time, especially at half-throttle. Cannot remember if the last one ticked the same. You are right about overheating. There was an episode due to a faulty coolant line. Probably cracked the heads, but seems to run just as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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