bearbalu

Does anyone have a recording for a Subaru? I am surprised they sound so different...Can someone else with bad piston slap validate it it as well?

I recollect reading: Disconnect negative of battery, put key in ignition to on and connect it back on with key in ignition. Do a search and you will find the tricks.

Thanks for clarifying. I see it now! http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18504&highlight=2.2+interference+engine http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18786&highlight=2.2+interference+engine

Okay, may be I missed something. CCRinc believes 2.2 are non-interference....May be they are wrong too, but they rebuild engines... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2450&page=2&pp=10&highlight=2.2+interference+engine

I am sure you know 2.2 is not interference engine, so you will get stranded, not blow the engine. Knowing that, I would personally push it past 105K ..

Haynes has instructions though not complete. Make sure you put some Ultra-grey sealant on the front edge(towards the radiator) at two corners and the other ends of the two semi-circle. Torque is 3.6 ft-lb for bolt covers. Might want to replace spark plug hole gaskets while you are at it. Might want to reseal the front journal holding the camshaft with ultragrey if it seems leaky. Consider adjusting valve clearances if you have time and hasn't been done - you will need a special tool to do it. Replacing camseals requires a bigger open heart surgery - removing camshaft, timing belt etc.

Wild guess Mass Air Flow sensor problem...elevation related problem...

Obviously if it looks damaged, one should replace it. The real problem comes when they look good. My timing belt at 88K looked in good shape without a single crack or anything. Given that belts are supposed to be replaced once every 105K = 5-9 year range, it can provide a very accurate idea. In the example in this thread, if the timing belt is original, it would probably have a date of 91 or earlier. I certainly hope that if I get my timing belt replaced today, no one would put one made in 99 or 2000 even if it has great shelf life.

One would hope that timing belt manufacturer/Subaru would put date of manufacture on it. I looked at my old belt and I can't find any obvious numbers that would provide that info. Too bad

Check following for a sound recording. http://www.pistonslap.com/photos.htm

Follow the lower radiator hose - it ends in the waterpump housing in which thermostat is placed. Might want to check the engine cooland drain plugs (the ones that require a hex key) and check heater hoses.

Valve cover gaskets should be relatively easy if you are mechanically inclined. Real cover separator would require dropping the tranny. If it was leaking when you did the tranny, a good place would have recommended replacing separator and rear seal while they have the tranny out.

One way to tell whether it is waterpump is to see turn on the heater as soon as car starts to overheat. If the temperature drops when heater is turned on and goes back up when heater is turned off, waterpump is not the constraining factor - it has enough juice to send coolant to heater and radiator. Burp by putting car on a uphill ramp or by pulling out the upper hose and pouring coolant directly into it. Replacing waterpump is fair amount of work - requires taking out timing belt covers, crank pulley, timing belt and perhaps inner timing cover.

Removing can be a pain but a screwdriver and patience will work. For installation, I used plumbing couplings of 1-1/4 for crank, 1" for cam.

Normal until thermostat opens. Once it opens it should warm up. Thermostat is supposed to open before the fan comes on, so if your fan comes on and lower hose is still cool, it points to a circulation problem.

I had same problem and was told to wait till it's time to replace clutch. When clutch got replaced, I replaced throwout bearing too. As far as I know the throwout bearing doesn't really spin along with the transmission shaft - it slides over the non-splined area of shaft. So you can't possibly be damaging any moving parts.

I had similiar isssues. I could not figure out how to use a pulley removal tool - doesn't seem they are desiged for Subaru. I finally used PB Blaster and it popped right out.

You might want to test it before replacing it. Voltage is supposed to rise from .1 when cold to .9 or something after idling for 2 minutes. Check fuel system as well. Did it degrade suddendly ? If so, one of sensors - fuel pressure regulator and MAF sensor, coolant temp sensor, throttle position sensor. If slowly, air filter (easiest), fuel injectors - additives for cleaning them etc.

Why not do it yourself. Subarus are easy to change oil on - don't have to put it on jackstands or anything and oil filter is easy to reach!

Dampness does impact the density of air that MAF reads. So there might be a connection there. When the heater is on and you try starting the next day, is after opening the garage door? If not, try starting the car without opening the garage door...

Was the car burning oil before the head gasket job ? If not, and if it started loosing oil right after head gasket job and they did do a valve job, bad valve job is a good candidate for burning oil. Take it back to the shop that did it. PCV valve takes engine oil fumes out of the engine. If PCV valve is stuck, these fumes build up pressure, leaking oil into cylinders and burning it. It is 3 bucks to buy and easy to replace...Ignition coil is where all the four spark plug wires meet under the hood!

If your car overheats only at stop or slow speeds, it sounds like something related to fan. Next time car seems to overheat, pull over and check if fans are working. If they are not, it is definitely a fan problem...

I am not sure whether Mass Airflow Sensor in Subarus somehow figures out Intake Air Temp through air mass - colder air would be heavy. I understand some MAF have a built in Intake Air Temp sensor. In either case, I suspect big differences in air/engine temp might have thrown off the computer, not sending enough fuel.

Here is my theory: Coolant temperature sensor and lack of Intake Air Temperature sensor. Coolant temperature sensor. Keeping the car inside makes the computer think temperature outside is 60F - or what ever in your garage. So computer would plan for a 60F cold start and send limited fuel. You must have opened the garage door to start and get the car out - that let in a lot of cold air. The incoming air is much colder and computer isn't sending enough fuel, since coolant is at 60F.When you put the car out, engine coolant gets cold, computer senses it, and sends enough fuel. I can't find Subaru Intake Air Temperature Sensor on a Subaru, that would explain it too... It is possible the problem is entirely something different and not related to car being in warm/cold setting. The act of pushing the car out from garage could have done something. The act of cranking the engine a few times might have done something - may be they would have started inside the garage later too... Is this the first time you took the car into garage and put the heater? Any previous history?

Try driving the car in different gears and see if the problem happens at same engine rpm. If it is same engine rpm, it is not the drive shaft since driveshaft is now rotating at different rpm.