recently bought super clean 5 speed,92,loyale w/ 100,000 miles. it makes alot of noise when i start it .sounds like an old diesel. sounds like the noise is coming from front of engine below a/c comp. could it be water pump? soon i,m gonna try flushing engine twice with oil/atf 50/50/ mixture as advised by one of the usmb guys. anyone else remember this happening. thanks for any advice. and thanks for a great message board!!! james

Might be piston slap. Does the "diesel engine" noise stop after it warms up?

I've never heard of piston slap being a problem with the ea82. My guess is you have the lifter noise that's really common with this engine. The lifters themselves are usually not the problem. The common cause is a bad o-ring and seal for the oil pump.

True. I have not heard of piston slap in subarus before. The lifters are probably the issue, especialy if it is persistant. If thats the case your best bet is to flush the oil a couple times and run an addative. I recomend Marvel Mystery Oil or Rislone.

Good luck!

If you want to hear piston slap from a Subaru, find a Stage II EJ25 with 50+K on it...

 

I second the lifters. Don't worry about it, most older Soobs make a tcking noise like a diesel. It adds to their character.

This one does it when it is cold but goes away after about 15 mins. Though lately, it hasn't been ticking. I think cold weather and wrong oil viscosity may have something to do with it.

i place my bets on the oil pump o-rings... when they wear out this allows air to be sucked into the oil flow, thus making the lifters not "pump up" it will cause a ticking sound..

Where does your oil pressure gauge sit when the car is warmed up? Mine is pumping properly and sits right on the halfway mark. If it's a little lower this could be a sign of a bad oil pump seal.

 

I forgot to add, it sits at the halfway mark while driving- of course it drops at idle.

Hey guys lets reread what James says, although he may have left the building?

"sounds like the noise is coming from front of engine below a/c comp. could it be water pump?

I am the trusting type so I believe him, lifter clack could be transmitted up there but on my Subies it comes more from the side of the engine.

He could have a very loose timing belt (idler on the drivers side belt ghone toast?), could have a H20 pump suffering premature failure (arf arf 100000 factory defect).

If I were him I would use a mechanic stethoscope, or a piece of garden hose or long screw driver stuck in my ear, and isolate where this noise is coming from.

Then we can all put on our Air Jordans and jump to the proper conclusion.