Just recently found this forum and hope to get some feedback regarding engine ticking in an Outback I just purchased. Car is solid, but when engine is cold there is some pretty severe knocking going on. Heard this is most likely due to engine design and the piston skirts being too short. Any suggestions while I still have a limted warrantiy left?

BVK

Originally posted by bvk

Just recently found this forum and hope to get some feedback regarding engine ticking in an Outback I just purchased. Car is solid, but when engine is cold there is some pretty severe knocking going on. Heard this is most likely due to engine design and the piston skirts being too short. Any suggestions while I still have a limted warrantiy left?

Well, "severe knocking" doesn't sound like the well-known piston/bore clearance issue. Light tapping is normal for that one, IIRC, and is not a warrantable issue, though that apparently depends upon how much "noise" you make over it.

 

Seems like I've got a TSB on it somewhere -- probably Alldata -- but I'm sure a Google search would yield more.

Hi Bvk This is Jerry, my wife has a 98 outback wagon and guess what it did the same thing. I took it to the dealer ship and talk to the sirvice manager about it. He hands me this sirvice bulliten stating about the knock when the engine is cold. I told him i am a service tech. i know all about those bullitens the fight was on. I told him that bulliten was bull sh-- my car is still under warrienty i want a new motor. He made a call and the regional rep had to say yes or no he said yes when he found out i knew what i was talking about. We got a new engine it runs really good now. Thanks Jerry