annathaema Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Hi, I just acquired a 1992 Legacy with 215k miles (yeah). The good: it starts up on the first try, every time. Runs fine. Has plenty of pep, handles hills and I've gotten it to 75mph on the Mass Pike. The bad: - The steering column vibrates violently when I brake - After driving for a little while, my engine ticks loudly when idling. Only when idling, it goes away when I step on the gas. - Minor slow oil leak, so I add oil every few days when it gets low. Any thoughts on why I'm vibrating/ticking? Because otherwise it's a solid little car. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lone500 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 if you have bad vibrations when you brake then you might possibly have a warped rotor(s). as for the tick it might possibly be one of your hydraulic lash adjusters. and oil leak... well anyone with a subie gets used to it after a while. just find out where its coming from (if its a leak or if its burning it) and keep an eye on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 Welcome aboard, annathaema. '92 is a great little car, my son has one and I love it! Pull your front wheels and inspect the brakes. As lone500 said it could well be front rotor(s). Also check the pads, pad holders and grease the slider pins. For the ticking, you might try adding a bottle of MMO (Magic Mystery Oil) to the crankcase and drive for a few days. If the tick goes away then do an oil change--fresh oil & new filter. Do you see oil drips under the car when it's parked? Common leaks are from the oil pump, possibly the cam & crank seals and of course the ever-popular valve cover seals. Might be wise to just go aheas and do the full front end service (any idea if/when the timing belt was last replaced?) Couple of other places for oil leaks, per my son's car: Base of the PVC hose where it connects to the engine block (hose was split) and base of the oil filler tube (o-ring was shot.) Anyway, good luck and feel free to ask lotsa' questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 As has been said, vibrating is most likely warped rotors. Replace them, and probably the brake pads, and you'll be good. Have you changed the oil recently? If not, change it. Oil gets thinner as it gets older and may not have enough pressure to run the HLAs right. If the oil is fresh you may have low oil pressure. But ticking doesn't really mean much. It comes and goes on my legacy. It came for almost a year, and then randomly went away. It's harmless but annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annathaema Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Thank you guys so much for the replies! Re: rotors. I'll have the rotors looked at asap, but I wanted to mention that the folks who sold the car to me had taken it to a mechanic shortly before putting it up for sale, and he'd told them it was likely the tie rod. Should I have that checked, too? Re: Clicking - I got the oil changed the day before yesterday, actually. I figured that's what was causing the clicking, but it's still doing it. Lifters, maybe? That's what my dad suggested. Now I have a metallic rattling sound at low speed - like when I start out from a stop. It goes away once I hit about 30mph. I noticed it after I filled the tank, but I'm pretty sure it was doing it - faintly - before that. But not before today. I'm pretty broke, and not car-savvy (obviously), so I appreciate the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 The ticking is most likely the HLAs (hydraulic lash adjusters). They start to get old and the lash goes off. Then it ticks. Doesn't harm anything. Rattling is usually exhaust heat shield. Another annoying but harmless issue. You can put big hose clamps really tight around the shields to make it stop, or rip them off. Or just ignore it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lone500 Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 just so you know an HLA is the subaru counterpart of a lifter btw rattles are no new thing. mine rattles so much i call it the rattler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 (edited) welcome to the USMB! ticking is no big deal as already said - I am curious tho, what weight oil you had put in at your oil change - these motors do NOT like 5w30... 10w30 or 10w40 are what is generally recommended in the owners manual. also, depending on where the oil leak is located (oil pump area) it can make a difference on your oil pressure, which might explain why it ticks at idle, but goes away while driving - idle = lower pressure; higher rpms = higher pressure regarding the shake & the "possible" tie rod issue - if the tie rod ends are going you will usually experience wandering and sloppy steering - not a violent shaking... violent shaking under braking conditions is almost always warped rotors... But, if you are going to take the car in anyway to get the brakes looked at - have it inspected for common wear problems - tie rod ends, ball joints, worn struts, etc. It would only take them a few extra minutes to look it over and let you know what the car needs. the metallic rattle could be a couple of different things - the most common cause has been mentioned already - loose heat shields. another cause might be "pinging" which can be a bigger issue. look for loose heat shields first tho... and 215K is nothing for a well cared for 2.2 - keep up with the maintenance and it will easily go over 350-400K. Edited July 18, 2010 by heartless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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