My brother works for Carr Subaru and they want to get 10k out of a 1999 Legacy L sedan with 103k miles on it. If the problem is easy to fix, I told him that he should buy it for $3100 (which was the trade in value + 25% mark up for the employee)

 

Has an engine knock...

Like a constant tick tick tick tick tick and then when he revs the engine, it gets louder... Wish I could take a video but its 930 at night, no light and I have no way to upload them.

 

Question is?

Main bearing knock?

Lifter Knock?

Something else?

 

What are the symptoms of each of these, and what is the solution?

 

Thank you!

sounds like this:

 

 

 

not the same car I dont think

Believe those two videos are piston slap, which is benign, and very common on the 2.5.

But rod knock is also common enough to beware of. That is much louder and doesn't go away like piston slap once the engine is warm.

So the big question... does the noise fade away after 5-10 minutes of driving?

Nope stays there... he drove it 15-20 to my house and shut it off... turned it back on a minute later and I could easily hear it...

 

I take it that its rod knock and will need a new engine?

'99 Legacy L will be a phase-II EJ22 will it not?

 

Either way - Piston slap gets quieter with increasing engine temp. Rod knocks get louder as the oil thins and typically they will knock under load and will have an audible "back rattle" when the throttle is snapped closed.

 

At any rate thats not a real good price for something with an unidentified engine noise and freshly traded in with no maintenance, etc. What do you want to bet it's in need of it's 105k service? There's $1500 down the drain if he has Carr do it.....that puts the price (more realistically) around $5000 with that service and the array of other stuff it's probably going to need. He could do better.

 

GD

Thanks Rick!

 

I will tell him...

 

I personally at first thought, wow 103k miles for 3100! Awesome, snatch it up... But it has a kink in the front bumper, and will need timing belts done, plus 100k service... its a mystery car... NO SERVICE records... I mean I love driving it... I took it around my neighborhood and it drives amazingly... But like LuLu, Im worried bout someone I care about being behind the wheel when the rod blows and leaving them stranded.

i'm on dial up so i can't listen. the only thing i'd check for is a failing timing belt tensioner. they can sound like rod knock and get louder with load. can be very mechanical sounding in nature, "tensioner" is not usually what you'd think it is the first time you hear one.

 

if you pull the drivers side timing belt cover, the ones i've seen making a RAP RAP RAP noise will also have movement. watch the tensioner and it's noticeably moving/giving with the noise. the newer style tensioners suck for this reason. a mechanics stethoscope might reveal it without removing the cover.