ghost Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Today pulling into town off the highway I noticed the engine making quite a racket. Stopped and looked under the hood. Noise was coming from the driver side head area and increased with engine speed. Checked the oil and it was at 3/4 to full. Drove it home and it was still tapping all the way there until I got in the driveway and it mysteriously stopped. Ran like it had before... I noticed the whole drive home the thing struggle to get over 45 on the oil pressure gauge when it usually hovers above that mark when im going sort of quick and hard. Any ideas? Is this just the common lifter tap or maybe the oil pump is going kaput. Its an '87 GL turbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 gadd dang , what's up with this car? :-\ Every time I turn around you've got one more issue popping up. Sorry its become a nuisance. You've got me voting for EJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 gadd dang , what's up with this car? :-\ Every time I turn around you've got one more issue popping up. Sorry its become a nuisance. You've got me voting for EJ. Actually, it sounds like the same type of tapping from that first day I got it back here... Only difference is that its not all that low on oil. :-\ It did stop right before I got home, ran perfectly fine when I was parked. Its the weirdest thing. I really think one of the lifters is acting up. Any input? Ill try the oil additive. One bottle of Lucas into the oil? Should I treat it like Seafoam and change the oil after a certain amount of miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Gotta guess you're right - probably one lifter - usually the last one in the line getting too little oil pressure. Oil pressure should be fine but you never know unless you check it. I know I go nuts taking my time and making sure the "mickey mouse" seal and all go in properly. But that doesn't mean something didn't go wrong or just plain wear from a weak seal. If I had the parking I'd buy it back from you and EJ it. Its just one more reason why that car was sold before I'd give up my 2.2 Legacy or my vintage wondercar. Those EA82T's just ain't my first choice , that's for sure. But when I went and purchsed close to $1000 worth of engine and tranny - going JDM - I thought I'd beaten those issues for at least a good length of time. Keep me posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Haha, well if you or ctsuba have any room up north there and want it back, by all means let me know. Im currently now daily driving it and this is the first issue thats popped up (but i just started DD'ing it to work only about a week ago). Ill try the Lucas oil stabilizer. Just put a quart in the oil and leave it? It doesnt need to come out like Seafoam does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Well this is an odd situation... Got the Lucas and fired up the car to warm it up a bit first. Turned it off and checked the oil and it was a tad below the Low mark. Was at 3/4 when i had the engine warm yesterday. Really odd it differed that much. Anyway, put in half the bottle of Lucas before I realized it was pouring and I can finish tomorrow before work (that stuff is thick!!!). Ill mix in some more oil too just to top it off. When I started it after putting maybe 1/3 the bottle of Lucas in, the noise went: No tap, LOUD tap for a few seconds, softer tap but at a higher rate of speed, then slower tap at a low volume, then it kinda just softened to normal. This is obviously a finicky lifter right? I cant think of anything else that make such a random racket in the first 30 seconds right at startup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert M Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) There's a reason why they call it the 'Subaru Tap'. There's just something in the engineering of the motor that causes this after a lot of miles, I think. As long as it doesn't go on for a long time, I don't think it really hurts the motor. My '87 GL-10 has 236,000 on it and has been doing the tap off and on since God knows when. But it's as reliable as they get and never lets me down. The only way I finally beat the tap was by running Seafoam for a thousand miles, changing the oil, and then using Lucas and a good oil. It's a pain, but the tap will come a lot less if you warm up your Subie for a good 7-10 minutes before driving, especially if it has more than 200,000 miles on it. Then you will seldom get the tap unless you push the engine above 3,000 rpms for an extended period. I've gotten into the habit of just going out and starting it and going back into the house for coffee for a few minutes before actually leaving. Also, when you stop somewhere while driving, (such as going to the store or something) you have to warm it up for a minute or two before putting it into gear. That seems to work well. Want to rid yourself of 80% or more of the tap? Gotta learn patience. When you use Lucas changing your oil, pour in the whole bottle first, and then fill the rest with normal oil up to the mark, plus a tad to fill the new oil filter. Don't be cheap about it. And plan on changing your oil every 3,000 or less. That's all I know. Edited March 11, 2011 by Robert M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 It was quiet all day except for when I pulled into my driveway, i noticed the tapping noise again. Wasnt too loud but it was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deener Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I had the tapping sound appear when I did the HGs on one and had accidentally mixed the lifters up during reassembly. The tapping went away after I had ran a flush through the crankcase though. I have read somewhere here that lifter tapping noises can come from air getting in there somehow. You don't have any leaks though, do you ? Maybe a cam carrier o-ring is squarshed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 We just changed it out about 2 weeks ago and I THINK its 10w30 Pennzoil. The noise happened before that too, just ever so briefly, when i first got it home back in November. Filled the oil and it had been quiet since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Maybe worth your while to make sure Mickey Mouse's ear didn't collapse... My XT ticked horribly for ten minutes or so after I let it sit for a few days... as a matter of fact I don't think I've owned one Subaru that didn't tick Maybe it's just me, but I prefer to use 10/40 in the older Subaru's. Just personal preference I suppose. Regular cheapie dino oil and a wix filter... no need to spend an arm and a leg for an oil change. If it isn't leaking now, it will sooner or later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.