May 3, 201114 yr I added a quart of gas station brand 30W oil to the crankcase and the ticking stopped within 5 miles of driving. I tried Marvel's Mystery oil a few months ago, Lucas Oil Stabilizer a few weeks ago, tried changing the oil and filter several times in a row but when I was a quart low I just added a quart of cheapo gas station 30W to the oil and it was gone within 5 miles of driving. Crazy. Thought I would share if anyone else has tried many other remedies to no avail.
May 3, 201114 yr Car? Year? Engine? Mileage???? I'm assuming it might be a 90 - 96 ej22 because those have HLAs?? I use 15w40 in mine. It has solid lifters, but the heavier oil shuts the other weird noises up.
May 3, 201114 yr Author Car? Year? Engine? Mileage????I'm assuming it might be a 90 - 96 ej22 because those have HLAs?? I use 15w40 in mine. It has solid lifters, but the heavier oil shuts the other weird noises up. 95 Legacy Outback, 2.2L, 239,000 miles
May 3, 201114 yr +1 I use 15w-40 Rotella in any of my engines over 100k or so. It quieted piston slap in the foz ej25d even. my lifters got quiet in both the GL and the 90 leg ej22 been doing it for many years and it's CHEAP. its 12.50 a gallon at walmart, sometimes it goes on sale at oreilly's for 9.99 a gallon. I usually buy 6 or so.
May 3, 201114 yr Going to a thicker oil increases wear on startup, which increases the clearances of the parts that are already making noise. I'd deal with the noise and stick with what the good book tells ya.
May 3, 201114 yr Run 5 or 10w40 then. I run thinner in winter. But the 40 part is the part that's important. You want a thicker oil at temp.
May 3, 201114 yr my son's 95 2.2L lego sedan (195k miles)would click when it got low on oil. he had a leak and he used the clicking as an add oil indicator until i replaced all the front seals and fixed it. HLAs can click because they are clogged or low on oil or just been sitting for a long time and need to loosen up.. driving it while it clicks will wear something more than it should but it shouldn't kill the engine unless it runs dry or runs like that forever.
May 3, 201114 yr Most break-in oil is straight 30wt. In the old days, there wasn't multi-viscosity oil either. driving it while it clicks will wear something more than it should but it shouldn't kill the engine unless it runs dry or runs like that forever. Won't running it forever kill it eventually anyway?
May 3, 201114 yr Most break-in oil is straight 30wt.In the old days, there wasn't multi-viscosity oil either. Won't running it forever kill it eventually anyway? In the long run, all Subarus are dead.
May 3, 201114 yr You want a thicker oil at temp. No, you don't. Your gut and hearsay are not nearly as dependable as what the nice slide-rule waving engineers in Gunma determined was best for your engine. The thicker the oil the more resistant it is to flow, the increase in oil pressure is not necessarily a good thing. The additive packages form a larger percentage of the lubricant total the larger the spread, 5-20 VS 5-40, and as such you give up lubricity for the ability to cross more viscosities.
May 3, 201114 yr I'm not saying it won't work, but it your engine will wear at a more rapid rate than if you were running the correct oil. I'd rather fix the problem than fix a symptom.
May 3, 201114 yr Well, my ej22 is sort of a POS. The rings are shot, etc. If this is keeping it alive until I get my other engine rebuilt. Yay.
May 4, 201114 yr Author Well, my ej22 is sort of a POS. The rings are shot, etc. If this is keeping it alive until I get my other engine rebuilt. Yay. Yay is right! With 239K on this thing I think the thicker oil will fill in the gaps that are caused by driving more than the distance of the moon and back. I didn't fill it up with 30W, just added a quart of it to the 10W30 that was already in it. My slide rule says that it is quiet now so I'm happy! LOL!!! Couldn't be any worse than putting Lucas Oil Stabilizer in it.
May 4, 201114 yr As long as the HLA aren't damaged, they can be unclogged with a bit of patience and fresh oil and a small pin. 1. remove valve cover 2. remove rocker assy 3. remove HLA set and keep track of locations 4. soak them in warm fresh oil 5. press pin into release ball, and compress over and over until it moves freely and it only passes clear oil. 6. prime each HLA with fresh oil 7. reassemble stuff This method fixed my 1991 SS' HLA noise, as most were clogged. They now have over 200,000 miles.
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now