July 9, 201114 yr I was wondering if anyone would know if the older Ej20's were solid or hydro lifter? im getting a ticking that sounds alot like a ea82 TOD but since there is only about 40,000-50,000 miles on the engine it seems unlikely that the hydro lifters would be clogged up already (although the previous owner did go over 10k miles without an oil change...). Anyway, its a Ej20G out of a 1994 Legacy RS. Any help would be much appreciated!
July 9, 201114 yr Author Thank you! ill get an aftermarket oil pressure gauge and see if im just lacking oil pressure...if not i guess i have a collapsed lifter
July 9, 201114 yr You can see the hydraulic buckets if you pull off a valve cover - they don't have the lip on them where a shim would sit.... it's a farily obvious difference if you can imagine an inverted shot-glass with a round disc on the bottom - held in place by a lip around the edge of the bottom of the glass.... hydro's will just be flat with not lip and no disc. Oil pressure check is a good thing - replacing the o-ring behind the oil pump is a good idea as well. It should be noted that the ticking can be due to sitting for a prolonged period and can take several hours to dissapear on first startup... don't know how long you have run the engine but a couple oil changes and such might take care of it. GD
July 9, 201114 yr Author Well, when i first got it it didnt have any lifter noise at all, but it was running 2 quarts low on oil and had not been changed for some time. I changed it with 5w30 chevron oil and a few days after that i started noticing the sound, and over the past week its gotten increasingly more common, and louder. Ill try changing the oil again and see what happens.
July 10, 201114 yr My wagon is getting a '93 ej20g. Ive been told that Subaru swapped out heads and pistons for ones used in the wrx ej205 to eliminate hla noise under warranty in the market areas that got this engine around '94....have a good sound system? Ive also heard of a fix allowing more oil flow thru the heads to the hlas and a high volume oil pump, still getting details.
July 10, 201114 yr Author Ive been told that Subaru swapped out heads and pistons for ones used in the wrx ej205 to eliminate hla noise under warranty in the market areas that got this engine around '94....have a good sound system? Yes, just put in two 12 inch pioneer subs...probably the best fix for now! Still, im going to reseal my oil pump and get a working oil pressure gauge tomorrow, so hopefully this will soon be resolved.
July 11, 201114 yr I have been told that the hla noise can be attributed to oil deposits with age and can be fixed by enlarging the oil gallies in the head to the hla's, but higher flow there can rob other areas so you install a high volume sti oil pump....rumored to be developed for the rally guys, has 3 pickup tubes unstead of 1...thats about all i know until i check into it good luck with it Edited July 11, 201114 yr by T'subaru
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