I have an 81 brat and the engine is starting to get a ticking sound is that a bad thing..im only 16 and im still learning my skills as a mechanic so plz help here

Mostly all old Subarus develop what i think you are describing as the TOD (Tick of death) its just noisy lifters, ive heard that when the mickey mouse oil pump gasket goes air gets in the system and makes it noisy and such if i am correct, if the tick turns to a very loud knock then you have something to worry about. hope this helps

-Matt

'81 Brat with an EA81 (if it's a GL) or EA71 (DL) will not have hydraulic lifters and cannot, therefore, have the TOD.

 

Do a valve adjustment. It's reqiured every 15k miles on your engine. Also check your oil pressure and replace the pump if it's looking chewed up inside.

 

GD

Edited October 31, 201114 yr by GeneralDisorder

alright thanks ill look into this when i get some time and a lil help from my step dad:D

a feeler gauge, new valve cover gaskets, and a haynes manual will get you by. It would be a good idea to replace the oil pump seals as well, the parts are cheap enough.

In addition to regular maintenance items such as valve lash adjustment, you can do a little Seafoam in the crankcase oil.

 

I don't do this regularly, (In fact the previous time I did it was about 60,000 miles ago), but I did it recently because my engine ('81 ea81) was getting a little noisy.

 

I put about a 1/3 of a can of Seafoam in the crankcase with the oil that was already in there, drove for about 150 miles over several trips, and changed my oil. The engine is very noticeably quieter now. I think the oil passages eventually build up enough sludge resistance to make a weaker oil circuit (even with good pressure) and the metal parts get noiser as a result.

Remember the valve cover gaskets are cork and do not require a ton of torque. Just snug them up or you will be in a world of hurt. Fel-Pro is the best bet.

also the books and old subaru manual will say to check head bolt torque by loosening head bolts a bit and re-torque etc... please don't do that... don't mess with the head bolts.

 

 

How fun to be 16, have a Brat and want to learn...

Agreed - don't mess with the head bolts.

 

Do yourself a favor and pickup new cork valve cover gaskets, bolt grommets, and an oil pan gasket from your local Subaru dealership. Give them a few days as they will have to order them. The cork quality is much higher than aftermarket. Coat the cork in a thin layer of RTV and let it dry prior to installation.

 

GD

+1 for the RTV on the cork gasket.

 

Really glad the PO did that to my GL when I was adjusting the lifters.

I'm loving the info im getting here once i get some time and some molah i can set to work on this but the tranny may have to come first