Hey folks, just bought a '92 loyale and its making a pretty loud noise. My wife can tell when I'm home and we live in an apartment complex. Some guys I've talked to say it could be a lifter or rocker banging around. Any advice on which forum to get the best info from?

Welcome to the USMB. I'm going to move your thread to the old gen forum. You should be able to get some advice there.

Thanks!

lifter tick. does it sound like a sewing machine?

 

exhaust gasket. does it sound like a misfire or half a harley when running?

 

you are at the best forum to get info. if you look anywhere else, you will be directed here anyway.

 

Lifter tick is caused by failed o-rings in the oil pump or the cam tower. These are relatively easy to service if you have the capacity to work on your own car. As annoying as it is, it will not break anything, although it can be down on performance with delayed valve action, but you are not breaking it if you drive it.

Crossing my fingers it's not a thrown main bearing. Doesn't sound like a blacksmith hammering in his forge, I hope?

 

If your wife can hear it, it's probably the exhaust manifold...here's hoping!

Its not a header leak, it's metal on metal, and its definitely not a bearing. Oil is seeping from the service port and there is air pushing out like a valve is not closing all the way. The ticking is coming from what I think is the head on the passenger side of the vehicle. I put some motor honey in her and the noise was almost completely subdued for a few days, but then returned. A friend thinks the oil pump is going because the noise quiets down every once in a while after the engine reaches operating temp, though the Guage reads good pressure.

not the oil pump. the cam tower o ring. you can put in a new oil pump, and she'll still tick if the cam tower o-rings are not taken care of.

 

the oil pump would be the last culprit. It would be the seals before the pump, anyway.

 

you can't really compare subarus to other cars, so what is considered common knowledge by people who know a little about cars, almost does not apply in any of the same way to a subaru.

Greetings Bobaloui. I think everyone who has had a car with that motor has experienced TOD (tick of death) as it is sometimes called. On my '93 Loyale it seemed to come on around 170k miles. At first it was my indicator to add a little oil and then it usually went away. Eventually I went to 10w-40 instead of 10w30. I also ran a 1/2 qt of transmission fluid in the motor for a short easy drive before a couple oil changes thinking it would "clean" things out a bit? Not totally convinced that did anything. Eventually did the front seals and oil pump o-ring with the last timing belts. Ticking sound on the passenger side still comes back, not steady, but off and on. I'm now at 211k and have gotten use to it. I don't know what kind of miles yours has or what you paid for it? For me I can only do so much to a $450 car. Good luck with the Loyale. And welcome to the board!

334k miles on my Loy, only thing that has 100% solved the TOD for me is Engine Restore.

 

 

Not to say that doing it the right way should be overlooked, but I did it the right way, and it still ticked on start up every day. Now that I've ran this stuff, it does it maybe once a week for about 30 seconds after start up.

Thanks for the info folks! It has 212,000 miles. For now I don't have the means to work on it myself. I'm gonna try some additives first and see where that gets me. I bought it to get through the winter or until I bought a truck, but plans have changed and I think I'm going to be staying here for a while so it might be a more permanent vehicle. Either that or I'll sell my other vehicles and go into debt for a descent one. I'll post with results soon!