joshjoshkabosh Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I have a 91 Subaru Loyale Manual 4x4. I love the thing its a beast. a while ago when I was running a little low on oil (not empty just at the low line on the dipstick) the car developed the tick of death. So i go to the store and got some CD2 oil detergent and pour a quart of that in fixes the problem. 1000 miles later it comes back and This time I swap out the oil and try a quart of lucas oil, and the ticking is as bad as ever. So after checking the forums and seeing claims of oil pumps being the issue I decide to pull mine out. everything looks good seals look good, except there is one issue, as you can see in the image below http://i.imgur.com/DanVL.jpg can someone tell me if that hole at the bottom just on the inside of the gasket is supposed to be there? is that the cause of the air bubbles in my oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Looks broken to me and when I look at an old oil pump here, I dont have that... Best to replace the mickey mouse gasket and the oil pump... will probably stop the TOD... Could be the cause of the air bubbles as well, someone else would have to chime in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Check the camshaft seals at the front of the motor as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdweninger Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I just rebuilt my oil pump on an '85 GL. That same hole was on my oil pump. I cleaned it out. Then replaced the mickey mouse o-ring, the large 2" o-ring on the back side, and finally... removed the 12mm nut from the sprocket and removed the shaft to replace a brown 1" oil seal. I had to hold the back gyro gear (4 lobes) in a vice with wood to protect the surface. Hope this helps... Ron W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Different oil pumps? that hole looks broken to me, doesnt look like a clean hole machined to be there.... Heres a picture of a pump like mine, no hole (too lazy to upload mine, sorry) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshjoshkabosh Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Ya thats my oil pump. I'll check the camshaft seals and replace the gaskets. Hopefully that will work, but after that I don't want to replace the oil pump if i don't half too. If this hole is possibly my problem I want to try and some how fill it, maybe some type of liquid metal? I don't know enough about machining to know if thats do able or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentz912 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I have a 91 Subaru Loyale Manual 4x4. I love the thing its a beast. a while ago when I was running a little low on oil (not empty just at the low line on the dipstick) the car developed the tick of death. ? Random fact here that a lot of people don't realize. You're car doesn't run out of oil when it no longer shows on the dipstick. The dipsticks on auto applications typically show 1qt from the full line to the low line. Out of a total capacity of 4-6 qts depending on the engine. So even if it was a little under the low line, you still have 75-85% of your oil capacity still in the engine. Not saying you shouldn't fix it ASAP, it's just not AS big of a deal as some make it out to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick James Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Different oil pumps? that hole looks broken to me, doesnt look like a clean hole machined to be there.... Heres a picture of a pump like mine, no hole (too lazy to upload mine, sorry) Josh's hole is not on the unit that gets removed (correct me if I'm wrong, Josh) but on the block casting (this verbiage may be incorrect). I went out to the garage to take a pic of my own hole....I can't show that ......but here's a pic of that matches Josh's from my 93 Loyale.. If this is a problem, thanks for bringing it some attention josh....I've been getting the tick also but just assumed, based on reading that the pumps rarely go bad, that I need the pump seals changed, new filter and new oil. SO is this hole really a defect?????!! thanks again josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I see it better now. I dont have any torn apart EA82s so I cant see that port... but on yours it looks like it belongs there... so I doubt its a defect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick James Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Like on Josh's, it kind of a rough hole, not the cleanest looking work..rough enough to bring attention to itself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshjoshkabosh Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) Right, thats the question of the day if its supposed to be there or not. Seeing that other picture it looks like its supposed to be there, maybe some type of blow off valve or drain for water or oil. Hopefully tomorrow I'll bring a picture of it to a Subaru expert and he can tell me. I'll post what I know Do you get tiny air bubbles in your oil? that was the main reason for me taking apart my oil pump, that and the deafening tick Edited May 23, 2012 by joshjoshkabosh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick James Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Haven't noticed air bubbles...you seeing these on the dipstick? .. my own tick of death isn't deafening (yet) just a sound that shouldn't be there....interestingly, if I let the oil level stay low, the tick is not so often. There's a ton of suby experts here..am guessing the "tick of death" subject has been beat to death...maybe if you said "unusual hole re: my oil pump". I'm very interested in the reason for the hole...please post what you find out. thanks RJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rust Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I have 3 ea82 subarus that get used/abused on a regular basis. All of them have had the tick of death at one time or another. Replacing the oil pump seals, and oil pump replacement has never solved the problem for me. The one thing that does work for me is flushing the engine with a cocktail of 1 can seafoam, 1 qrt ATF, 1/2 can. Gunk Motor Flush or Risoline, and 1 qrt 5w30 full synthetic oil. First I drain the old oil. Second I fill the crankcase with the cocktail and let it idle for about 20 min. (usually after 10min you can hear the tick dissapear) Third I drain the coctail and fill-up w/ 10w/30 oil and fresh filter. I have done the oil pump/seal replacement several times and the tick is still there after doing all that work The cocktail method works every time for me, and if it does come back I just do it again. Old school mechanics used to use straight Kerosene back in the day before all these modern cleaning agents were made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I read of a guy that had breather/PCV hoses misrouted and actually heard gurgling noises from the dipstick tube! Also, could a crack or pinhole in the pick-up tube allow air to be sucked in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unsp0kn Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I can't say about the oil pump, but my '89 RX had a super loud tick last week I started it after it sat for almost a month. It was really loud and got louder as the RPMs went up. I checked my oil, still shiney gold so I drained about a qt. out and topped it back off with LucasOil Engine Oil Stabilizer. Fired it up and let it run a good 15 minutes and now it purrs like a kitty. I've used the same stabilizer in all of my cars, it quieted down the valvetrain in my GSR swapped Integra (VTEC are notorious for louder valve trains) and I use it in my WRX as well. Seems to be good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 NED had lifter tick... even after a resealed oil pump... So GD had me remove the lifters and he sent them in to Mizpah to be rebuilt. Then we put a new gasket on a low mileage oil pump (or new I dont recall) and the lifter tick went away. Its come back a few times when I forget to check the oil, but as soon as I hear it I top it off on the dipstick and the tick goes away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshjoshkabosh Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 From what i've learned typically most Subaru engines tick. I've seen brand new engines that have a bit ticking, its normal. When it gets loud is when you want to attack the problem before the lifters get so worn they need to be replaced. I'm told the lifters hardly ever go bad and it takes a lot for them to do so. My friend thats a technician believes the hole is for oil return of some kinda back to the engine He thinks its normal. For whatever reason it just looks rough on mine. I'm going to replace the seals and measure everything with a feeler gauge. If I slap it all back together and the loud tick is still there i'll try the seafoam cocktail mixture. It might be a day or two before i get it all back together. I'll post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 That hole ain't supposed to be there. Also, the ticking is caused by the cam tower o ring going bad. Replace both of them. I think you can find those at genuinesubaruparts.com or at the dealer. About the size of a dime, maybe a bit smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick James Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 That hole ain't supposed to be there. Can we get a consensus on this? Admittedly, it's a rough looking hole, maybe a bad casting.... ticking is caused by the cam tower o ring going bad. Replace both of them. I think you can find those at genuinesubaruparts.com or at the dealer. About the size of a dime, maybe a bit smaller. many thanks..will do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick James Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) That hole ain't supposed to be there. wanna make sure we're clear on the location of the hole... it's on the block casting not the removable pump... I poked around and the walls of the hole's tunnel seem fairly smooth...also the face of the hole isn't as rough as I'd originally thought... joshjosh (the original poster) and i have the same hole...anyone else?? edit...can't seem to rotate the pic Edited May 25, 2012 by Rick James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) I've never handled these parts - but it kinda looks like the oil pressure relief valve may dump oil through there back into the pan. just a guess Edited May 25, 2012 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshjoshkabosh Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Just to clarify the hole is on the engine block itself, not the oil pump This thread contains 3 pictures of a hole in the same location and same size, for whatever reason mine is a rough cast and looks bad, which was the original cause for my concern of this. The gasket is in a v shape around the hole and the hole is center. My conclusion is that it is supposed to be there. Unless someone can find a picture of that hole not being there I'm going to assume its fine. As for my ticking I will replace all the gaskets, while I have the car apart I'll replace the cam o rings too, wouldn't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 it's on the block casting not the removable pump... Oh poo... I'm all backwards. That may supposed to be there. Was thinking the back of the pump... all confused sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 hole is erelavent no problem is just a casting mark the problem is the seal behind the drive gear it gets hardend and will pull air past it and alow air to get in oil the seal should be replaced with a subaru one the old ones where black and new ones are brown carfull not to break the oil pump shaft retainer nut is a bitt weak i clamp the oil pump shaft in vice between two pices of wood to undo the retainer nut the oilpump gears are relativly cheap from subaru i whould change them while your in there the last set i got were like 50 $ change the micky mouse oring and the oil pump houseing oring and brown seal and tick should be gone. If not check the oil pump relef valves located in top of cly heads above the cams is a 14 mm nut with sping and valve in it the springs loose tention so stretch it a bitt and reinstall theese valves control how mutch preshure is regulated in engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick James Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 many thanks ivan...a mouthful of good info . in case anyone missed it...right after "gone" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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