95 legacy 203k.  Recently replaced the headgaskets and put in new lifters.  The little sewing machine tick now sounds like a hammer.  The heads had the oil passages blown out and were resurfaced.   Oil pump was resealed with a skim coat of subaru sealant.  We are going to put a new set of lifters in guessing that we got a defective lifter.  Is there an oil passage that may have been missed?

Yes. You need to remove the rocker shaft assembly from the head and disassemble it to thoroughly clean the oil feed passage for the rockers. Also remove the lifters from the rockers and clean out the feed holes in the rocker arms.

 

I should also add that the rockers will be Very LOUD for about 15-30 minutes after initial startup until they have pumped up completely.

Edited March 22, 201412 yr by Fairtax4me

I think 15 or 30 seconds rather than minutes to pump up the lifters but I agree about the careful cleaning and assembly of all the valve gear.  Making sure all parts are really clean is essential - http://www.nagara.co.uk/Enginefit3.htm

Ok.  I'll have to check if the rocker assembly was gone over...had a friend do most of the work.  Assuming it wasn't, why would the new lifters be louder than the old lifters?  Also would this clogged assembly cause just one lifter to not pump up?  It sounds like it's just one.  Thanks for the help.

New lifters are often louder until they get pumped up all the way.

 

If its just one lifter making noise, drive the car for 20 minutes or so and it should pump up and stop making noise. If not, the feed hole in that one rocker arm could be clogged.

Yep. The hidraulic lifters in these cars seem to take forever to stop making noise. Did you prime the lifters before installing them?

What Fairtax said. I had the same issue with my '95 Impreza 2.2 and his diagnosis was dead-on accurate for me when I asked here in the forums for help. I completely disassembled the rocker arm assembly and found a small piece of RTV silicone blocking the oil feed hole to the rocker shaft. After removing that blockage, repriming the HLAs, and reassembling the engine, my engine has been noise-free and purrs like a kitten...super quiet. I'd be wiling to bet you have a blockage, as well.

We have replaced all lifters and the engine is quiet now.  Blew out all the passages but saw no debris present.  The removed lifters are being sent back to the manf for inspection.  No RTV was used...we used Subaru 3 bond.  Apparently it was a defective lifter.  Thanks for all the help guys.  The car still has some other minor issues but I'll start another thread to address those if need be.