'96 Legacy L with the 2.2L engine & 105k miles.

 

Just moved to Vermont, and since getting here, the sube is having some issues with the hills.

 

When climbing hills (or when the engine is under at least moderate loads), the engine is making a knocking sound. It's at a constant frequency, occurs at half-throttle or more, and as soon as I back off the throttle, goes away.

 

I put a few tanks of 93 Octane in, just to make sure it wasn't a fuel issue, but it didn't help.

 

The engine has never caused me problems before (it still uses almost no oil between changes!), and no CEL has come on. I've owned it since new, oil changes every 3k.

 

Thanks for any & all suggestions.

When did you last change your spark plugs? How about a Seafoam treatment sucked into a vacuum port to clean up potential carbon buildup and throw some in the tank as well?

It may be more of an issue of time than cause for your move to the north. How were the hills where you lived before?

When did you last change your spark plugs? How about a Seafoam treatment sucked into a vacuum port to clean up potential carbon buildup and throw some in the tank as well?

It may be more of an issue of time than cause for your move to the north. How were the hills where you lived before?

 

plugs were changed maybe 30k ago. I did seafoam in the tank a while ago, but that's been it. The engine has been bulletproof up until this point, but maybe the facts that I came from the flattest place in the world (florida), and drive like a granny were masking the problem.