I've got a 1995 Legacy SDN.

 

I've read a lot of TOD threads and tried several attacks. Its getting the best of me. Here's what I've tried, in chron. order. Each step I reinstalled rocker assembly and drove for a week (except seafoam, only drove 100 miles for both).

 

* Seafoam

* MMO

* Seafoam again

* Remove HLAs, purged of oil, filled and soaked in seafoam, bled air and replaced

* The latter once more

* Confirmed oil passages in each rocker arm are not blocked

* replaced every HLA with a mizpah rebuilt.

* removed HLAs, purged oil, checked for smoothness, bled of air and reinstalled.

* installed oil gauge, oil pressure=80 cold, 25 warm idle, 60psi at moderate rpm (can't remember exactly)

 

I haven't seen any evidence of oil aeration, on the dipstick, oil changes, or in the valve cover when removed.

I tried locating the tick with a short garden hose, but had a hard time telling exactly where it was coming from.

Every time I have the valve cover off, I wiggle each rocker arm and they're always tight.

 

While driving around, the tick only ceased for 5 minutes the entire ordeal. Once a week the tick seems to lessen for a few minutes, then comes right back to full strength (maybe a lifter or two frees up for a min.).

 

Anyone have any ideas that I can try?

 

If I understand correctly, the oil flows through the block to the forward part of the rocker shaft, then through the shaft to disperse through holes to each arm. Then travels through a passage to the base of the HLA recepticle. I'm really at a loss to see where my engines failing. The tick seems just as bad as when I started.

 

Thanks all,

Derek

MY 92 Legacy wagon at 160k never had any issues with lifter noise, I used valvoline 10-30 and Purolator oil filters. I do know that the Miata crowd swears by the OEM oil filter or the lifters will definitely tick, and even at that come 4-5k miles they will tick big time when cold or upon start up after they have been driven. That's when I know to change the oil in my Miata! (And it's getting kind of ticked off right now chasing down Subaru parts etc. while my 97 Outback engine is on the garage floor in pieces!)

 

 

So perhaps your oil filter is an issue?

Good point, fair play.

 

Are you using the newer smaller filter? Does it have an "anti-drainback valve"? Black rubber grommet under the outer ring of holes.

a oil filter might cause a tick at startup but not after pressure has built up,i would bet that the springs in the lifters are wore out. i think you have done everything that could be done to a good lifter,your pressure is good,you have cleaned everything,so that only leaves the lifter at fault.

As a last ditch effort, I did this. Removed two random mizpah HLAs from about the area I heard the tick coming from, and replaced them with the old ones. Tick is 85% gone. The only tick sounds like its coming from the other side, and is probably just one.

 

My reasoning tells me mizpah sent me 3 junk HLAs. I swapped out one set of partial failures for another set of partial failures.

 

What gets me is the faulty mizpah lifters show no signs of problems outside of the rocker assy. I doubt I bled them twice improperly.

 

I read a post here once that alluded to washers or orings that raised the whole HLA up, allowing it to have more usable range. Anyone know of these?