hey

i recently redid my timing belt and 5 pulley tensioners on my 97 legacy outback 2.5

 

i am noticing a noise upon cold start ups. it goes away as soon as the car is on for a coupke of minutes. i have read about piston slap and am not quite sure that is what is is.

 

if the tensioner is failing is it the one with the plunger that is going. i have already had to redo my cylinder heads thanks to a blown pulley and i never want to go through that again.

 

anyone know of a way to check this and determine if it is my tensioner or if it is just piston slap.

 

also could it be my oil pump?

cause as soon as the car heats up just a bit it goes away. i would think if it was a tensioner it would always be noticeable

 

thanks

hey

i recently redid my timing belt and 5 pulley tensioners on my 97 legacy outback 2.5

 

i am noticing a noise upon cold start ups. it goes away as soon as the car is on for a coupke of minutes. i have read about piston slap and am not quite sure that is what is is.

 

if the tensioner is failing is it the one with the plunger that is going. i have already had to redo my cylinder heads thanks to a blown pulley and i never want to go through that again.

 

anyone know of a way to check this and determine if it is my tensioner or if it is just piston slap.

 

also could it be my oil pump?

cause as soon as the car heats up just a bit it goes away. i would think if it was a tensioner it would always be noticeable

 

thanks

 

Its piston slap. Do a search here on piston slap and there is extensive information on it. Also you can google piston slap for more information (though the google version can be scary).

Piston slap goes away as the car warms up. Tensioner noise will not.

 

nipper

other people have told me piston slap too.

 

i really really hope it is but i have also read that the heat from the engine makes the tensioner fluid start working and the noise will go away as it warms up. any thoughts on that.

 

the noise is more like a knock too.

 

oh yeah the car has 180000 miles.

 

at this point i am counting on the fact that it is piston slap until i can save enough to get it checked out.

other people have told me piston slap too.

 

i really really hope it is but i have also read that the heat from the engine makes the tensioner fluid start working and the noise will go away as it warms up. any thoughts on that.

 

the noise is more like a knock too.

 

oh yeah the car has 180000 miles.

 

at this point i am counting on the fact that it is piston slap until i can save enough to get it checked out.

 

sigh, NOW you tell us the mileage

i have the same car mine does the same thing its piston slap. a rod knock does not go away. Never heard of the tensioner theory, if it was true it would happen when new.

 

nipper