Guest fcy001 Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Engine knock/clatter when cold. Goes away as engine warms up. Colder = noisier. Really cold, really noisy. Dealer says due to 2003 engine design with "short-skirted pistons" which tilt up and down in cylinder through combustion cycle. Last work order notation: "Factory representative has accumulated the information he needs and will advise when a repair is available." I think this one is serious, folks. Nothing may happen within warranty. All hell could break loose after warranty. 2003 owners: listen for that knocking on cold startup. Must be on quiet street with windows up, fan low, engine under load (keep rpms low in high gear). It goes away as engine warms up. If you hear, let me know. We will need strength in numbers to get Subaru to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mfassett Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 I have '03 Legacy, and I'll listen for this... but I live in CA, where engines aren't usually "cold".. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bagurk88 Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 my dad has a '03 impreza RS is this in reference to the 2.5L engine or the 2.0L engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Suzam Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Our 2001 OB Ltd Wagon has it, taps longer when outside temp is lower goes away as operating temp rises to normal. I belive the engine design is the same for these model years so I wonder if Subaru considers it for all the 2.5 SOHC engines from MY00 on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CROSSTBOLT Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 Let's see: leaking/blown head gaskets, piston slap/rattles, shuddering/studdering clutches....is there anything else that I have forgotten/have to look forward to? Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ferret Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 My 2002 Forester is my 5th Subaru since 1978. Last was a 1990 Legacy LS wagon. To date the noisiest engine was my 1985, especially when it was close to belt change time. Quietest was 1990 2.2. My Forester is ALSO noisy when started cold (Northern NJ). While under warrenty the dealer replaced the timing belt tensioner.....No Help. Then they handed my a service bulletin. The same listed on End Wrench. With 48k driven to date, it has not shown to be a problem other than noisy at cold startup. But like you, I AM on record if it DOES develop into a problem at a later date. Endwrench link (requires Acrobat on your PC since it is a .pdf file)...www.endwrench.com/pdf/eng...nfoS01.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drOutback Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 our '00 Legacy has 168,000mi, and makes kind of a knocking sound when it starts up. it's not piston slap. im a mechanic and know what piston slap sounds like. the engine uses very little oil and has high mileage, so i don't worry about the problem. in the latest C&D a Subaru engineer mentioned that with the way the front crankshaft seal was desinged on '00-'03 engines, it allowed a little clearance to develop between the seal and crank that makes a little knocking sound when cold. they redesigned the seal on the 2.5 XT Forester engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dwallbaum Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Crossbolt; Well. my cat. converter went out on my 2.2L Impreza at about 135K miles...Aside from a Ford Pinto, Ive never had a cat go out.. (on the Pinto, I did "performance testing" using a straight "test pipe" and this solved the problem nicely...). A 'test pipe" apparently is not available for the Subies.... Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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