Equalizer Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Just got my 98 Leg OB w/the 2.5 engine 145,000mi. done for major maintenance: a. Head gasket job b. All seals, O-rings c. Timing belt replaced d. Valves adjusted My main concern is that it still ticks just as loud as it did before the work. It is coming from each corner of the engine during idle and low rev. At high rev I can't hear it over the other engine noise. The mechanic said he replaced 4 worn exhaust valves, but did not adjust any intake shims as they were within spec. Its gone through 2 quarts of oil over the 500 miles since the work was done. I'm taking it in the beginning of next week for an oil change and to get the leak taken care of. The shop said its leaking from under the valve cover. QUESTIONS: What kind of work are they looking at? Should I be concerned about the ticking? If so, how should it be handled? THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 How many miles on this? 2 qts in 500 miles, if your burning it thats a ton of smoke out the back of the exhaust. If your leaking it, why werent the seals replaced with the timing belt. Also if the oil pump wasnt resealed, you can be loosing pressure. You need to do a compression check and have somone who knows how to read a vacume gauge throw it on and see what it says. When was the last time the pcv valve was replaced? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Equalizer Posted May 16, 2007 Author Share Posted May 16, 2007 How many miles on this? 2 qts in 500 miles, if your burning it thats a ton of smoke out the back of the exhaust. If your leaking it, why werent the seals replaced with the timing belt. Also if the oil pump wasnt resealed, you can be loosing pressure. You need to do a compression check and have somone who knows how to read a vacume gauge throw it on and see what it says. When was the last time the pcv valve was replaced? nipper Nipper, The car has 145,000mi. and seems like its leaking rather than burning all of that oil. The leak has slowed, and they told me that the seals were replaced as I requested when they did the other work. They said they want me to leave the car there so the mechanic can tighten a loose bolt. I thought that would have been done according to spec the first time. I plan to drop it off as ASAP, on a day when they don't have to keep it for the rest of the week. As for the compression check, I've got a compression gauge. The kind with the rubber nipple that presses against the cylinder after removing the plugs. Is that what you mean by vaccume gauge? I don't believe that the pvc valve was ever replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 PCV valve can cause oil consumption (including leaks). replace it with an OE valve. Compression gauge is not a vac gauge. a vac gauge reads the manifold vac of the car, and can tell you many things about the engines health. Some subarus like to make noise. If the valves were in spec they were in spec. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 They might not have replaced the valve cover gaskets and bolt hole seals (not sure if that engine has the spark plug hole seals). Reusing them when they're old can let some leaks. OEM PCV valve isn't too expensive, takes like 5 minutes to replace, and would be a good idea to replace if it hasn't been done. Does the ticking go away after engine warms up a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana105 Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 while you're at it find another shop,that is ridiculous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svxpert Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 <<while you're at it find another shop,that is ridiculous>> +1 here. who did the work and how much did it cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Equalizer Posted May 17, 2007 Author Share Posted May 17, 2007 They might not have replaced the valve cover gaskets and bolt hole seals (not sure if that engine has the spark plug hole seals). Reusing them when they're old can let some leaks. OEM PCV valve isn't too expensive, takes like 5 minutes to replace, and would be a good idea to replace if it hasn't been done. Does the ticking go away after engine warms up a bit? Porcupine, It doesn't seem to matter if the engine is warmed up or cold. It sounds the same regardless. Svxpert, It was one grand. What I'm trying to find out is: The mechanic says they were in spec. It still ticks. What is normal after this job? How can this be properly evaluated to determine if he needs to redo the valve job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana105 Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Equal,have you satisfied yourself that this is a valve tick and not another timing component or accessory or fuel injector. I still think it wise to get compression readings as Nipper suggested earlier.Typically a compression gauge screws into the spark plug threads,the type you mentioned where you hold the rubber nipple against the plug hole are very inaccurate.I'm wondering if your oil pump was resealed in the process which if it wasn't would cause enough of oil pressure drop to your upper end.I would ask the mechanic who did the original work if this was done and also if he/she backed up their original diagnosis with methodical testing. Good luck,John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Equal,have you satisfied yourself that this is a valve tick and not another timing component or accessory or fuel injector. I still think it wise to get compression readings as Nipper suggested earlier.Typically a compression gauge screws into the spark plug threads,the type you mentioned where you hold the rubber nipple against the plug hole are very inaccurate.I'm wondering if your oil pump was resealed in the process which if it wasn't would cause enough of oil pressure drop to your upper end.I would ask the mechanic who did the original work if this was done and also if he/she backed up their original diagnosis with methodical testing. Good luck,John May be useful to get a vacume gauge on the enige too. that can tell us far more about the condition of the valves then just the compression test. I'm going to ask a silly question. Are you sure your not hearing the injectors clicking. Subaru injectors are noisey. If you think its valves, you should here the clicking twice as fast as the engine is running. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Equalizer Posted May 25, 2007 Author Share Posted May 25, 2007 May be useful to get a vacume gauge on the enige too. that can tell us far more about the condition of the valves then just the compression test. I'm going to ask a silly question. Are you sure your not hearing the injectors clicking. Subaru injectors are noisey. If you think its valves, you should here the clicking twice as fast as the engine is running. nipper Update, I had the car back in today and the mechanic said that he left the gap a little on the large side since he expected them to seat in. He said that it would be better to have a little more clearance and live with the noise, than too little since the valves would stretch longer and then he'd end up having to do the job again. He said when I take the car in next week and leave it there to have the oil changed, seal up an oil leak, and replace the power steering pump (it appears to be leaking and coming down through the front cover), that he'd check the valves if they are still noisey. eq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.