I have a 2002 Impreza. I hear a ticking noise when I start the car

but after it warms up the noise lessens. I took it to the Subaru

mechanic. They checked it out while I was there and said it is a

common problem--it's one of the pistons (I forgot which one). He

said other than the noise it's not a problem. I do take it in for

regular maintenance. Is this something I need to worry about?

Try the search function in the header and look for "piston slap" you'll get plenty of information.Also look at the bottom of this post for the Similar Threads links.

Hi ltk and welcome!

 

Here's a good soob article about the noise: http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/EngineNoiseSum04.pdf

 

excerpt: "Subaru models from the 2000 model year and later, equipped with 2.2 and 2.5 liter engines" ,"A light engine knock, after cold start, that gradually dissipates as the engine warms up and is virtually undetectable (from inside the vehicle) once the engine has reached operating temperature, is a normal characteristic of these engines."