Hey guys, just recently I had picked up a 99 Outback with a 96 2.2 swapped into it. The motor was rebuilt about 50k ago, so the previous owner said. By the way it runs and how clean everything is, I would have to agree. That, and whenever I change the oil it comes out looking almost new. I just recently did the timing belt and water pump, along with all the timing pulleys, about a month ago I think. Probably put on about 2k since then. Within the past 2 weeks on occasion it has been making a noise that sounds just like an ea82 lifter tap. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Any idea's what it might be? I didn't think these made much valvetrain noise. The car is automatic if anyone cares, and is not down on power at all. A few days ago it picked up a check engine light that stays on, but I haven't gotten a chance to scan it. Could it also be that I just happened to get a bad timing belt idler that went out already? Any ideas are appreciated.

Maybe you should double check the timing marks on that timing belt. It will run ok but be a little wonky and will throw a code.

 

Hey guys, just recently I had picked up a 99 Outback with a 96 2.2 swapped into it. The motor was rebuilt about 50k ago, so the previous owner said. By the way it runs and how clean everything is, I would have to agree. That, and whenever I change the oil it comes out looking almost new. I just recently did the timing belt and water pump, along with all the timing pulleys, about a month ago I think. Probably put on about 2k since then. Within the past 2 weeks on occasion it has been making a noise that sounds just like an ea82 lifter tap. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Any idea's what it might be? I didn't think these made much valvetrain noise. The car is automatic if anyone cares, and is not down on power at all. A few days ago it picked up a check engine light that stays on, but I haven't gotten a chance to scan it. Could it also be that I just happened to get a bad timing belt idler that went out already? Any ideas are appreciated.

the easiest tip i can think to give you is to try and narrow down what part of the engine it's coming from to help us help you. passengers side, drivers side, rear or front of engine? either a long wooden dowel rod or a mechanics stethoscope (not expensive at all and nice), put up to your ears will help narrow it down.

 

find out what year EJ22's have HLA's verses solid lifters. if it's HLA's then keep up with the oil changes and hope it goes away.

 

if it has solid lifters then maybe they needed adjusted.

I sure hope your code isn't a Knock Sensor code! Check out my thread on

"Diff between Piston Slap and Lifter Chatter". Good luck.

jimmy

There may be debris floating around the rocker shaft oil delivery passage (see attached , red arrow) blocking off the oil to the HLA's

You have to pull the rocker tower assembly to see if it is plugged

Just like grossgary says you need to pin down which side it is.

Endwrench has an article on the HLA's http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/Valve07MayEW.pdf

 

 

 

Hope that helps

 

SEA#3

oil passage - rocker.doc

Well, I'll have to check some of that stuff out then. Thanks alot for the advice :-) My internet is all screwed up so I'm having trouble getting online lately.

Another possibility worth exploring. Since the only thing done to the car recently is timing belt and if the noise seems to come from the front of the engine (timing belt cover), maybe the tensionner is bad (what method did you use to compress it ?). A bad tensionner is known to produce sounds comparable to what you describe.

Just another possibility.