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my 1993 subaru loyale is making a loud ticking. It happens intermitently and does not seem to matter whether the engine is cold or warm. it runs fairly well all things considered,and i was just wondering if i should be worried about this, or if there wassomethingi could do to solve this issue. I just purchased the car to get me to and from school and i want to prolong its life as long as possible.
Country: CanadaMake: SubaruModel: LoyaleYear: 1993
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Hello
Hi, I'm Kevin
hey, any words of wisdom for me?
Does the ticking come from both sides of the motor?
as far as you can tell or one particular side
Im not sure but it sounds like the driver side to me.
You already checked the oil?
yes. and i had it changed right after purchasing it. the previous owner said it stopped after it warmed up, but i have had the enginecwarm and the ticking has come back out of the blue.
ok, so it comes and goes...I was wondering since sometimes these cars make a tick/tap noise that is the timing belts slapping but that is a constant
and i just fired it up and listened closer. It sounds more prominent on the passenger side.
These timing belts are not self adjusting so they can make noise when they get too loose. If you are sure it's a "tappet" type noise then what is happening is that your oil pump is losing volume, very common on the Loyales
the owner said they had the timing belt changed recently
that's good, they need replacement at 60K
every 60K
whats the remedy for that? the oil pump issue
A new oil pump would be the fix
the pump is driven off the timing belt, so the timing belts would need to come back off for replacement
is that a tough diy? and is it expensive?
now that being said, was the car quiet before the oil change?
it's a tough DIY if you only have basic tools
No i was having the same issues before the change.
ok, that eliminates a possibly bad oil filter
i have quite a few tools. And purchased the car hoping i would be able to do a lot of the work myself.
Another thing i noticed after having it on the highway was what looked like peices that had come off a belt sitting in the engine.
This car has 2 timing belts that have to be timed right, a few special tools to get at them and a specific torque on the timing belt tension
ok..that could be an old belt or maybe you lost the A/C belt? hard to say without seeing the piece and the motor
ah sounds tough. anything i could look at before tackling that job or paying someone to do it?
Well, you already did the wise first step with the oil change. other than a weak oil pump, it could be sediment in the oil passages which is an even bigger job, I have only had a couple of Loyales with that issue...customer neglected his oil changes on 1 and another..the oil filter came apart.
Is this something i can let go until the pump goes and then worry about replacing it, or will that do further damage?
I have seen these cars drive many miles with the tappet noise, I cannot tell you to drive it without worries(especially since I can't hear it) but as I said, they seem pretty strong even with the noise.
If the pump fails completely, you will lose oil pressure and the engine will be damaged
If the tappet noise starts to get noticably louder, I would consider the replacement
oil pump
ok. yeah it seems to run quite well considering the year and kms. nd the ticking doesnt seem to affect performance.
exactly, but if you do notice a rough idle or stumble, then the lash adjusters are not getting enough oil...pump time
Keep the oil filled too
any idea on the cost of that? at a mechanics? i don't really want to mess with the timing belts
i have noticed both those issues at times.
I don't blame you..Labor is between 3.0 and 3.5 Hrs. plus around $125.00 for the pump and seals
brb, let me varify the labor
Ok.
keep in mind shops can vary..this is based on a time guide
and doesn't include the 2 seals needed..about another 15.00
Hope this helps
ok. thanks. so why does the ticking come and go?
the oil pump volume is varied, happens when the pump gets old, still has pressure but cannot keep up the quantity
I have replaced dozens of these
once the new pump is installed, you have to let the car idle at about 2500RPMs until the ticking disappears too.
so the volume is low when its ticking? will driving carefully while ticking make a difference?
to get the oil pumped up to the adjusters
not really, just keep the RPMs modest
when the car is idling it revs way below 1000 rpms. would this be related to the pump?
No hot rodding lol
haha, yeah
no, the idle ..as I remeber is 700 to 800 RPM..with SPFI it may even drop lower though
spfi?
the idle specs are underside of the hood on a sticker
your engine..Single Point Fuel Injection
ah. awesome. thanks. one more quick question. you say to keep the rpms modest, when on the highway the vehicle revs quite high at speed. is that normal?
around 4500 rpms
like 4000at 55?
lol
Automatic?
yeah about that...I think, haha. yes it is an auto
It's only a 3speed Auto so, yes it's pretty normal
awesome. thanks for the help, the info has been very helpful. Its nice to atleast have an undrrstanding of the problem. So the louder the ticking the more serious the problem?
yes, just keep an ear tuned , if the noise get's progreesively worse, you will need to take action.
Perfect. Thanks a lot. Much appreciated.
You can always come back to this post to review too, even after you click accept if you need to.
My pleasure
Experience: 34 years of Subaru service experience, ASE Master Technician