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lifter tick?

12K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  tdelker 
#1 ·
We just bought a 2001 outback with the 2.5 a few months ago. I just replaced the timing belt a few weeks ago. After the timing belt there seems to be a very loud lifter tick. It could have been there before too, but its my wifes car and I never drive it. I am sure the timing is right, i rechecked it 100 times, and it has good power and fuel economy still. The noise goes away when it gets warmed up. Is this a common problem? is it going to do any damage? Is it a lifter tick? thanks.
 
#6 ·
Clackity clackity clackity. Welcome to Subaru ownership. When I did the timing belt on my '02 2.5 I adjusted the valves to the tight end of the OEM specs. Made no difference whatsoever. As long as the valvetrain quiets down when it's warm, the noise is nothing to worry about.
 
#7 ·
The noise goes away when it gets warmed up.
piston slap. search here or google it. well documented.

Is this a common problem?
yes, in EJ25's. search/google.

is it going to do any damage?
no, it is benign. just don't mention it to your wife and maybe she'll go on not noticing it like before the timing belt change. LOL Subaru offered updated piston design to mitigate it but there's no reason to spend $3,000 for a near engine rebuild for something that doesn't make any difference in longevity or reliability. other than that there's nothing you can do about it.

Is it a lifter tick? thanks.
highly unlikely. though valve adjustment is a breeze on this engine. typical screw type adjustable valves and easily accessed. valves should be adjusted at some point. i'd replace the valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals and time that with a valve adjustment as those seals/gaskets are prone to leak sometime at 150k or earlier.
 
#8 ·
Subaru EJ engines are kinda noisy. If it quiets down a lot/goes away when the engine comes up to temp it's the likely the classic piston slap.

I've noticed Kaylee is a little quieter on certain oils, but nothing has made it go away. I thought it might have been valves needing adjustment, but none were out of spec when I had the valve cover gaskets replaced.
 
#9 ·
I had the exact same issue after timing belt replacement. It's very load, but it's intermittent. Seems to happen fairly infrequently now after a year.
 
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