It is most likely the timing chain. I think they had a few guide issues in these years, you may want to see if there is a tsb about it.

 

I'd agree this is the right answer.

That nipper guy is pretty sharp, huh?

 

Are there any other symptoms or any way I can know for sure it's the timing chain? I really don't want to pull the whole thing apart and that not be it.

-FOX-

 

I think valve noise and chain noise would be quite different.

Take a long screwdriver, touch the pointy end to the heads/valve covers/timing chain cover and place your thumb over the other end and jamb your thumb in your ear.

Chains tend to make a scrapy/rattly/slapping/chka-chka=chka sound, valves make a nice clean ticking/clicking noise.

If it is the chain it could be just the guides need replacing.

Dave

 

But if you have it far enough apart to change the guides, "you might as well" replace the chains at the same time.

 

Depending on the mileage... could be low or high, was not specified.

Dave

 

It has just shy of 99k on it. I bought it with just under 91k in October of '10.

5W-30 Mobile 1 synthetic for the last 3 oil changes if that matters.

My theory is the chain is loose and causing the valves to get sloppy hence the valve noise. It started with just one valve clacking and now it seems to be all of them. At first I didn't notice any grinding in the area of the timing chain so I thought it was a lifter or valve adjustment issue things really seem to be pointing towards the chain.

Yeah, if I have to pull the cover off I want new chains, guides, tensioners, water pump and oil pump. I bought this car to be worry free, I don't want to do it twice.

Has anyone had this work done before? How much was the final bill?


Thanks for the help so far.
-FOX-

 

I don't think a loose chain could cause the valves to be, or to act, sloppy.

Dave

 

Some parts prices from another thread

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums....org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/31558-3-0-h6-timing-chain-guide-discussion.html

 

I bet its the chain. Initially the slop is small and the chain slap is quiet. I think its easy to initially confuse with valve noise. Over time the tensioner gets looser because it is holding less oil pressure and the chain gets more play and starts to make more noise.

I'm pretty close to tearing mine down. I think I am only going to replace the guides and the tensioners. I think the chains will hold to 250K easy and I am at 160k.

 

Chain may even last the life of the car. When you do take it apart keep in mind that the many many many bolts are different sizes (80 iIthink) so they must be kept track of.

 

Just an fyi--I had my guides replaced under warranty at about 40K miles, due to ticking/clicking while warm. They replaced chains as well as guides and tensioners. the guides have a tendency to disintegrate, so that ground up material may have an effect on the chains themselves.

I doubt chain replacement would have been authorized had there not been some risk to not doing it.

 

That's the first case of premature guide failure on an '03 H6 I've heard of... early in the model year? Manufactured late '02?

Dave

 

Where/how do I determine manufacture date?

 

There's a plate somewhere, I think- door or door frame?

I'm sure it can be decoded from the VIN, too (somehow).

Dave

 

I called Carter Subaru in Shoreline yesterday and talked to the service manager. He talked to his top mechanics in the shop and only one has ever done a timing chain. I'm probably going to take it in to them this week for diagnostics but I want to bring it to someone with some experience with this engine if it is indeed the timing chain.

So, who's the Subaru H6 expert in Seattle or Washington?

-FOX-

 

Hey Fox, it just so happens that in Ballard there's a shop called Scanwest Autosport, who started out (and still is) as a Saab expert shop. Over the past few years they've expanded their servicing to Subarus, MINI/BMW and Audis. Great bunch of guys who really know what they're doing.

http://www.scanwestauto.com

http://www.scanwestauto.com/about-us

Also their shop rates would be lower than Carter VW/Subaru (who ironically used to be VW/Saab).

Good luck.

 

CNY Dave was right about the valves, after listening to it some more it doesn't appear to be valve noise but rather a clacking or grinding located on the passenger side front of the engine around the area of the power steering pump.

I dropped it off at Carter Subaru in Shoreline this morning and picked it up this afternoon. They diagnosed it with a bad idler pulley, tensioner assembly and v-belt. (The bearings in the idlers I know have been known to fail around 100k) They quoted me $400 to fix it but I knew it was simple and I could handle it.

Thrilled, I picked up my car and headed home and pulled the belt off to confirm the diagnoses. When I started the car, the noise was still there. So that rules out the idler, tensioner and all of the accessories as possible culprits.

I'm not sure how the mechanic diagnosed this problem. I used the screw driver to ear trick on the bolts for the pulleys and couldn't hear anything aside from normal engine vibration. Could he have not have spent 10 minutes doing the same test I did to rule out his hypothesis? I would like to be sure about something before authorizing $400 in repairs.

I called Carter back to talk to the mechanic who worked on my car but he had left for the day. I spoke to the service adviser and after he treated me like I had no idea what I was talking about I explained to him my test and he agreed the tensioner and idler are not the issue and I should bring it back in.

Am I going to have to pay another diagnostic fee? If so I'll take it elsewhere but otherwise I'll probably drop it off again and stay with the mechanic to try to get to the bottom of it.

In a good note on Carter Subaru I got great service while I was actually there both dropping off my car and picking it up. I just wish they had a little better luck actually fixing my problem.

-FOX-

 

Bring the receiot, and the receipts of what you replaced. Hold your ground and talk to the manager if you have to, but no you shouldnt have to pay another fee.

 

Hello everyone, My car recently developed a noise. It sounds like it is coming from the engine. Could someone tell me what may cause a noise like this in an H6 engine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reQeGdGKXIk

 

Hello everyone, My car recently developed a noise. It sounds like it is coming from the engine. Could someone tell me what may cause a noise like this in an H6 engine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reQeGdGKXIk

that sounds like when I get a oil and filter change on my H6 2002 car, it does it for about 10 seconds until everything pressurizers. the nooks and crannies of the engine are typically called "galleries", and are last to drain and last to get oil when you refill.. In the future I am going to pull the fuse to the fuel pump and crank it so the car will not start,...but replenish the galleries. the noise is typically called valve clatter.

I would not consider running the engine like the person did in the video. oil starvation is really bad. and that guy is already on his way to a good running used engine,...and recycling the one in the video.

Edit: @grossgary @canubaru @lockmedic @1 Lucky Texan @Glennda5id @CNY_Dave Do any of you got anything to say about EZ30Ds that sound like this?

and based on his screen name he is at Florida State University,...Tallahassee. (near @jogosub,...who might know a rare competent mechanic that likes subarus in the area....well enough to know that subaru made 3.0 engines,...even if it be a nice dealer that works on his EZ30R)
I bothered to look to see if it was a JDM or a Eurospec one.

 

It does not sound like timing chain noise.

It is either valve train noise or a noise injector.

Since these are solid lifter engines, sometime valve ticking is better than no valve ticking which can be due to tight valves.

When were the valves last adjusted. It might be time.

 

Yelphi, I just rounded up a bunch of people with experience owning and working with such engines.

Maybe get a video of yours, as opposed to one found on youtube.

 

Thank you everyone for your replies. I live in Tallahassee, FL. The car is a 2007 B9 Tribeca. It has 97000 miles on it. Here is a video I have recorded today. Hopefully this video helps. A local mechanic said it could be something related to heads, like valve lifters.

P.s. I am new to forum in fact I am new to any forum
Thank you all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCCyuFP0fS8&list=UUY_-_wyGj5Dxcl_FEp6vt9A

 

video is marked private on youtube, ...guess there is a public check mark.
Edit: no change

 

I have changed the video access to 'public'. I am sorry about delay.

 

Thanks everyone for your answers. I have taken car to the Proctor Subaru of Tallahassee, They replaced both timing chain tensioners. It costed $685 and I had a coupon and after that I paid $625. They could have charged me more than $1000 by performing unnecessary work but they did not (because at the beginning they said it might be around $1188 if they had to replace timing chains and guides too.). Now the noise is gone and it seems like -somehow- performance and mpg are improved. I have not driven much yet though.

 

heck, they could have charged you $1000 just for the tensioners!

I just paid 900 for a forester timing belt job with water pump and tensioner pulleys...