In December I bought a MY99 turbo wagon, with FSSH, 38,000 miles etc.

I don`t thrash the car, always warming up/cooling down like a good boy, anyway, after a while it started sounding 'Klacky' when first started up.......sometimes!

My local Subaru guru listened to it, and reckoned it could be piston slap, but deffo thought it was not bottom end related.

The symptoms are, Klacks on cold start up, goes quiet after about 5-7 minutes, once wamed up is totally quiet......Now the strange bit, it only does this periodically, and can go weeks between episodes!

Reading that valve lifters can get 'sticky', at the last oil change a flush was performed....no difference.

I would be more concerned, but I have now done 6,000 miles in the car, and the problem has got no worse.

 

I don't think you will have helped the situation by flushing the engine.

It's a no no with the Impreza engine unfortunately

They run at such fine tolerences that the build up that forms over
the years keeps the engine tight, once flushed it loosens everything
up creating a noisier engine.

The big end bearings can take a beating after flushing !!

Sorry

Rob

 

Oh shoot!

Any other ideas?

 

Don't worry about it .... they all do it, really, they do!!

Pete

 

Cheers PSL, but I am still intrigued what causes the problem.

 

Could be the cam belt tensioner. Mine rattled a bit like that until the tensioner was changed. It uses oil to keep it in tension, if it leaks it can rattle a bit.

 

Sorry, forgot to say........That was the first suspect to be replaced.

 

why don't you believe it's piston slap? sounds feasible enough, and is certainly common enough...