My car has a knocking/tapping sound coming from somewhere under the turbo/bottom-end I think. It does not do it when the car is cold, only starts as it warms up. It doesn't really do it when you rev it; but its difficult to tell as the exhaust is so loud!!

it seem to run ok

but i have not push it since the noise

check the oil, it is full

cheers for any info.

could it be the start off bottom-end RIP

 

is coming up to 46k so its going to need a cambelt very soon..

YouTube - 06 sti engine knocking?

sounds only a little bit louder then this

 

doesnt sound good mate.
could be that the oil is thinin out once the car is warm thats why it doesn't do it when cold.but i'm no exert

 

cold start

MOV00099.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

10mins later

MOV00100-1.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

30mins later

MOV00101.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

u can hear the noise, after the revs on this video..

 

any one ????

 

its really hard to hear it in the vid i think because of all the wind noise that the vid-cam has also picked up.

best to get it looked at asap and dont drive it.

mark

 

i have 1995 wrx and it has exactly the same noise as yours,after lettin just about every dim witted mechanic in my area try to diagnose the problem no one could pin-point what the noise is.
After much intensive listening with my stethoscope from cold start up to full temp it sounds to me like the tappets on the rear cylinder. i have done 9k miles with this noise and most of this is hard driving and it hasnt got any worse. unless you want to spend lots of money to fix this as noisey tappets will not hurt anything(common problem with early ej20) remember you will have to change all 16 of them at £40 each. i really wouldnt worry about it for the price it will cost you to repair you could pick up a 2nd hand jap engine for the same price.

 

cheers thanks for the info, keep them coming.

i will be taking it to a specialist this week.

just trying to get some ideas what it could be :-)

 

hi sounds like bottom end to me i have rebuilt 11 ej20 engines for people in the last 9 months (very common)

 

It's a hard one this because after 30 mins it does sound like the crank, but it would sound shocking on start up if it was, you haven't had the cambelt changed or anything done to the heads have you??? because it could also be a loose cam pulley and it does sound pretty much the same as the crank when that's come loose! either way i wouldn't drive it.

 

have not had the cambelt done.Nothing has been done to the heads,

but it needs a cambelt soon..

i thought, if it was the crank it would sound like a tractor on start up.

but it sounds fine..

 

if it was the crank it would be there all the time, and get worse and worse, but i would let a specialist have a look at it somethings a miss somewhere.

 

Do you have an oil pressure gauge fitted? i had this on mine when i first got it [only did it when hot at idle] after getting around to fitting the gauge i discovered the oil pressure was realy low at adle [about 1 bar ,sometimes dipping below]....now i had decided to fit a new oil pump and was still running it while i waited for it to arrive.....the day before it did arrive the pressure reg on the oil pump stuck and blew out the front crank seal [was very messy,fotunately was just pulling into work so didnt run it dry].But getting back on track...when i took the old pump off i discovered the screws on the back plate of it had come loose so was bleeding back oil and not getting a propper pressure.Fitted the new pump and have 3 bar at idle now hot and no tapping anymore....was a hydraulic tappit :Pcar has done 50k miles.the morals of the story i guess is fit guages /things are sometimes not as bad as they sound:P

 

Could this not be a simple case of piston slap? as the cylinders warm up and expand it goes away.....

 

But he says it gets worse as it warms up?

My 200sx did this, turned out to be a big end.

 

As it's getting worse as the engine warms, that has to effect the diagnosis.

From experience with inline engines, bottom end problems are there all the time, worse at start up. Same with piston slap.

The oil thinning and pressure dropping was my initial thought effecting hydraulic tappets but I believe the newer engines have solid lifters so that's out of the window. If the engine does have hydraulic lifters though, this would be my bet.

As recommended, it will probably be a good idea to get someone with an oil pressure gague to plump in and see what's going on.

Still, it is difficult as I said with tinernet diagnosis, sound quality etc. The only way in your circumstances is to get someone who knows subarus and will give you an honest diagnosis if they can.

Whatever it is though (hopefully not too bad) keep us all informed.

 

mine has slight knocking/pinkering from cold but calms down when reaching running temp ? it has not done the car any harm in performance or normal driving again local garages fail to know whats causing it ????? even scooby machanics they say the engine would need to be stripped !! as its cheaper to buy an engine im not going to spend ££££££ on this one it might be something trivial mine is a 97 wrx imported in jan 07 & the engine bay is very clean and the service is up 2 date so im going to run with it & hope 4 the best ....i have been told that drop forged pistons do this but im not 100% sure

 

The later engines do have Solid Buckets so it not like the earlier Hydraulic Tappet type.
Piston Slap normally goes as the engine warms up.
Big end failure would be there all the time - more noticable when you come off the throttle (clacking noise).
Some of the possibility's are:
Cam belt tensioner.
Valve Clearances too big.
Front pulley loose.
Up-pipe blowing.
Spark plug(s) loose ( sounds more like a noisy tappet ).

Get it checked out by a specialist ASAP to be on the safe side - if there is no one local to you,try David @API Engines - he does a collection/delivery service for the car.

Mick

 

Do you have an oil pressure gauge fitted? nope (next thing on my list)

booked it in at scooby clinic on the 5th of june.

it will be just sitting in the garage till then.

do you think it will be ok to drive very slow up there. (30 miles)

it was ok for the video clips or do i use the aa card that i have got :-)

wil keep you all informed

 

If the AA will take it to them for free thats the way to go
But they might try to fix it

 

took it to scoobyclinic on the 5th they said the noise is coming from, high up, not from the crank ... :-)
going to see if it gets any louder over time,

 

Many years ago I had a similar sound (which I convinced myself was the bottom end) and it turned out to be the water pump of all things. Phill at Barratts m'sport sorted me out a 2nd hand one and it was perfect.. a real 'phew' moment