Are Subaru engines noisier than most?

Another n00b question. My engine is at 60k km and it's pretty clattery IMO. Valve clatterish, lifter tickish click-click-click-click is the noise I'm hearing. It's not super loud, but it IS louder than my 20 year old Corolla. I stopped by the Subaru dealership and the service manager (not an actual tech) told me it was normal...but those types always act like know-it-alls and I rarely trust them. Thoughts?

They are pretty noisy and I've heard on this and nasioc many times that valvetrain ticking is completely normal for subarus and not to be worried about.

 

It still gets my attention from time to time though.

Not for me. My 2000 Toyota Celica was even noisier but then again that was a pretty high reving 4-cyl engine.

Hell's yeah. They're noisy little things.

 

(emorphien, is NASIOC down for you too??

Well I came from a 92 Sierra 5 liter with 3inch pipes, so that was rather loud. Before that I drove a minivan and my mom has an HHR and my engine is a VERY different noise than all the others.

 

It's a very refined engine, the noise it does makes sounds very good to me, not clatterish at all. My moms HHR is loud even when she's drivin 20 mph.

 

I believe it was discussed in another forum that the 2.5i has some lifter tick inherent in the build. I could be wrong though, I'm sure someone will correct me if I am.

Hell's yeah. They're noisy little things.

 

(emorphien, is NASIOC down for you too??

Yes, nasioc is down for everyone. There was a message about it.

Try the DOHC Phase I 2.5 when it's about 0 degrees!. I found Castrol High Mileage to quiet them down the best.

Yes, nasioc is down for everyone. There was a message about it.

 

I miss teh OT already!

The design of the engine is essentially a pair of two cylinder inline engines that share a common crankshaft. You hear the noise on a flat four more easily than an inline four because the head is sideways, reflecting noise off the side of the engine compartment and things on the side of the road like barriers and other vehiclces. A regular inline 4 cylinder reflects the head/injector noise upwards into the insulation on the underside of the hood which makes it quieter sounding. But it needs a balance shaft for vibration control unlike a flat four which is primarily balanced by design.

Yeah its noisy. Even the single cam 2.5i is noisy especially at start up and especially if you stand in front of the car. Its like its beating itself to death sometimes. But it shuts up pretty quickly as it warms up.

 

The engine also lets you know its there by given you and a very slight almost imperceptible nudge now and then.

My air intake system has added resonators in it (compared to my '96) that make it sound sportier, but also louder. I love it.

My air intake system has added resonators in it (compared to my '96) that make it sound sportier, but also louder. I love it.

I gotta make mine loud so I can go roaring around all the local campuses scaring freshmen.

 

"OMG that Camry sounds like a hurricane, RUN!"

Now sell me your Corolla

 

I've wanted an 85 or 86 hatchback since I wrecked my 80 model over 15 years ago. You can't buy them anymore because of all these idiots who think drifting is cool.

 

I love the styling. The GTS engine would just be a bonus compared to the old 3TC that I still enjoyed, all 85 hp worth. I'd buy another 80 hatch today if there were any left on the road. There are more parts available for the 3TC than the Ford 5.0!

Look at it this way... if the guy who makes all of his money by selling you service (and probably makes MORE for selling you customer-pay service) doesn't think you need a "valve adjustment" or check or whatever, you can be pretty sure he doesn't think anything is wrong.

Porsche boxers are about as noisy.

 

Although we win when the engine is shut off and it starts making its pinging metal sounds as the heat shields shrink back to cool... that's the noisiest I've heard of any car. The manual even points this out and says it's normal noise, not to worry.

 

Scott

the normal and abnormal (boost leaks) sounds the car makes are funky, that's for sure.

Ok awesome, thanks for the all reassurance then.

 

Now sell me your Corolla

 

I've wanted an 85 or 86 hatchback since I wrecked my 80 model over 15 years ago. You can't buy them anymore because of all these idiots who think drifting is cool.

 

I love the styling. The GTS engine would just be a bonus compared to the old 3TC that I still enjoyed, all 85 hp worth. I'd buy another 80 hatch today if there were any left on the road. There are more parts available for the 3TC than the Ford 5.0!

 

haha my Corolla will be up for sale once I find another rust-free shell to swap all my parts into. I gotta warn you though, it's a coupe - meaning it's lighter, stronger, and stiffer than the hatchback.

Not for me. My 2000 Toyota Celica was even noisier but then again that was a pretty high reving 4-cyl engine.

 

My '00 Celi GT-S was ridiculously quiet at idle. Of course once you get going that car has no sound damping what so ever. And then you hit lift, next thing you know you are at the 8200 redline and the engine is howling like a banshee...

 

The only thing I really don't like about the LGT engine is the "rasp". It always makes me think the car is running low on oil.

DSM's were notorious for this... some were able to get rid of the majority of the noise by carefully running transmission fluid through the intake, a dangerous procedure which served to burn the deposits on the valves. If done improperly, it also served to hydrolock the engine and blow it up. Others just replaced the lifters. Not sure what our problem is, but here's the DSM write up (found on http://www.vfaq.com).

 

My engine makes a 'tick tick tick' sound. What is it? Is there a fix?http://members.shaw.ca/costall/1000Q/3logos.jpgSearch for this topic now!

 

This is commonly attributed to the hydraulic lash adjusters (lifters) used in the DSM cars. Other cars have similar problems - Mazda owners, for example, refer to them as HLA problems. Other possible causes include excessive carbon buildup on the valves and piston heads.

The general consensus is that this problem is not damaging to the engine. Indeed, many owners have lived with the problem for years with no side effects. In extreme cases, it is possible that the ticking may be picked up by the ECU as knock, causing a retardation in timing that will cost some engine power. This case seems to be the exception, not the rule, since the DSM ECU only 'listens' for knock during specific time intervals.

In the past, owners have reported that their tick appeared or went away with certain oil brands, oil weights, oil filters, oil pressures or the like. These 'solutions' appear to be car-specific and do not represent a real fix, but some experimentation may help alleviate the problem. Some owners find that adding a small amount of extra oil helps to raise oil pressures and minimize the ticking, but again, it doesn't work for everyone.

Yet another solution involves realigning the lifters in the engine to promote better oil retention. Jeff Brinkerhoff recently did so with excellent results, reported in the December 2, 1998 Digest. Bryan Cobb has followed his example with similar success. Check the FAQ Locator to find the procedure.

Simply replacing the problem lifters is unquestionably the best option. The lifters have been redesigned to eliminate the tick. There is a VFAQ on this process, which is not terribly difficult, and involves about as much work as realigning the existing lifters. Use the FAQ Locator to find it. The newer lifters apparantly do not rotate, and do not suffer from alignment problems.

There have actually been a few versions of the lifters. The original were Mitsubishi part number MD149309 used in 1990 to 1997 cars. A redesigned version (part MD337687) was then introduced, and was replaced yet again by part MD377054. This latest part number is reportedly the best version but the availability may be limited if dealerships still have some of the older part still in inventory.

Those who search the archives may find a post detailing a noisy lifter solution, posted by Mike Ferrara. This solution does not actually deal with the lifters themselves, but rather concerns itself with the problem of carbon deposits on the valves. It is a relatively dangerous procedure, as it involves pouring automatic transmission fluid into the intake of the engine. As fluids are incompressible, a miscalculation can literally devastate your engine. A few DSMers have experienced major engine damage from performing this procedure incorrectly. Thus, this procedure is not recommended for the novice mechanic.

Rather than doing this dangerous procedure, those who have non-lifter tick problems should consider using Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner on their car. Other Digest members have had considerable success using it to clean major carbon deposits in the DSM engines. Read this page for details. Also read this post by Jeffery Micheal and these posts (1 & 2) from Pete Paraska for their experiences with the product. Other sources of non-lifter tick include exhaust system problems including a cracked exhaust manifold, broken exhaust maifold bolt or stud, cracked turbine housing or other exhaust leak. Some owners have reported that their tick went away after changing, repairing or upgrading their manifolds. Others have found that their spark wires (whether new, old, upgraded or whatever) were arcing to the block, causing a sparking sound they mistook for lifter tick. This is usually detected by looking under the hood at a running engine in the dark. Finally, a few owners are sure their ticking is really the injectors firing.

Our cars are too new to suffer from blockages and buildup. Give 'em another 5-10 years and we'll be breaking out the Sea Foam and Deep Creep.

Tick Tick Tick goes my valve train from day one.

 

the injectors are unusually noisy too.

subarus are not quiet idlers, you want quiet you'll need to buy a honda or a merc.

2.5i engine is much louder than GT's engine

2.5i engine is much louder than GT's engine

 

Lower compression in a turbo boxer perhaps?

Hmmm, would be cool to measure spl levels with a meter and see the...uggh I mean hear the difference. I had no idea, thought the valve noise would be pretty close.