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Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 1:33 pm
by MrWeedster
Hi there.

The last months my Leggy started to make me really upset with the lifters ticking all the time in my cruise rpm range (1500 - 3000 rpm). At higher rpms it was more likely that the ticking goes away.

After searching the net forever i found a ceramic additive that goes into the engine oil after an oil change.

Drove 2km and the lifters ticking is gone. Additionally the engine runs much smoother. They also say it improves fuel efficiency and oil usage. But i cant say something about it because ive just been driven about 500km since then.

So for everyone whos sick about the lifters and dont want to change them or get the engine open, get ceratune CT-250 (25 Euros a can).

I cant tell if similar ceramic additives work the same way or hold as long as they suppose (about 50.000km).

Other subaru guys said the lifter noise went away for about 5000 - 10000 km. That means you have to get a new can of this magic stuff on every oil change.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 5:59 pm
by Legacy777
Thanks for sharing. Let us know how the engine runs as you drive it some more.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 10:23 pm
by SILINC3R
What year and miles? Mine only does when it is low on oil. The SS does but that is because the 20G heads are just noisier.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 11:41 pm
by MrWeedster
Its from 1993 with 135000 km on it. And yes, its an ej20g.

And no, it wasnt the oil level, because i check it first before getting active solving this by adding additives ^^

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 3:15 am
by SILINC3R
Well from what I was told those heads just happen to be noisy. So are you just doing this as a temp. fix?

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 1:02 pm
by MrWeedster
We are talking about the same thing, right? About the ticking lifters.

I dont mean the general engine noise.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 2:10 pm
by SILINC3R
Yep, we are talking about the same thing.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:59 am
by MrWeedster
After about 2000-3000km the lifters tick again.

So this was only a temp fix.

I think i get new lifters - This sucks -.-

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:26 pm
by SILINC3R
You can remove the lifters and clean them. They get stuck from grime and cause the ticking. There is a thread on it I believe.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:00 pm
by kimokalihi
Put some kreen in your oil. I bet that'll fix em up real good.

http://www.kanolabs.com/engCle.html

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:05 pm
by kimokalihi

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:08 am
by Flat4wagon
I just had this very problem with my 94 t-wagon. A long time suby mechanic who assessed that it was my lash adjusters making the noise suggested to change oil/filter and then, I quote, "get it on the highway and go 70 mph for 4 or 5 miles in 3rd gear". Well, I thought that this was either the best or worst advise I had ever been given, let alone followed! Well, by the time I had gone 3 miles the ticking had gotten quieter, in a mile more the tick was gone. I pulled off the highway to turn around and parked on the overpass, leaving it idle. There was no more ticking! I was amazed. I hopped back in, jumped on the highway and went and bought another oil/filter change, want home, drained and replaced the oil & filter and drove it a few miles. Drove back home, popped the hood and it was even quieter! Now it's just a nice, even Subaru burble.
This may not work work in all cases obviously, but the alternative was the $850.00 (+ tax) quote the same mechanic had handed me a few hours earlier. The key is to change the oil ASAP when the ticking stops, or under 100 miles. the carbon/metal bit/crap that is sometimes trapped lets loose, you wanna make sure it stays at the filter and doesnt work its way back thru. It also assures the fresh oil that is in a funky dirty motor will grab ahold of all the other bits that havent managed to wedge themselves elsewhere & carry them off to the filter.
Pretty friggin' stoked. We drove it yesterday from Marysville to Bonney lake for the warrior dash and it ran just perfect, other than the annoying hiccup at speed (w/

I am well chuffed at the results that a couple oil changed provided for sure. I will also do another oil change coming up here in 130 miles, so a total of 300 miles on this oil/filter change. I will probably run the third change for 1000 miles the return to normal interval changes.

TOTAL INVESTMENT: $60.00 on 15 quarts of cheap oil & 3 filters & $45.00 for the estimate @ the suby shop and the BEST piece of advice I've even gotten from a mechanic!

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:06 am
by kimokalihi
Hmm interesting but I think some kreen would work better. Just got my shipment in. 4 quarts was $85 shipped though...can't wait to try it.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:20 am
by Flat4wagon
Removing the crap in you motor will only occur if the oil that said crap suspended in is removed & replaced. additives are just that, additives, not remove-atives. I'm not saying that additives won't/don't help, but I'm talking if you don't remove it, it remains. Additives will only dissolve so much material of a given size or density. Just my .02 on a solution for a pretty common problem in these older motors.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:15 am
by kimokalihi
You pour an oz of kreen into each cylinder and let it sit overnight if possible. Then pour the rest of the quart into your oil and run the engine for at least an hour on idle. Then drain the oil and put new oil and filter. So you remove the crap that comes out. Same thing but this stuff really cleans the internals out.

Re: Stop the lifters ticking

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:25 am
by Flat4wagon
I see. makes sense. I guess if one has their motor taken down that far that's a good way to go, but I think for the "I wanna try and make this tick go away, NOW crowd", the oil change method seems to do the trick.
I have owned so many subarus and frankly im a good mechanic/customizer (powersports degree) but I've always been able to just throw money to others to do my actual "dirty work", as it were but times they have changed a bit & I'm now doing the mundane things that make my hands dirty.
I have had a couple of nice legacys, one is prolly on the boards here. I sold my '94 leggy SS to a forum member, then he sold it and it blew up with the addition of a bigger turbo, so the story was told to me. It was an auto that i had converted when the tranny gave up the ghost with a 2000 driveline, 5-speed, 4:11 gears. It was one of the quicket and fastest cars I have ever owned. The gearing was actually too short for the street in my (old man) opinion. I really regretted selling it and tracked the guy down that bought it from me. He told me of selling it and it blowing up. I believe the last owner was in the process of rebuilding it.
For those of you in the Seattle area, shean corvari at AARON'S AUTO WRECKING did all the motor/driveline work on that (& many other subys of mine) and I handled the bodywork and interiors. I was a long time friend of Tom and Paige. It was sad to see the demise of a Subaru institution like "the yard". I grew up subarus there from about 1994 til the last day they were open.
Aaron's, superior Subaru, Rob, Steve, Tom, Marcell, Brian, Mark. All those dude taught me (& I bet some of you out there) a lot about subarus and the crazy things you can do to them. Takes me back....