Old Subaru GL Coupe AWD...

You can use it if you like, makes no difference to me.

nate

STFU, Jim.

You had your say, and you blew it.

You haven't quite made it to the level of the "George Pickett Memorial Trophy" level, but you are definitely trying.

(For those wondering what this is all about

There is nothing like poking a little fun at people's religious beliefs to get them spinning in circles.....

Which engine is it - and what year?

So it IS the OHC engine. Being a GL, up here it COULD have been an EA81 - a much simpler engine. I'd suspect you hace lash adjuster problems, and being in the US, with Marvel Mystery Oil readily available at just about every WallMart I'd be throwing a can in to see what happens. The stuff can do wonders with ratty lifters. I generally recommend putting it in and driving it a couple hundred miles, then doing an oil change and putting about 1/4 of a quart in the new oil.

I've put Ford Friction Modifier in an engine that had intermittent noisy valve train (after the MMO cleanout) with good results too - the lifters MIGHT have quieted down and behaved without - but seeing as they hadn't up until then, I'd say it's a pretty good bet the stuff helped.

First check the oil pump. A leaking gasket to the engine could allow air to get sucked into the lifters. If you change the gasket and still have the problem, you might have a stuck valve in the line that lubricates the cam that is not maintaining oil pressure to the lifters properly. The fix involves removing and cleaning the valve and maybe attempting to increase the tension on the spring or replace it. Here's a link that outlines the procedure. I haven't done any of this myself but the fix to this puzzling problem seems reasonably easy. Good luck!

Did it in August, with a genuine Subaru part.

The old one was flatter than a pancake.

Interesting. Fairly easy, but it looks like it's going to snow for the next month here...

I'm a bass player. We're completely different!

discussion.

I'm sure we're all just on pins and needles, at the edge of our seats with bated breath, anxiously awaiting the answer.

To answer Ashton, oil pressure is a bit low. The clacking usually happens after a longer run at higher speeds, when the oil p gets highr than around town and then drops. If I run the car under 55 all day long it doesn't do this.

The gauge is tapped near the oil pump. I had the pump off in August, and it seemed in good shape, and I replaced the gasket.

Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November...

Are you sure you have the right amount of oil in the engine AND that it's not getting trapped up in the head? Your overall problem sounds similar, but not exactly like, a 76 blazer I used to have. It didn't use much oil around town but if I took it on the highway it would burn off a quart or two very quickly, like a quart+ in 100 miles. So if it had burned some around town and was already down a quart and I took it on a 100 mile one-way trip, then about 60 miles into the way back it would start that clacking noise from low oil pressure to the lifters because it would be down to less then 3 quarts of oil in it. It was also holding some oil up top because when I ran it at 80 and the clacking started I could slow down to 55 and that lower engine speed let enough oil drain down that the clacking would stop and I could make it the last 40 miles home to add oil.

Now that I've typed that, I should have just asked you what your oil pressure gauge shows when it starts this clacking. My gauge would show major swings in pressure.

also interesting to know and possibly helpful would be where the gauge was tapped, e.g. in a head, right past the oil pump, other?

nate

It might still be getting trapped up in the head at higher speeds but I think you said it sometimes did it at low speeds too.

Keep in mind we're talking about a Scoobaru, there's no "up" for the heads :)

You may still be right, might be worth popping the valve covers and running a long drill bit down the return passages, if a) that's easy to do and b) there's such a passage on a Scooby and it doesn't rely on pushrod tubes or similar for oil return (are they still OHV? or did they go OHC now?)

nate

Once it's trapped, it generally stays there until it gets warmer.

I generally don't run this car after April, because I transfer the plate to my Supra. I made the switch earlier this year because the Supra needs some suspension work, so I started the Soob earlier than usual. I didn't take it on the highway until after the weather turned cold...

I think this is it's last year. I opened the passenger's door and saw near the hinges that I was looking at the inner firewall... :(

Shame, I like this car. If I can fix it cheap, I might, but it's starting to get REALLY rusty...

I have three Toyota DOHCs. Not a waste of cammage, since it's an easy way to get more power out of a small engine.

There's no "up" for anything else, either. Of course, then again, U R A Bus. :-)

My 85 Subaru was an OHC - which I think, makes more sense on an inline engine or in a Porsche 6. Some Subarus had DOHCs. What a waste of cammage! :-)