What causes the 'chuffing' noise older Subarus make?

Sort of like a raspy chugging? If it's the same as what I notice, I hear that in older vans and pickups as well. And, slightly, upon accelerating uphill, in my 04 Nissan Frontier.

Been meaning to ask about this myself.

Wear in the valve train?

I think you could look at a combination of the Firing order, the flat 4 layout, the routing of the exhaust, and the aging/rusting out of the whole exhaust system.

You get the same sound from the old VWs (the 'real' ones)

Hmmmm - lots of people report great success at cleaning out carbon using SeaFoam, Berryman's B12, etc. Some of the oldtimers at

claim soobs carbon up badly with age - maybe the 'chuffing' is valves leaking due to carbon buildup?

dunno

Carl

You are right on target :) The Subaru "Boxer" design is damn near a complete rip-off of VW..without the air cooling.

Hi,

If you're describing the noise mine started making, it could be an exhaust leak. In my case, a '90, it was located at the junction between the "Y" pipe and the section w/ the second cat. Subaru in its infinite wisdom chose to ignore the fact the rest of the world generally bolts their exhaust systems together quite tightly w/ standard bolts and used a "spring loaded" bolt arrangement at that joint. It allows the system to flex, which causes wear of the "donut" seal in there. Eventually it could leak. Suggest new bolts AND springs if you replace the donut.

Also check that the nuts holding the exhaust system to the heads are tight--if they're really loose, those gaskets could be toast--and the muffler's in good shape. That "old VW" noise always responded well to a new $29.95 muffler (those were the days, eh?) on my air-cooled Bugs. A similar noise responded well to a new muffler on my old Toyota p/u (would that IT was ONLY $29.95!)--the old muffler didn't look bad while installed, but the front pipe came out in my hand when I removed it. Looking inside, rust had done quite a number.

Rick

Porgy Tirebiter! Well, isn't that Public School!

BTW, shouldn't it be Tyrebyter? I had an Olde English Sheepdog, and his AKC Registered name (Honest to God) was Arthur Tyrebyter, back in the late

70's!

No, he goes to Moore Science High School. "More class for more kids for Moore Science" I think.

--scott

"Where's your school spirit, Muddhead?" "It's in the rumble seat, you want a snort?"

You guys are right! It's from Firesign Theater and old radio days.

I thought that sounded familiar.

But I guess I was too stoned at the time...

Anybody seen Ralph Spoilsport?

No, it's just the same layout. The VW had a central camshaft and pushrods and rocker arms, the Soob has an overhead cam setup. The VW had a camshaft-driven oil pump, the Soob's runs off the cam belt (IIRC). The VW had separate cylinders; the Soob has a cylinder block on each side. Saying it's ripoff of the VW is like saying that a Toyota 4- banger is a ripoff of a Continental Industrial 4-banger. The boxer design has been around a long, long time and has been used in airplanes since before the Germans came up with the VW. It's still being used in airplanes. The VW is much closer to being a ripoff of those aircraft engines.

Dan

He's busy defoiliating the victory garden.

Carl

Interesting thread with a LOT of flat4 history stuff;

Carl

More than anything else it is the odd exhaust sound resulting from the firing order on a flat engine. VW, Porsche, Corvair all have a unique exhaust note that becomes even more pronounced as the exhaust system develops leaks and the muffler muffles less, etc. Also contributing to the Subaru engine exhaust sound being noticable is that it is watercooled and as a conseqnence much quieter than it's aircooled cousins. The exhaust note isn't covered up by the lawnmower-like sounds of a VW, Porsche or Corvair engine.

There is a guy about a mile from me and he works on older model air cooled engine Volkswagen vehicles.Last week, on my way back home from the food store, I noticed an old faded red color Volkswagen Karman Ghia car sitting in front of his shop.I have never been to his place before, but I have been thinking I might go over there one day soon and ask him if that car is for sale.I think he does sell some old VWs once in a while.Assuming that car is in pretty good condition, I wonder how much that car is worth?

I have owned three VWs before over the years.A 1961 VW van and a 1963 VW beetle car and a 1970 VW van, so I do know something about those old VWs. cuhulin

My 1914 Model T Ford car makes a sort of a 'chuffing' noise, sort of like an old farm threshing machine.I just love those old vehicles that have flathead side valve engines.Someday, I want to buy an old one cylinder hit and miss engine. Flat Heads Forever!

Somewhere on the internet is a website about a 1945 restored Harley Davidson World War Two WLA (I think it's WLA) Motorcycle.y'all ought to hear that Harley Davidson pan head engine crank up and running.It is music to your ears. cuhulin

Did the van have flowers'n'shit painted all over it? :)

Were those VWs rock-solid reliable? All 42 hp? :) Didn't seem like there was much that could go wrong with them.

I would imagine an old beetle with a little modern razzmatazz, would be good for 50+ mpgs, easy. What was the original mpg's on that car? I would guess they didn't weigh over 2,000 lb.

The new beetles have a pretty poor reliability rating.

The clutch cables on those old air cooled engine VW vehicles have a habit of stretching and breaking from fatigue, it has happened to me twice before.There is, or was, available a hydraulic slave cylinder(s) clutch kit available so as to do away with the clutch cable problem.

There is, or was, avalible an accessory gas heater avilable for air cooled engine VW vehicles, otherwise, you freeze in the winter time.

My 1963 VW beetle car never got less than 30 miles per gallon in city traffic.I don't remember what it was in country driving.Back in the

1960s, it cost me about $3.50 to fill up the gas tank, there was a little L shaped lever under the dash board by the fire wall, turn that lever and you had about one gallon of reserve gasoline in case your main tank of gas ran out of gas.Beck in those years, 1960s, brand new VW beetle cars cost about $1,695.00.The battery was under the rear seat.There is, or used to be, available many different kinds of fiberglass kit car boddies available for VW air cooled engine cars.

I happen to have some plans that show exactly how to hook up an electric motor and batteries to convert a VW beetle car into an electric car.I bought the plans back in the 1970s.I own some other neat plans too that I bought back in the 1970s.

Metinks I want me another old air cooled VW car or van to play around with. cuhulin

I forgot to mention, the valves on VW air cooled engines are suppose to be adjusted every 3,000 miles. My 1961 VW van, I bought it from Steakly Chevrolet in Killeen,Texas in

1965, no flowers stuff.My 1963 VW beetle car, I bought it from a guy who lived about a mile and a half from me.I paid him $1,100 for the car in 1965 when I was home on a three day leave from Fort Hood,Texas, (Fort Hood/Killeen) no flowers stuff.My 1970 VW van, I traded a 1966 Ford Ranchero for the van back in the 1970s, no flowers stuff.I am not and never have been a hippie. cuhulin