what makes that noise. i know nothing is wrong, just wondering where the source is.

- piston slap?

LOL you sure nothing is wrong?

Lifters. Due to the boxer motor design, they get less oil.

Is there any way to fix this problem? Or is "letting the car warm up before driving it" the only way to prevent running with dry lifters?

Lifters. Due to the boxer motor design, they get less oil.

The 2.5L doesn't have hydraulic lifters.

you have a subaru...welcome

Doesnt matter, its the lifters. Happened on my car, my moms car, etc...

If it sounds like a 'tick tick tick' then its the lifters. Nothing to worry about, as long as it goes away once warmed up. If you did a search, you would have seen many, many, MANY threads asking the exact same question you have.

yeah pretty normal. There is always the fear of piston slap but it is more imagined than anything else. get used to it, it is part of owning a Subaru, same with the noisey accessory fan, TO bearing, shoddy paint and glass, and sometimes odd shifting characteristics (it's not a honda 5 speed, Don't complain, that's not a bad thing). None of these things are bad or wrong they are just cost saveing measures that add a little character to your car. I personally kinda have grown to like it (though friends do sometimes comment on that cold start ticking noise, but only from outside the car).
DanO

I still don't believe anyone that says that clutch shutter adds character.

Yes, my car rattles a bit more before it's warmed up when it's been out all night in 10 degree weather. Part of the deal, along with that charming clutch shutter.

The 2.5L doesn't have hydraulic lifters.

Interesting. What does it have?

Mine sounds like an airplane.

All the time :rolleyes:

I still don't believe anyone that says that clutch shutter adds character.

Yes, my car rattles a bit more before it's warmed up when it's been out all night in 10 degree weather. Part of the deal, along with that charming clutch shutter.

Clutch Shudder doesn't count! there was a TSB out for that like a 2 years ago. I already went through that, Got it fixed (under Warenty) no problems since. Really though don't talk about clutch shudder in the same breath as those other nitpicks as it is very confusing for most people, as most people do not have this problem and since after 2003 it is no longer a problem and especially since it is a documented (by SOA) problem that MUST be fixed. here read this on clutch shudder
Begining to understand (http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=324529&highlight=clutch+shudder)
The wrong reasons (http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225963&highlight=clutch+shudder)

Now compare to driveline lash/slop
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=630095&highlight=clutch+shudder
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=475362&highlight=clutch+shudder

oh and a quick one for the TO bearing
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=485415&highlight=clutch+shudder

Yea man everybody with a subaru get that noise it goes away as soon as it warms up. its not a problem. it will grow on you

Interesting. What does it have?

Rocker arms directly actuated by the cam lobes.

Interesting. What does it have?

Solid lifters.

I still don't believe anyone that says that clutch shutter adds character.

Yes, my car rattles a bit more before it's warmed up when it's been out all night in 10 degree weather. Part of the deal, along with that charming clutch shutter.

the sound doesn't bother me i was just wondering what the cause was.

and as for the clutch judder, you missed out if your out of your warranty. i had a new flywheel and clutch put in no questions asked and haven't had the problem since.

The first time i heard "the noise" my heart sank into the pit of my stomach and my eyes bulged. I thought i had heard the noise before in my 1981 buick (my first car) just before it bit the dust.

Now that I have read multiple threads about this noise occurring under 40 degrees outside, i am much less worried.

My only question is whether or not ANY damage occurs to the engine when it is warming up. Does anyone know? I never get on it too hard when i hear the noise out of pure hesitation. But does it matter?

what you hear is piston slap. it is caused by bad piston engineering. too much thermal dilatation VS the cylinder. Yes, it cause premature wear, but very little. Beating the engine is much more worse than piston slap at cold. I won't reduce the life of the engine significantly. If one day you ear piston slap all the time, at normal engine temparature and cruising load, then it will be ok to be worried about it. These days, the temperature in the morning is around -30, celsius or farenheit (when the temp is colder in fahrenheit than celsius, then we can say is f****** cold) and i can hear piston slap for a few minutes when loading the engine, even after at 10 min warm up at idle. belt screeming is usual too.

Not to disagree with the replies above, but your ticking noise could also be caused by the timing belt tensioner going bad. I had this happen to me, it made the ticking noise you describe when the engine was cold (below 0 DegC), and it was replaced under warranty. No more ticking on cold starts. Now, almost 50K km later, the noise has come back, and I fully expect it's the timing belt tensioner again.

A search on timing belt tensioner or cam belt tensioner should yield more info on the subject.

A lot of people accept this ticking noise as normal because car dealerships that don't want to fix the problem tell people its normal; if the ticking is loud and goes away when the engine warms up, I don't think it is. The subaru boxer engine makes more noises than most other engines, but in my experience this cold start ticking noise is not supposed to be one of them.

Thanks,

Syncros

the sound doesn't bother me i was just wondering what the cause was.

and as for the clutch judder, you missed out if your out of your warranty. i had a new flywheel and clutch put in no questions asked and haven't had the problem since.

After 127kmiles, mine stopped. It just needs to be broken in a bit :lol:

After 127kmiles, mine stopped. It just needs to be broken in a bit :lol:
Actually, yeah! The TSB (Tecnical Service Bullitin) specifically says that a new Clutch/Flywheel is only neccesary if the car is under 20K (maybe as high as 36k, I'm not looking at it now) otherwise the the flywheel has been worn down below the metel which causes the problem (if you're wondering it is improper firction co. at low temps and so the clutch doesn't slip, it jerkingly skips across the surface causing the clutch shudder). It was a problem for many WRX's as well as 2.5RS's and 2.5 Legacy's. It is not very common any more as the problem has been fixed and most of the ones that had the problem are past the point of it being a problem. Current Clutch shudder complaints are almost always Driveline Lash, Beleive me, if you really had clutch Shudder you would not want to drive your car for fear of breaking it. It is insainly loud and violent!

what you hear is piston slap. it is caused by bad piston engineering. too much thermal dilatation VS the cylinder. Yes, it cause premature wear, but very little. Beating the engine is much more worse than piston slap at cold. I won't reduce the life of the engine significantly. If one day you ear piston slap all the time, at normal engine temparature and cruising load, then it will be ok to be worried about it. These days, the temperature in the morning is around -30, celsius or farenheit (when the temp is colder in fahrenheit than celsius, then we can say is f****** cold) and i can hear piston slap for a few minutes when loading the engine, even after at 10 min warm up at idle. belt screeming is usual too.
isn't piston slap really an improper valve lash and usually caused by a poor cam install?
What you are saying leads me to beleive that the hotter it gets the worse the noise will get as the parts will be expanding further, when infact the opposite is true and the noise gets better the warmer the car is. I was under the impression that the noise was the lifters until they got warm oil to smooth them out.
BTW I have never had any noise from the belts ever! though my SEATBELT squeaks when its cold out!