corlon Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 yet another issue. so after doing the timing belt twice (2nd time because an idler sized), heads rebuilt etc. i now have a rod knock. wondering what road to go down. buy a short block and slap all my good stuff on it? have my lower end rebuilt and slap my good stuff on it? complete engine swap (possible turbo upgrade)? sell the car and just buy a legacy gt? if you guys know ballpark pricing on any of these options or have other ideas on how to proceed i'm all ears. car has about 160,000 miles on it. my buddy who has done all the work says its a remanufactured engine in there now, so don't know the actual mileage on the engine. sucks i just bought a header, new muffler, msd coil, ngk plug wires, etc (not installed yet) and was gonna have some fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 did you replace the timing belt tensioner with the belt.? did you compress the tensioner slowly and correctly ? are you sure it is rod knock? does it go away when you pull the wire for that plug? which cylinder is it? the belt tensioners can make a ''rod like'' noise when they get old, right before they fail all together.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scontivt Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Just a thought - Swap in a phase II 2.5 Short Block and slap on your Phase II 2.2L heads? Franken motor, and a lot cheaper/easier than a turbo upgrade, but I've never done one. I'm sure you can find plenty of write-ups on it. It'd give you an increase in power, and you shouldn't have to splice any wiring harness. Also +1 to what Johnegg says, he knows his Subarus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corlon Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 the tensioner was replaced with new subaru tensioner. tech states that the it was already compressed on he just ahd to install it and release the pin. tech claims he has heard enough rod knocks to know this is a rod knock. didn't pull any plugs to investigate further cylinder unknown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scontivt Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 When my timing belt was done by a dealership (under a used car warranty) I found a bad tensioner that they said they replaced, and did appear to be brand new. Also my buddy's Subaru shop has also experienced a brand new NTN tensior fail a week after running the car. Have the tensioner checked before you assume a rod knock. Also, it could just be piston slap, as I have had 3 of those 2.2L and all three piston slapped until they got to full operating temperature. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corlon Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 so i went out and disconnected plug wires one by one and really couldn't hear a difference. although at a cold start is the only time i heard the knock now that the valves have been adjusted. before the valves were adjusted you could rev the engine up and when the rpm were coming back down you could here the noise (rod knock, piston slap, tensioner, whatever). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 then i suggest you buy a mechanic's stethoscope and isolate the noise. until you know what is making the noise you are just guessing. tensioner noise should be there all the time. piston slap will be worse at start up and lessen as it warms up. rod knock should go away when you pull the plug wire. and the engine will not last long if you have a bad rod bearing. so i would spend $5 and find out where the noise is coming from. once you are sure it is deadly, you have several options. 1/ replace the engine with good used. this is probably the most economical . 2/ swap in a good block under your known good heads and intake. second most affordable if you are paying for labor. 3/ rebuild your engine. this is probably the most expensive. but before you spend more money or sell the car, find the noise. it may well be a rod bearing. that is not unheard of. but it could be other stuff as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corlon Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 stopped at 2 other mechanics shop for them to hear the noise. car was warm both times and we were unable to hear the noise. had it sit most of the day at another buddies shop and when I went to pick it up they described it as the GM piston slap sound. as soon as the engine runs a bit the noise cannot be heard at all. even coming down from a rev. I will have a shop try to isolate where the noise is coming from. I do labor trades with the guy who has done most of the work on the cars engine. so a rebuild if needed wouldn't kill me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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