2005 has valve rap???

So, in another thread, someone asked about fuel octane, and I replied not to get Sunoco b/c it causes the motor to knock.

Well, I haven't bought Sunoco gas in over 6 months, and the other day when I was with my dad, we noticed that there is definately some valve rap. Here's when it happens:

*under load (NOT during acceleration) going up a slight incline
*between 2500-3000 rpm

Is this just something common for a boxer engine, or do I need to take this in under warranty so I don't get screwed?

I forgot to mention that it's a 2.5X, 5 spd manual, bone stock.

Not common that I recall, never had this happen on either of my Imprezas or my Forester.

Does it happen no matter which gear you're in?

I mostly drive in 4th and 5th, so I notice it then. My dad even noticed it when he was driving, and since he has a very different driving style than me, I figured I'd find out if it was just a H4 thing or if I should get Daphne in for service soon.

Just an update, incase anyone was following this, but I finally got Daphne in for service, and was told by the Subaru tech that it is what he calls "spark knock" (I think, it was spark something, but I don't remember which term he used) and he said that I probably don't use high enough octane. To that I said, I haven't used Sunoco in over a year, and always put in regular 87 octane. He claims that Subarus are "tuned" to run on 91 octane, and if I put that through the system all the time it will stop.

Quite frankly, I am a lil peeved that he is telling me to buy more expensive fuel instead of looking into what is really causing this... I mean, damn near everyone I have talked to said that 87 is just fine in a stock Suby, so why does this guy think I have money to burn on 91 ???

Any input?

The stock 2.5 will run on 87, the turbo won't run on anything lower than 91.

There's a difference between knock from too low of an octane fuel and valve tapping too.

My only other advice would be to try the 91, I'd be surprised if the knock goes away, take it back then with the receipt for the gas and ask them to look at it again.

BTW, the owner's handbook tells you what Daphne likes to drink ;)

Yeah, but I don't have my car right now (not at home) so I can't check it. I'm almost positive it said 87 when I looked at first. I fully plan on making them pay for the gas WHEN I take it back. I need to play around some more and see if I can get it to knock/rap/tick/whatever again. I'll continue to update as I go, just so if anyone else gets this problem they'll know what to do.





Update: I checked things out in my car, and guess what it says??? 87 for naturally aspirated and 91 for turbo. As for the knocking... it's still there. I hate when idiots try to pull stuff over on me.

Another update: The car has been in the shop for the second time. Again, I complained about the knocking that I hear. I must have ultra-sensitive hearing or something, or the techs are just plain lazy b/c they said they couldn't hear anything... The good news is that they at least checked the ECU and the motor is not pulling a knock code, so I'm hopeful that means it's not knocking and just something that the Suby motor does that I'm just not accustomed to.

Other things: I got my front brake rotors cut for free (under warranty) since they got warped the last time the car was in the shop. As for brake squeel, no one can seem to hear it. The speaker rattle hasn't been solved, and there is what I perceive to be an abnormally high idle at start-up (over 2k rpm for like 20 seconds, and my foot is not on the gas) but all-in-all, I had a much better dealership experience this time around.

P.S. I recommend Day-Apollo Subaru for Pittsburgh, PA suburbanites... or urbanites... They have been very nice to me both times I took it in (once for 15k mile service, and now for the above mentioned issues)

Without hearing your car myself, I couldn't tell you if the knocking you're hearing is the normally Subaru sound or whether it's something to be concerned about.

If you feel like venturing out to what Central PA, I recommend Calkins Subaru in Burnham.

AND THE SAGA CONTINUES!!!! :banghead:

My car has never run "well" in my opinion. In the cold temperatures, it barely starts (coughs, chokes, sputters, and THEN starts)... I almost couldn't get the car started about 3 weeks ago when I was over an hour away from home... I wasn't happy, but there isn't any consistency on when it starts without a problem and when it doesn't want to start... just "cold".

And today, I was leaving my street when a neighbor called to me, so I was idling in the road, and he noticed that my car had a REALLY rough idle (much rougher than normal). After the conversation, I tried to drive away, and I get a bright yellow CEL flashing in my face. I am so pissed off now... 33,000 measly miles and I get a check engine light. I drove my glorified Nissan over 70,000 miles and NEVER had one!

Needless to say, I will be tearing someone at Subaru a new anus tomorrow. I am seriously considering NEVER buying another Subaru.

Okay, here's the service update:

The coil had a crack in it, and was causing most/many of the symptoms. We'll see if this solves all the problems. I'll keep everyone updated as I remember to.

Okay, here's the service update:

The coil had a crack in it, and was causing most/many of the symptoms. We'll see if this solves all the problems. I'll keep everyone updated as I remember to.

Doesn't it make you feel a little relieved to know it only took them a year to figure it out.....

Doesn't it make you feel a little relieved to know it only took them a year to figure it out.....
8 months, dear... just 8 months. :rolleyes:

Yeah, no offense, but my next car will NOT be a Subaru. :( Did I mention that even though the CEL came on, they couldn't find a code??? Yeah, still not happy. But *knocks on wood* it appears to be okay now.... only time (and 11 weeks of driving to DC on weekends for work) will tell.

Why in the heck did I think that things would actually be fixed when I took my car in for service???

I bought the Gold Plus Subaru Extended Warranty (because I knew that this car sucked) and sure enough I had to use it. The damn ignition coil has gone bad AGAIN. It was replaced, but in so doing, the mech's discovered that despite my having a 30k mile service done about 4500 miles ago (I'm now JUST over 38k) the spark plugs were not replaced. Said (original) spark plugs are fouled. So I bitched out Day Apollo for not doing it when it was in, and they are replacing them for free.

Oh, and my extended warranty covered the ignition coil (again).

Round 15 million...

Guess what's gone bad again?!?! Anyone know where I can find the schedule for when the Subaru Tech Rep will be at various dealerships? I need to complain directly to Subaru and not some grease monkey. My CEL came back on (YET AGAIN) while driving in the rain. As soon as I find the MINI Cooper S I want, this piece of garbage is GONE. :mad:


Edit: Allow me to share my correspondence with Subaru of America (since no dealer would let me bring in the service rep)

Original Message:
I have experienced multiple ignition coil failures on my 2005
Forester 2.5X. The problem primarily exists during rain (when water
gets up into the coil), but once the car is taken to a dealership,
the check engine light is no longer flashing, and no codes show. Each
time this coil fails my car is unavailable for 2 days, as the coil is
not a stocked part. I am growingly irritated by this repetitive
problem. Each time I am told to 'get the car in when the check engine
light is still on' which is not always possible as the car will
hardly idle let alone run during the failing episodes. I'd like to
know what Subaru will do to fix this problem, as I find multiple coil
failures on a 3 year-old vehicle entirely unacceptable.

Reply:
Thank you for visiting the Subaru Web site. I am sorry your message
was prompted by concerns with your Subaru.

Your correspondence mentioned that a Subaru dealer has attempted to
diagnose your vehicle's intermittent concern. Intermittent concerns
can be frustrating for both customers and dealer personnel. Unless
the cause of the concern is apparent, the dealer must duplicate the
concern in order to adequately diagnose and repair a vehicle.
Dealers can check the computer in your vehicle with a tool called a
'select monitor.' This monitor checks for any anomaly in the vehicle
and records situations where the vehicle has gone out of
specification. Additionally, all of our dealerships have technical
assistance available to them.

I would be happy to contact your dealership on your behalf. Please
reply to this message or contact me at our Customer/Dealer Services
Department at 1-800-SUBARU-3 (1-800-782-2783) and refer to the Case #
XXXXXXX if you are interested in discussing this matter further.

Again, I am sorry for your frustration and I hope that your
dealership is able to resolve this concern. Please let me know if I
can be of further assistance.

Best wishes,

Patricia Bryant
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer/Dealer Services Department



Perhaps Ms. Bryant missed the part that NO CODES COME UP WHEN THEY CHECK THE COMPUTER!!!! Nice try SOA... you have PERMANENTLY lost a customer.