Hi Guys

Being friday i decided to take my 03 Blobeye (wrx sti 80k)for a run through the fields however on a very cold start i found the car was making a knocking noise for 5-10 seconds, i changed the oil to millers fully syn 5 30 less than a month ago, should i have put in a more thicker oil?

Millers web site and booklet suggest 5w 30 so they have recommended this but i am not happy with the knocking, after 10 seconds the car goes nice and quiet and runs perfect

I am thinking maybe put in millers 10 40 fully syn but am worried if this may have a affect on the oil pump, any advice or suggestions would be great

 

I will also say if i leave the car for a day or so the car does not make this noise however if i leave it for a week then the noise appears

 

It's due to the cold weather mate and nothing to worry about, my old bug Sti used to do it during the cold weather too

 

Is it not doing any damage dureing this 5-10 seconds?

 

In the cold it is the "5W" part of the viscosity rating that applies.

If you change to a "10W" the oil will be "thicker" when cold and thus not get around the engine as quick as the 5W.........................................

 

Would you say it's more of a knock or more of a tapping noise, tapping could be top end until the oil pressure is built up, knocking could be a little piston slap, but would imagine it to last longer than 10 secs tbh ( or the ones I have heard have lasted longer than 10 secs )

 

More of a knock....sounds like top side on passanger side

 

Im going to try and put a video up of the noise but this will mean i will have to leave it 3-4 days........have to say beating it round my farm and it never missed a beat

 

Trouble is with that if you want it diagnosed then your gonna have to Leave it with a garage of your choice ( preferably someone who works with scoobs or has good previous knowledge ) over night for it to be stone cold and for it to replicate the noise, I take it you only hear it on the first start of the day? We left ours with a dealership when we first got into them as we could hear a faint knock when cold but would quieten right down when warm, was advised not to worry and was just a bit of piston slap, and told "most" will run forever with it, but must be honest I was a little sceptical at the forever bit lol, so best advice if its worrying you is to get it looked at, as once you et noises in your head and start to worry about driving it then its game over in my book, the fun has gone

 

It only happens when i leave the car for a week and not start it...also when its very cold, if i leave it a few days then the noise is not there? overnight and the car starts with no issues.


It is slightly worrying as i think i am damageing my engine

 

I wouldn't worry to much about it tbh if it's not a regular thing, it is probably down to the cold weather recently and the noise your hearing is whilst the oil makes its way around the engine, and same again when left for long periods of time as the oil will make its way back to the sump over a period of time. If it was more of a constant growl at a steady rev then I would be worried

One thing I was told if I wanted to quieten down the noise ( this was related to the piston slap ) was to use a thicker grade oil and that was direct from the dealer

 

It's a fact that as the colder weather comes on, so do the posts of tapping at cold start up.
It's possibly piston slap but another remote possibility is the cambelt tensioner rattling against it's stop
Although the recommended grade, 5/30 is considered a bit of a no-no amongst owners on here, certainly as a 'summer' grade. In winter it should be ok but remember, you have 80k miles and there now larger componant clearances than when new!



JohnD

 

Thanks for all the advice guys

I think i will try and avoid very cold starts...i was just tempted to take the Scooby out rather than the Nevara

 

You cant realy avoid cold starts though can you? Start it up and drive it to warm it up dont leave it idling. Then its a case of banging your favourite cd on..................LOUD

 

no i was thinking more of just useing the navara when its under 5 degrees.....i have been speaking with a friend who works for Infinium (oil specelist) and he cliams the oil is spot on and its simply due to the car being sat for 7 days and all the oil being in the sump.

 

Its pretty normal for a little rattle when its really cold. Mines be doing it for 10 years. I shouldnt worry

 

[QUOTE=vava voom;10854220]no i was thinking more of just useing the navara when its under 5 degrees.....i have been speaking with a friend who works for Infinium (oil specelist) and he cliams the oil is spot on and its simply due to the car being sat for 7 days and all the oil being in the sump.[/QUOTE]

All the oil does not drain back to the sump. With a head of oil in the sump, the oil remains in the system.

JohnD

 

mate it's perfectly natural to get a little piston noise this time of year and as long as it goes away after a short period there is no need to panic, I would not be put off by using it in Xtreme cold conditions either just make sure you allow the oil to reach running temps before having fun in it


Do you have a oil temp gauge?

 

OK same noise today and went away after 2-3 minutes, would it be a big issue if i put in millers 10w 40?

 

Wouldn't have thought so.
My MY06 STI does this when left idle for a bit.
I use the starter for three seconds on WOT before releasing the throttle to start the engine. This just gets a bit of oil flowing before ignition.
The WOT tells the ECU to go into flooded mode and it cuts off the fueling.
To see if your car does this, get the motor warmed up and then turn it off and try restarting with the throttle pressed to the floor. Obviously catch it if the engine fires.

 

Let's hope it doesn't forget one day!

Can one of the mappers on here comfirm this before I give it a try?

JohnD