Oh oopsy. I'm not a motor head, I try to be but I'm not really. Engines baffle me. I know what most stuff is but not all. Obviously. I'm all freakin confused now. I'll go do it again after work. It sounded like it was coming from where the valve covers are, I think.

I dont think it would be drivable if that was the case. Or, it would be extremely weak. Honestley, from the video I think its an exhaust leak. If its not coming from the top left part of the car, then im wrong I guess. But arnt your guyses manifold near the top left? Or am I just thinking of a WRX?

The motor's a flat 4... there are two "top ends", one on either side of the block.

http://www.myevo.com/WRX_motor_getr.jpg

Oh, and normally aspirated Subaru motors are incredible in durability... even with failures that would have killed most cars, Subarus just keep going. I've seen 20 year old GL wagons with two dead cylinders driving by that sound like a coffecan full of rocks... but the owners don't even bother to take 'em 'cause "oh it's sounded like that for years, I didn't think there was anything wrong". :lol:

So, the "ticking" sound he's hearing isnt coming from the top of the engine on the front, left hand corner? I think if it was anything internal, it would be a higher ticking sound... almost like bells (with no ring). sounds too deep to me.

I can't tell where the sound is coming from on the video... but it certainly sounds like it's coming from the motor and not the exhaust. The exhaust manifold is completely under the motor... a leak wouldn't be that noticable from outside and above the car. At least that's what I've noticed from all the uppipe leaks I delt with a while back.

I meant back left hand corner. If his car isn't turbo, then Im probably wrong.

Well I would have taken a video, but I was busy with some stuff yesterday. I topped it off with some thicker weight oil then what was in there and the ticking decreased signifigantly. And it chugged down a quart quick style. I know it was fairly low because my oil light would come on periodically starting last week. I put the oil in at like 10:30a and I got on it at like 9p last night and it seemed accelerate normally with no loss of power that I could tell. So the oil helped a bunch.

Oh and I have a 96 L, soooo it's not turbo =(

oil light=bad things.

Very bad things.

Did you even check the level when you started hearing noises? ALWAYS....ALWAYS Check your oil!!! when that light comes on, you are usually more than a quart low! now check for metal shavings in the remaining oil. Even better change the oil and look closely for sparkly oil.

Yeah I checked it, but it only came on a like 3 or 4 times when I would come to a quick stop. So it was low enough to trip the whatever sensor when it sloshed but not low enough to stay on.

The problem is, most newer cars have a VERY low pressure switch, like 2lbs, and should have, let's say, 40lbs of pressure! When that light comes on, it's almost too late!

I'm not sure about exact spec. on Subis, (anyone?) but I know for ex. a 350z should be between 60 and 90 lbs of oil pressure, and the stinkin light doesn't come on until you're all the way down to 2 lbs!!! Way too late IMO!

Jonny, in case you didn't know, it's an oil pressure light, not an oil level light. If the level gets so low that the pressure drops...like I said, bad things.

Ohhhh. Damn.

Yeah, if the light comes on because of oil slosh, that means you've sloshed so much oil off the bottom of the pan that the pickup is sucking air. :eek:

The only car I've had that problem with was my T-Bird after Jiffy Lube decided 1 qt of synthetic was enough instead of putting in the 5 qts I paid for. Luckily it had a factory oil pressure gauge as well as an idiot light, so I saw the pressure drop as I went around a freeway on ramp... when it got down to 0, thats when the light popped on. :roll:

That was the last time I ever let someone else change my oil.