---- Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote: 
> Bad timing belts on the Subies can often cause cold engine noises that sound
> like piston slap.
> BTDT

I thought this was long ago remedied.  I bought a new Suburu Liftback in 1989.  After 3000 miles the thing started knocking.  The dealer first claimed, "They all do that, nothing's wrong."  I got an explanation about the timing belts and  distributor shaft wobble , but that basically it was "normal."  I reminded the dealership of how quiet the engine had been when new, and requested to drive with a technician a new one.  I got nowhere.  The knock got worse.  Then the dealership tightened the timing belts ("service bulletin" recommendation), and the knock was gone.  It came back.  This was repeated several times.  At that time, Subarus only carried a 12K miles drive train warranty.  At 13K miles I was returning home from work on I-64 east of Lexington, KY when the car lost all power and the engine was dead.  I had it towed to the dealership, where it was determined that a timing belt was broken, and that the timing belt was a "wear item," and anyway, the warranty had elapsed.  I spent weeks documenting up to the corporate office of Subaru of America the series of service encounters, and then reminding them once monthly for 2.5 years of their responsibility to me for the costs incurred on my part.  Then one day I got a letter from the corporate office stating that Subaru of America had determined that a supplier had provided poor quality timing belts, causing "drivability" problems, and eventual failure of the belts in some 200K Subarus.  I was paid all my costs, plus $500 as a "good will" payment.

The car never, after the timing belt replacement, knocked again.  I had the belts replaced again when they had 100K miles on them, drove the car until it had 150K miles, and sold it to my brother.  He put it into service in his rental car business, and a customer totaled it.

mcneely