Not sure if I am in the right place here/but here goes.
I have a beetle with a subie motor 2.4 from a forester.
No problems until recently there is a loud clicking type noise coming from the centre I think of the engine. This goes away when the engine is warm. The engine runs just the same with the same amount of power.
Any ideas out there.
Trevor

not the tappets?
check ur oil, sometimes when low or due for a change, they click a little more than usual.
Well, its what i notice on the 'later' water cooled cars

It could be the hydraulic lifters, the subaru's love to get noisy lifters.

On my V6 I find the hydraulic lifters get noisy when the oil is old, as Chris says. I use a good 5W-30 synthetic to keep them happy.

I had bad lifter noise when I first put the motor in and ran normal 20W-50 oil, it didn't like it much.

Wes, I currently use Magnatec 10W 40 .Would GTX3 which is 15w 40 be better or should I be using something lighter at start up like 5w 40.
Trevor

I wouldn't use magnatec. You could try the GTX3 but it's still a mineral oil.

For the Mazda the service book said mineral oil was ok. But when cars started getting noisy lifters the advice to dealers was to change to a synthetic and keep changing the oil until the noise went away.

I use Castrol 5W30. Normal price is nearly $50, but it is on sale for closer to $30 quite often, so I just stock up when it's on sale.

If you lifter have gotten to the point of getting crap in them then you may need to do an engine flush to help clean the oil galleries out. Some people like the oil flush idea, others don't.

Only downside to going to synthetic is it makes any existing oil leaks seem worse (cos it is thinner).

sounds like a sticky tappet when was the oil changed last

Steve, This is Trevor here/Bribie Island Trev.
The engine is in my 03 Forester which has just done 100.000.
The big service was done by Subaru (expensive ) and they put in a 30 weight oil. I questioned them about this and they said it is OK. The clicking noise/most disconcerting started soon after.
Only did it the very first start of the day. I changed the oil to Magnatec 10W 40 which is the oil I have been using for the last 18 months.It now does not make the noise.
BUT. Tell me should I be using mineral oil/synthetic oil or semi synthetic which is what Magnatec is. What grade of oil should I be using/remembering it is hotter climate up here and the vehicle is used often for towing.
Sold my beetle and are now Volkswagenless.
Trevor