cracked piston

engine started making ticking noises, car is a 95 wrx and was told it might be a cracked piston, would this be true and if so is it a big job to change.

it could be anything from piston slap, tappets to spark knock, does the noise go out of it when u rev the car or is it always there

If the piston is cracked (which you still dont know for sure) then its size/circumference or some other physical property of the piston has changed. In which case it is probably scrapping up and down the cylinder wall and damaging it.

If left like this then a piece of the piston could break off eventually and hit off the valve and then in turn break that too, destroying your engine.

Thats all worst case senario.

Maybe get someone to do a compression test on the cylinders.

it could be the idlers on the timing belt had to change mine,, when was the belt last changed

i don't know if it is happening when it is revved up cos i was thinking of buying this car.

bottom line mate a ticking sound could be absolutely anything from something silly to something major like a piston or piston ring. car would need to be checked out to know.

George