Hi all

I have a stock 06 hawk eye wrx and have a ticking noise that only happens while accelerating. Both under mild and heavy acceleration. It's bloody annoying!

From my research it seems like it could be an issue with the waste gate. Perhaps some exhaust gasses are leaking from there. But not really sure.

The sound is similar to what I found on this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg-UCUFuT0U

Check for the sound at 4 seconds in and 9 seconds in.

I have a stain on the top of my heat shield that may have something to do with this. Pic attached.

Anyone have any thoughts or need more detail?

Thanks!!

Attached Thumbnails