Schultz

Good to know. I was just looking at the path which is Subaru Legacy Forums > Walkthroughs > Basic Operation & Maintenance I didn't know it was specific to GTs. Thanks.

Apparently the answer to this is Yes, it will cause problems. After reinstalling the axle, the steering makes an awful sound. I'm tired of fighting with this stupid axle... I'm just going to bite the bullet and pay a shop to do it. These things are made to sound so simple on these forums, but when you actually start to do it it's just one snag after another. Anyway, it doesn't appear that anybody actually follows this thread anymore, but I figured I'd post my results just in case someone in the future runs into the same thing.

I'll answer my own question. I decided to check my service manual. (Usually I find these internet threads much more helpful than the manual, so I hadn't even opened it while doing the job.) The manual says that the outer joint is an unserviceable part. It said to just use solvent and compressed air to clean it out as much as possible. So I've done that, and it is pretty clean now. After reading the manual, though, I'm concerned about something else now. It says to mark the alignment of the bearings (inner boot) before removing them from the green housing. I didn't do that, and they're all already out, cleaned, and ready to be repacked. Will bad things happen since I didn't align those? I really don't see any difference in them, so I don't see any way to go back and correct this.

Sorry if this is already in this thread somewhere -- I searched but didn't see it. Can the outer joint be disassembled for cleaning? I have it off of the axle already, but I don't see any way to take the balls and cage apart. If it is possible, can someone please post a brief explanation? If not, how do I get it clean before rebooting? By the way, this is for a 2002 Legacy L.

Yeah, I had a tough time with the crank pulley also. First I used a homemade removal tool: four bolts through a 2x4. They lined up correctly, but the wood cracked. So I ended up wedging a breaker bar and gently tapping the ignition key. I was a little nervous, but it worked just fine. I think the homemade tool would have worked if it had been metal, but I didn't have available.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. Timing belt change was successful.

I'm not looking to argue about oil filters. Thanks, though.

I put 14 pictures online at Box. You can view them here: https://app.box.com/s/nieaqmstr5fcodgna8op I don’t see any oil leaking around the cam seals. I didn’t see any oil leaking from the crank seal either, but I replaced it anyway since the cam bolt was already removed. (The old seal is the one shown in the pictures.) At first I was concerned about the substance in picture 02. But I think that is PB Blaster from the removal of the timing belt cover. (I started using it after snapping a screw.) I’m not sure what that is in the top middle of picture 03, but it’s completely dry so I don’t think it’s part of this issue. I think the substance along the bottom of picture 04 is more PB Blaster, but I haven’t ruled out oil. In pictures 05 and 06, I don’t see any oil leaking from the crank seal. Pictures 06 and 07 show a lot of crud under the water pump. Could this be coming from behind the cam seal and belt cover on the other side of the water pump? Pictures 10-14 show how widespread the oil is under the engine. Again, what I’m trying to decide right now is whether anything else can be done about the leak before I put the timing belt and water pump on and get everything back together. I would really like to get it done tomorrow, as I have the day off work. If the leak is somewhere else, I’ll have to take care of that in June after school gets out for the summer. Thanks for any help you can provide.

If so, would that be something I'd want to repair while the timing belt is still out? Or can it be repaired independently of what I'm currently doing By the way, I'm about to head over to have Easter lunch with friends. I'll post better photos of the oil leak later tonight.

Speaking of trying to diagnose the oil leak... If it is coming from one of the cam seals or the front crank seal, would I see oil inside the timing belt cover? Or does it leak behind it? I'm asking because I plan to replace the crank seal but not the cam seals. I was going to do those, but when I bought the parts (local dealer, reputed to be honest) they told me that they don't typically replace the cam seals unless they are leaking. At the time I wasn't aware of the oil all over the bottom of the oil pan, so it didn't occur to me to ask about such a leak. The area inside the timing belt cover looks clean. But if that isn't enough to rule out leaking cam seals, then I'll take the extra time to go ahead and replace them while I have it all apart. I can post some pics tomorrow if that will help.

Thanks. I'll take that to mean I'm okay not worrying about it. Actually this is the first time I've ever used an STP. I got it in one of those deals at Auto Zone, so I thought I'd give it a try. To be honest, the wide variety of opinions on oil filter brands by guys who obviously know their way around an engine makes be doubt that it's really a big deal what brand is used so long as I change the oil regularly. Not saying some aren't better than others, just that the better only becomes an issue if you go too long between oil changes. (Either that or I've been really lucky for 22 years.) Having said that, I've decided for simplicity's sake to convert to Mobil 1 full synthetic and only changing the oil twice a year. When I do that I'll start using Mobil 1 or Wix filters -- something designed for longer intervals. As you can probably see from the picture, though, I have a pretty bad oil leak somewhere down there. I just noticed it when I crawled under there to do this job. It looks to me like it's leaking where the oil pan meets the engine block, but I don't have any experience diagnosing oil leaks. So I'll sort that out in June when I have time. (I'm a school teacher.)

While taking off the timing belt cover, one of the bolts snapped the plastic -- both front and rear (see pics). The problem is that the local dealer is closed today for the holiday, and I doubt that's a part they would have in stock anyway. So it would probably be the middle of next week before I could get it. My question is, given that there are 11 other bolts holding this cover on, is is critical to replace this part? My main concern would be whether dust/dirt/oil can leak into the timing belt area. But as much as I had to work at getting the cover off even after the bolts were out, it seems to me that it should be fine with 11 out of the 12 bolts. And the break did not get up to the sealing part itself. Opinions? http://www.genuinemomentsphotography.com/photos/i-9CRjkTM/0/L/i-9CRjkTM-L.jpg http://www.genuinemomentsphotography.com/photos/i-MmJvprq/0/L/i-MmJvprq-L.jpg

It's on their website: http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Antifreeze-Cooling-System-Peak-Global-Extended-Life-Anti-Freeze-1-GAL/_/R-PER00407_0424509944 My local store doesn't carry it, but they found a store nearby which does and offered to snag a few gallons from there. So they'll have it for me by Monday, which is fine since I don't plan to get this job done until Easter weekend.

Based on Mustang's advice, I did some research on coolant tonight. From what I can tell, Peak Global Lifetime is essentially the same thing as Subaru antifreeze. (not to be confused with other versions of Peak, such as Long Life, etc.) I think it's carried at NAPA for around $16/gallon full strength, so I'm going to check my local NAPA tomorrow. I never realized that my Subaru required special coolant. I just trusted the side of the bottle when it said "will work with any color and for any make and model." I hope I haven't caused excessive corrosion by doing that. I'll be sure to flush it well during the timing belt change and put the good stuff in it this time. Thanks, Mustang, for pointing that out.

Yeah, I've learned that there are times cheaping out costs more in the long run. I just appreciate forums like this where I can learn what's worth spending more on. I spent a little time looking online and found instructions for how to make my own pulley holder tool, so I think I'll give that a try. Thanks again.