Timing Belt

I asked this over in the maintenance forum and got no response, so I thought I would ask my NA brethren...

 

I'm at about 75k miles on my 2.5i, so the mileage recommendation for a timing belt change is quite a ways out. But, the manual also recommends the change at 105 months (8.75 years) which I'm coming close to. What do you guys recommend... wait for the 105k miles? Go with the 105 month recommendation? Split the difference?

 

I was thinking of maybe just doing it at 90k when I will do all my fluids, plugs, etc. associated with that mileage.

Is there an inspection hole?

I changed my last on on the '03 at around 110k and it looked pristine.

If the book lays out a change schedule stick to it.

Most likely a pulley will go before the belt breaks. It's usually a bad pulley that causes the belt to break. Listen every time you drive and stick to the schedule or sooner on this one. Most likely your 90k will be fined, just keep your ears open.

I just did my07 at 110,000 and the belt looked like new. It was stretched some but still in great shape. I did all pulleys and water pump while I was in there. Better to do it all at once then have to go back in after a few thousand miles to replace a pulley or wp.

 

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I wouldn't think of going in there and not replace the pulleys and water pump...

What symptoms/sounds characterizes the need for a timing job?

I hear a lot of what I would guess would be valve noise or belt on sprocket at low speed, mid rpm.

I don't think there are any audible symptoms or sounds for a timing belt going. Your best best would be a visual inspection of the belt for any cracks or other signs of wear.

 

My legacy is the first Subaru I've owned, and when I first bought it, it took me awhile to get use to some of the noises it makes. My car is pretty noisy at around 2500/3000rpm, and possibly even higher in rpms. It makes what I've seen referred to as a "helicopter" sound, especially noticeable when holding steady at around 2500rpm and going uphill.

That sounds similar. It only started the noise in the last 6-9 months tho. Maybe changed oils about that time. The tensioner wouldn't get noises? It is due by mileage so I should probably quit looking for reasons to delay.

Sorry I wasn't thinking and you bring up a good point. I was just referring to the belt itself and forgot about the idler pulleys and tensioner. Hopefully someone else can chime in with the answer.

Like I said above, most of the time, unless the car is only driven 10K a year and the belt has dried out, it will be a pulley that goes before the belt. That will cause the belt to skip, or jump, and then people think it was the belt when it was really a bad pulley that caused the belt to fail. Listen to your pulleys, and if you can hear the bearings making noise, change them and the belt. If not, then do it at the specified time or mileage interval. Skip to 34:00 into this video for what a bad pulley sounds like.

 

Go by the maintenance schedule for mileage or time duration like others have mentioned. On the other hand, for peace of mind, it doesn't hurt to do a TB job earlier than the schedule requires. Rockauto has a good kit including the belt, tensioner, idlers for a decent price. I'd recommend going to a site like subarupartswarehouse.com when they have a 20% off sale and get the waterpump/gasket and thermostat from there in addition to your TB parts.