How does this timing belt look?

I think others who bought a used car have this question too.

I bought a fixer '93 wagon over a year ago and finally decided to look at the belt. How many miles do you think are on it?

The car has 209,000 miles on it and I have driven it and towed it behind my motor home for 9,000 miles.

You can see more about it on my BLOG

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-baHZI6N8XdoPSAAOSFRAiq0cxmOrdthnqHbEmTjoTM?feat=directlink

Looks well used but at least it's not cracked. I removed a timing belt that had about 75k on it and it looked similar. It's hard to say if you should replace it or not judging by looks.

The good news is that your 2.2 engine is non-interference so if the timing belt breaks there will be no internal engine damage. Your engine will just quit. But if it was my car I would replace it so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Plus when you replace it you can also replace the cam seals, crank seals, camshaft support o-rings, and reseal the oil pump, all of which are potential sources of oil leaks. A reasonable shop will charge about $650-750 to do the timing belt, idlers, pulleys, plus the seals.

Hello;

I can see from the picture that you have a NAPA replacement belt. At some point this has seen service. The belt looks to be normal and should not need replacement. Is the water pump leaking? Look at the hydralic tensioner, how far out is tensioner rod? Is the tensioner adjusted all the way to the right? Is there bearing noise? These factors weigh in to a replacement, Steven.

Looks better than mine! Just had a idler start squealing yesterday. Anyone got a link to a good TB replacement guide?

http://gallery.quattroworld.com/d/37499-2/IMG_0824_1_.JPG

brittcowell, the best guide is the Subaru Factory Service Manual. Send me a private message with your email and I'll send it to you. If I get some time I'll post up the procedure in this thread.

snederhiser is correct that at some point your timing belt has seen serviced. But when? If your car has 209k and the timing service interval is recommended at 60K who knows when the last time it was replaced. Like I said, at least there are no cracks in britt's picture. However, you do not know if your idlers or pulleys have been replaced. Sometimes the hydraulic tensioner will fail. Subaru techs do not replace them unless the piston is weeping. The old style tensioners like ours are pretty good for a long time.

Although your belt is not cracking you can see the wear marks forming. You could be good for many many miles. If you have any oil leaks that is a motivating factor.

Hello;

I can see from the picture that you have a NAPA replacement belt. At some point this has seen service. The belt looks to be normal and should not need replacement. Is the water pump leaking? Look at the hydralic tensioner, how far out is tensioner rod? Is the tensioner adjusted all the way to the right? Is there bearing noise? These factors weigh in to a replacement, Steven.

I only pulled the one TB cover and I don't have any leaks, cooling problems or noises. Just wondered how it was looking since I don't know when it was last changed. I bought the car for $300 to try it and see if I liked towing it behind my motor home, and I really like it and the wagon's room. I think I will fix up some things and keep it. Here is my first post of what I started with http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/fixing-up-cheap-93-legacy-wagon-oregon-176442.html?t=176442&highlight=fixing+wagon

And after seeing others pictures of their belts I think I will let the belt go until I hear or see things change.

What's not to like about a '93 wagon.