Lots of Work - '08 2.5 NA

Posted this in the Fourth Gen section but didn't get much response (mods feel free to delete this if it's "illegal" to have it in two forums..)

 

I am about to do a bunch of work on my cousin's '08 NA 2.5L Legacy. I don't have much experience with Subarus (Volvo guy), but I have read every thread I can find on each of these things.

 

I am looking for any advice/tips/suggestions. Hopefully I am not missing any parts, and hopefully I can figure out a good sequence to do it all so I don't have to backtrack

 

Timing Belt

Water Pump

Radiator

Radiator Hoses

Thermostat

Engine Seals

Drive Belts

Power Steering Pump

 

Oil Change

Air Filter

Spark Plugs

Valve Cover Gasket

PCV Valve

 

Flush trans, diffs, and brakes (not power flush, just exchange fluids)

 

 

See the attached picture for all the specific parts I bought. I had purchased a Stant thermostat, but after reading a few threads I realized OEM was probably the way to go (hence there being two thermostats on the list).

Sounds like an extremely complete 105k service. You're a good cousin! There are diy guides all over the forums for different jobs if you need help. And you can search for "vacation pics" to see how the factory does it.

Sounds like an extremely complete 105k service. You're a good cousin! There are diy guides all over the forums for different jobs if you need help. And you can search for "vacation pics" to see how the factory does it.

 

Ha I try to be. I am a little obsessive with preventative maintenance due to my experiences with Volvo. I am hoping her car will be good for at least another 50k, although with this being the first coolant flush the headgaskets may be rather unhappy.

 

I did find the vacation pics, and have the relevant ones printed out.

 

How much do you think a dealer would charge for all of this?

Oil pump - if it's anything like my '03 was you're most of the way to it by the time you do the belt and water pump. Also, I went ahead and put in all new pulleys.

Are oil pumps that short-lived on these cars? 130k miles seems pretty young. I did get the oil pump seal..

I think your going a little overkill on the repairs. I would skip the power steering pump and engine seals (unless they are leaking).

I think your going a little overkill on the repairs. I would skip the power steering pump and engine seals (unless they are leaking).

 

The power steering pump isn't preventative - a good friend of hers who works at the dealership said it needed to be replaced. I did see some information about leaking PS pumps being common due to an oring, but I haven't had a chance to look closely at hers.

 

I have the engine seals on hand in case they are leaking.

 

I would like to do all of this in one shot, hence the "buy everything just in case" mentality.

Oil pump is not a problem unless you spin a bearing and push shrapnel through the engine. Leave it alone, water pump is another myth wear part on these cars, they dont wear out ive seen 6 total after replacement at mileages ranging from 90K-189K all have been good, you can skip that until the second TB change.

 

What I would (did) change on my 2.5i:

Cam and Crank seals

T-stat, coolant and both hoses

Timing belt, pulley and tensioner

Plugs and wires

Clean PCV

 

 

 

Repair those items on a 2.5i in one shot and you are good for another 100K miles. If the Head gaskets are leaking then you have larger issues. Also valve lashing isn't an issue until you pass the 200K mark if not mid 200Ks.

 

I would look at replacing suspension, LCA bushings and sway bar bushing. If the PS pump is leaking rebuild it much cheaper than replacing it, if not flush the system.

Full disclosure, I didn't do the oil pump either. I did the belt and water pump (because I my luck would be the water pump would fail 2 months later), other belts and all pulleys. Basically anything that needed to come off, plus the water pump, got replaced. I did it at 115k or so, traded car at 185k or so, no issues.

What article did you refer to for the timing belt? How difficult do you think it will be?

Breaking the crank bolt loose was the hard part.

I just got all the belts,pulleys,water pump,seals and thermostat done last week.Only took my guy 3 hours total to do the job.And only had $400 total in it with parts and labor.Dealer wants like $700-$1000 to do the same job.

 

 

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good job

Did the following last night:

 

Timing belt, pulleys, tensioner. Bearings all had some play - happy I caught it in time

Water Pump

Thermostat

Radiator

Radiator Hoses

Drive Belts

Spark Plugs (old ones had at least DOUBLE the spec'd gap!)

Power Steering Pump (need help - see below)

 

None of the seals were leaking, so I left all of them alone.

 

I couldn't get the valve cover off the driver side (bolts out, couldn't manuever it over the valvetrain), so I didn't even attempt it on the passenger side. I did replace the tube seals, since that was all I could get to Where is the PCV valve?

 

When I started her up, everything ran great - but the PS pump was whining pretty badly. I turned it off, and PS fluid was bubbling out of the reservoir. I turned the steering wheel lock to lock a couple times..but it didn't fix the issue. Any more advice on bleeding air out of the system? I hope I didn't damage the new pump.

 

Also found a busted driver side inner CV boot - this is going to be a new car when I finish

 

See attached for how I removed the crank pulley bolt - definitely the easiest method I found in all my searching. I just stuck a screwdriver in one side - you don't need both.

you have to jack the engine up to get to the valve cover gaskets. The tube seals are key as that is what fouls your plugs over time. If you have time i would go back and do the driver side, if it is leaking if not, wait till it does then replace both at the same time.

 

The PCV is in on top of the engine to the right of the TB, its a 19mm sized fitting.

All of the work is done, and I gave the car back to her. Did ~50 miles of driving with it over a couple days to make sure everything was alright). Drives great, aside from the humming ~40-50 mph. Probably the bald tires in the rear :-)

 

Thanks for all the help!

There's a good chance that humming is a wheel bearing...

There's a good chance that humming is a wheel bearing...

 

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. With the car up in the air, I didn't feel play in any of the wheel bearings. Perhaps one is starting to go.

 

The rear tires are pretty gnarly - I will wait and see if the noise subsides after replacing them, and then move from there.

 

How long do bearings usually last on the Legacys?

In my old '90 Legacy? About 6 months.

In my '03 OBS? 185k miles.

Bearings do not last on legacies. They also will not exhibit play if they're bad. The bearing is actually built into the hub assembly (makes replacement much easier) If it's rears they are cheap and easy enough that I would replace them now.

Did you pull the motor? It looks that way in the picture. If so how long did it take?

Did you pull the motor? It looks that way in the picture. If so how long did it take?

 

No, that's a picture of someone else's engine. Although I did just pull the engine out of an '05 STI. Should take under 2 hours if you know what you're doing. Took us 5 since it was my first time working on an STI.

 

Maybe I should just buy a Subaru ha.