Timing Belt Replacement 2.5T

At $23.xx a gallon from Subaru, I don't want to buy more than I have to!

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.

Yes, use the coolant conditioner if you owners manual says to use it. Subaru only.

Regarding coolant, I've only ever needed 1 gallon of the unmixed. Mixed its 2 gallons, plenty for all subaru's. If you have the super-long life, then you need can only buy it premixed or in small unmixed quarts I think (?). Of course that's a much longer life antifreeze.

I only buy subaru brand. For $5 more, it's worth not worrying.

Regarding pulley, yes easy to make your own tool, or use 3/8 ratchet extensions in the holes and a plybar between them.

Let me know if you find it there. I didn't see it on their website but NAPA's always had a a terrible site.

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.

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

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

Just one? :eek:

You lucky dawg!!!

I'd stop using those crap STP filters and buy Subaru. Just saying.

Just one? :eek:

 

You lucky dawg!!!

Thanks. I'll take that to mean I'm okay not worrying about it.

I'd stop using those crap STP filters and buy Subaru. Just saying.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

Mobil 1? No difference between filters????? :eek:

Subaru filter has a 23PSI relief spring for a reason. Flows certain GPM for a reason. $.50 STP filter can't possibly meet those specs. Subaru Filter is like $6. Why would you buy something else?

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

haha

Mobil 1? No difference between filters????? :eek:

 

 

Subaru filter has a 23PSI relief spring for a reason. Flows certain GPM for a reason. $.50 STP filter can't possibly meet those specs. Subaru Filter is like $6. Why would you buy something else?

Who makes the oil filters for Subaru?

Who makes the oil filters for Subaru?

Honeywell, but they are manufactured to different specifications than the regular FRAM filters.

Ever compare the innards of an STP filter to the innards of a Subaru filter?

A blue Subaru filter is like $6 there's no excuse not to run OE. STP is what they GIVE AWAY with cheap oil at wal-mart. You trust your turbo with that?

Did this today along with the water pump. Luckily I had my father-in-law over to help me loosen the crank bolt....at least that's all I thought I'd need him for. I decided against the vise grip method of holding the driver's side camshaft pulleys together as I was afraid of putting too much pressure on the exhaust one and breaking it like what happened to a previous poster. Not thinking they were under as much pressure as they were, I used a 2" spring clamp to keep them from moving once the belt was removed. Ha yeah, that didn't work! Boing and off they went! I was instantly nervous that I'd bent valves, but I was sure to only turn the top pulley clockwise and the bottom counter-clockwise to get them back in position.

It took my father-in-law holding the top at position and me holding the bottom at position while simultaneously attaching my vise grips to hold them. Even with the Vise grips in the pulleys were starting to slowly move after I had replaced the tensioners and the water pump. We eventually got the belt lined up and in place though and all was well. I slowly turned the engine over by hand and it was smooth. Got everything back together, added coolant and took it on a test drive. The car drove perfectly.

I would say this is definitely a 2 person job because of how hard it is to get all of the pulleys lined up perfectly. I would also like to note that I replaced my belt not because of mileage, but because of time. Only 65k miles, but it was built in '04 so it was due. I was quite surprised to see that one of the tensioners (the one with the cogs on it) was already sounding like a roller skate wheel and had play in it! I wouldn't have wanted to drive another 40k miles on it. In closing, I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to this forum and the OP of this thread. The info here was invaluable, and tonight I am around $1,000 richer because of it.

Parts list:

Gates TCK328 timing belt kit

Aisin water pump ($65 off of Ebay and it looks every bit as good of quality as the stock Yamada one)

Dayco drive belts

Subaru OEM thermostat

The breaker bar and bumping the ignition works fine.

People worry to much when the drivers side gears spin. Remember those pistons are half way down the cylinders away from the valves. If I remember correctly ? There's a discussion about it.

Here's one of the answers,

the gears on the drivers side are in the middle of opening a valve so there is spring preload and due to the shape of a cam lobe the gear will just want to spin if its only partially open... clamping the to together positions the gears where they need to be so you can line up the rest of the marks and slide the belt on. The passenger side is not in the process of opening any valves so thats why that side will just stay where you set them.

Got that from my threads in post 82.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/replacing-timing-belt-94193p3.html

Hi All,

Timing belt after 172000. Some Pics.

Not a job to be rushed or short cutted. Plenty of room for **** ups. Overtightening and cracking the water pump, flanges, cross threading bolts, putting the belt on backwards etc....

The car runs much smoother after the timing belt change. Starts easier and accelerates more smoothly. There was stretching and it was a good maintenance item to address.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/ChiChiChiba/Timing%20Belt%20Water%20Pump/CAM00717_zps8bcf2d9a.jpg

These are the old pulleys and tensioner, tensioner was getting sloppy leading to some inconsistent vacuum, starting and running issues.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/ChiChiChiba/Timing%20Belt%20Water%20Pump/CAM00722_zpsa738c518.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/ChiChiChiba/Timing%20Belt%20Water%20Pump/CAM00721_zpse2f0c1ae.jpg

Water pump looked new and bearings felt tight and smooth. Infact I shit canned the supplied paper gasket and reused the old one!

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/ChiChiChiba/Timing%20Belt%20Water%20Pump/CAM00723_zpsba84bddb.jpg

I would also like to note that I replaced my belt not because of mileage, but because of time. Only 65k miles, but it was built in '04 so it was due. I was quite surprised to see that one of the tensioners (the one with the cogs on it) was already sounding like a roller skate wheel and had play in it!

I was at 170,500km (belt replacement interval 168k, which I realized), but also at 9.5 years (8.75 years, which I didn't). The cogged tensioner fell off (spun through the timing belt cover and landed on the undertray). Especially annoying given that I had the timing belt kit in the garage waiting for nice car-fixing weather.

Andy

Andy,

Sorry to hear about it. Did you need a engine?