Corvid Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 So, I've been reading up on here a lot about the EJ series engines, in preparation for the 2.2 I'm about to overhaul. Then a few nights ago, I was eating dinner with a friend of mine who bought a really nice Legacy GT Limited 6 months ago. Just out of curiosity, I asked him how many miles were on the car and if the previous owner had done the timing belt and water pump. He said the car had 150k, but now that I mentioned it, the PO hadn't said anything about the timing belt and there weren't any receipts for it. No problem, I said, bring it over on Monday and we'll change the oil, check the belts, check for leaks at the head seams, etc. We looked it over yesterday, and the engine is clean, dry, and pretty. Car runs great. We opened up the timing cover to take a peek at the belt... I explained what an interference engine is, and we had the parts kit bought online 30 minutes later. Thanks to this forum and everyone on it, for being an invaluable resource, empowering people with knowledge, and saving folks from economic and mechanical hardship. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 whoa! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Which idler pulley has been failing? I found the Gates kit off of ebay to be the most reasonably priced and it came with good quality idler pulleys, water pump, and tensioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Looks like fluid contamination to me. Something dripping onto the belt between the cover seams. Is the Power Steering pump wet? How about the upper radiator hose where it attaches to the block, any evidence of coolant leaking there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvid Posted July 3, 2013 Author Share Posted July 3, 2013 Which idler pulley has been failing? I found the Gates kit off of ebay to be the most reasonably priced and it came with good quality idler pulleys, water pump, and tensioner. That's whats coming in the mail, but we got a better price from rockauto.com. Looks like fluid contamination to me. Something dripping onto the belt between the cover seams. Is the Power Steering pump wet? How about the upper radiator hose where it attaches to the block, any evidence of coolant leaking there? So far, everything looks dry and tight. I'll have more answers when we dig in Thursday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Holy Belt Eater, Batman! Nice catch! I do hope your friend is not driving that car at the moment! that could let go at anytime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvid Posted July 3, 2013 Author Share Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) Holy Belt Eater, Batman! Nice catch! I do hope your friend is not driving that car at the moment! that could let go at anytime. Nope, I recommended for him to leave it in my driveway until its fixed. He does big commutes almost daily, too. It was the first time I've ever clicked "Next Day Air" on a parts website! But for real, Heartless, you and Fairtax and a couple other folks have been really helpful on a lot of these EJ series threads, so credit goes in part to you. Thanks! Edited July 3, 2013 by Corvid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 So far, everything looks dry and tight. I'll have more answers when we dig in Thursday night.Could have just been something that got spilled, or a leak that was repaired and the covers were cleaned off. Either way, lucky catch! Thanks for the props! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxleone Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) God that's close! As a one-time timing belt victim (on a 89' EJ20D interference motor) I know the pain that a snapped belt can cause. Good on you for catching it - you've saved your friend one hell of a headache!!! ...I might just have to check my timing belt tonight after work after seeing this Edited July 3, 2013 by rxleone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I thank you, also, Corvid - but Fairtax, GD, Grossgary, MilesFox and a few others (I miss Skip!) are far more experienced than I - I have learned a lot from them as well over the years. Good for you for making your friend leave the car, too! That could have been a disaster if you hadnt caught it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvid Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share Posted July 5, 2013 (edited) So we got this repair done yesterday, and all in all it was pretty straight forward. We pulled the fans and radiator, and took down the V-belts and front end. Then broke off the square snout from my 3/8" drive ratchet, leaving it snapped off in the socket sitting on the crank bolt. Feeling a little dumb, I dug out they heavy box of 1/2" drive socket stuff, got a 3 foot cheater pipe from the neighbor and got the crank bolt off. With the belt covers off, there wasn't anything worse inside, that missing chunk from the picture is the worst of it. Money and time were a serious issue on this repair, so we didn't do the cam seals or oil pump, since nothing was leaking. It was the owners call. We got everything lined up, and pulled the belt, at which point the drivers side cam pulley jumped out of alignment. We took a lunch break for internet research, found 2 threads on here on the subject and realized we were fine, and realigned the cam by hand. The old toothed idler pulley sounded like a dry, beat up skateboard bearing. Scary. We took off the original factory water pump at 150k miles! Also scary. Then we found out that the Gates Kit water pump has a cardboard WP gasket. Should have expected that. No one that was open had a metal gasket, so we did more internet research and I put it in with anaerobic. WWGDD? Cleaned and installed new parts, marks on the belt made it easy, followed NOTCHES, never arrows. Reinstalled everything except the plastic diaper under the engine, and torqued the crank pulley bolt to 140 ft/lbs. Fired it up, sounds great, runs great. And the only thing we found when we dug in, was behind the passenger side rear timing cover, where it looks like it is slowly weeping oil, right between the block and the head... Edited July 5, 2013 by Corvid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Probably run-off from a leaking power steering pump or oil pressure switch. Really should have at least pulled the oil pump to check the backing plate screws and reseal with Anaerobic. Only takes a few minutes and you already had the sealer. The o-ring is like $3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvid Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Really should have at least pulled the oil pump to check the backing plate screws and reseal with Anaerobic. Only takes a few minutes and you already had the sealer. The o-ring is like $3. I agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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