aircraft engineer

An oil leak inside the timing belt cover is usually a bad cam seal. The only other thing in there that can leak is the oil pump - so it's either 1 or both of the cam seals or the main seal. IF the belt got oily, REPLACE IT!! Oil will kill a timing belt very quickly.

Like I said - I don't know about 3.3s but IF the inside hole dia is the same and the setbacks are the same and the outside dia is the same, then swap them out. A bearing is a bearing if the diameters, setbacks and face widths are identical. Of course, I forgot that the 3.3 is a chain engine Lubing a sealed bearing isn't such a good idea (but in the industry I'M in, we just "swap and toss". And YOU guys think parts are expensive. HAH!!) This isn't a timing belt i guess. (I saw timing was a chain - what is it? Accessory drives?)

Disconnect the alternator main and field connections and do a resistance test from the output post of the alternator to ground, reverse the leads and do it again. BOTH directions should read "open circuit" The "other" way to verify that it's the alternator is to disconnect the battery, pull the radio fuse (assuming the radio is the only power draw with the IGN "off"), and put a circuit tester in series from the battery terminal to the post. IF it lights up, you have a "closed" circuit path with the engine off. If it shows "no circuit" (meaning the light stays "out" - that would rule out the alternator). Now if it comes "on", you COULD pull all the fuses and see if it still shows "complete circuit". (all you are doing is to put a bulb across the battery system - if there is current, the bulb will light) Alternately, an amp gage in series and see what the current draw is (engine always OFF for all of these - IF you run the engine with the battery disconnected, you WILL blow the output diodes NOT "MAY" - "WILL" because the battery supplies the stabilization voltage to the voltage regulator to prevent an alternator "runaway") For that kind of draw down you would need to be seeing maybe a 10 max amp draw (which would overload a lot of small VOMs) I know that on one of my "other"' vehicles, I've left the dome light on overnight and it didn't matter. IF you are dropping enough current thru somewhere to draw down the battery to where it won't start, it's a SIGNIFICANT drain. Maybe pull the fuses FIRST, check it and then reinstall fuses until the it "lights up". Since I don't have a circuit map, I can't tell you what IS and IS NOT connected with the key "off". Usually the radio connection is low amperage and only runs the CLOCK so it's likely not to be that much of a drain.

The butyl was on an IMPREZA - 97 wagon L

you are in the boonies other wise I'd suggest Autozone or Checker/Schucks/Kragen (whichever serves Wyoming) they do it for free - but harbor freight has a reader on on sale for $39 - you could try their catalog, too harborfreight.com search for "OBDII" reader

The terpene is "orange oil" and is about the strongest natural anionic detergent you can find. It's why your hands can come so clean after peeling a really "oily" orange. The stuff is so powerful that it will lift off burnt on grease off a bar-b-q grill. Previous owner had a motor flush done with one of the "butyl cellosolve" and petroleum distillate flush stuff - I think from the service description, anyway. I want to finish the job and baseline my oil changes. The vehicle is about 1500 miles into this cycle and the oil is a bit dark, so I suspect a residual of the flush is just floating up some more "stuff" (done at about 140k). I might just change the oil and see what happens from there.

Have about 20k on the belt (got the service records with the car when I bought it) So planning to go 80 more or until about 230k or so. I'll probably order the kit and keep it in reserve until I need it. (BTW - 105k is your "California Required" interval but if 1k makes all that much difference, they have a miracle in statistics) Think I might try 4oz of the grill cleaner terpene in the sump as a running engine flush before the next oil change. And I'm considering a trans flush as well - sis said it made hers run so much better

harbor freight - shrink sleeve. Splice in a bit of wire, then cover the splices with some shrink and heat it with a heat gun. Shrinks right down - of course, you need to remember to put on the sleeve before you solder the wires. IF YOU USE CRIMP SPLICES, KEEP THEM OUT OF THE FLEX AREA!! THEY DON'T BEND MUCH I've seen some phone "cover" that wraps around the wire bundle and prevents chafing. You might also consider wire with as many strands as you can get for the gage. (more flexible) or go up a gage if you have space

OK - IF you have spark, try squirting a little gas down the intake and see if it fires. Go back and do the timing again (check it anyway - use this as your guide) http://www.endwrench.com/images/pdfs/2.2SingleOverWin01.pdf on page 18 - see the picture of the cam sprocket - notice the ARROW - BZZZT - wrong thing to use as "timing mark" - it's that little line CCW about 30 degrees or so (straight up in the picture). Now - the crank mark is when the KEY is DOWN - it's directly opposite the keyway. Put it pointing up right at the timing mark. Both cams - line at the notch, crank - key down (timing marks line up on top) it's for a PHASE 1 engine I don't THINK you can mess up the FUEL by doing a timing belt, so if it ran before, it should run AFTER.

Well...DUH! (same attitude HERE ) BUT mine is non-interference so I can go 100,000, fearlessly

that's easy enough to check by just taking off ONLY the cam covers on the timing belt cover. 3 bolts each side 10mm bolt head You don't need to pull the whole timing belt cover unless you need to replace the belt. You will probably find it easier to use the main crank bolt (22mm) to turn the crank Just do a side-to-side sprocket to notch check - they both must line up at the same time or you are out of time. At that point, you will be disassembling the front of the engine to replace the timing belt. Get some kind of paint pen (or a bottle of the old "white out" typing correction fluid) to mark the sprockets for the "mark" - it makes it a lot easier to see. IF you slipped a tooth, change the belt because a whole "cam quadrant" length of the belt will be damaged at the tips if nowhere else.

I was using "different bottle" in the generic A different label means a "different bottle"

I think the HP increase between phase 1 and 2 was about 7 I like the bulletproof engine myself - easier to deal with if the belt breaks because of benign neglect BTW - Interference engines have been around even longer than that - Mercedes diesel engines are interference in the OM-621 - break a timing CHAIN and it's bye bye CAM TOWERS (since the valves are straight up and down, not much chance of damage, but the pistons hitting the valves will snap off the cam towers right at the base - yeah, don't ask how I know...plus it's fun putting the timing back in - crank to cam gear to mechanical injector pump)

I don't have one on the IMP and wish I did - makes it harder to lose the cap

No matter WHAT you use you WILL have continuity. It doesn't take a lot of contact and when you screw the pipe thread into the hole, it will bind and make contact. Teflon is good - pipe dope will also work. If you really want to overkill it - get some copper impregnated RTV - a little dab'll do yah and make a "trail" from the sender to the block. Or you could always put a wrap of 24 gage copper annealed wire into the fittings about 2 threads in and tighten it down - the copper will also act as a seal and provide your continuity

I don't think the setbacks (depth "in" to the bottom of the mounting hole in the bearing or the depth the mounting sticks "out" from the tensioner arm - the inner race "thickness" for want of a better term) are the same (either that or the attachment bolt is a different dia) I was talking to Importexperts when I did the sister's 2.2 and they said that there wasn't availability of separate tensioner pulleys - not yet, anyway because PCI hasn't found a source and that was for 2.2 / 2.5 phase 2's. Might be different for 3.3. I guess it made too much SENSE to just use a common pulley for ALL 3 of them (and the same pulley for all 3 engines as well) I suppose that if you had it off and could take the measurements, you could find out. Also - those bearings (the whole thing is a single bearing) have a part number on them. IF you could find it somewhere by number...let me know

26.9 composite - 70 miles hiway, 80 stop & go (150 mile check)

YUP - like for eggs - Fred Meyer PS (president select) sure seem like the same eggs as "Egglands best " - even marked the same way except with "P/S". Oil works the same way - they don't change the formula - they just put it into A DIFFERENT BOTTLE for "house brand" sales.

Sorry Gary - it's "just" an L - a well equipped L but still an L date of MFR - 2/97 so it's one of the last Phase 1's

maybe the discers come from an ABS car - I think I need to go TAKE A LOOK AT IT AGAIN. don't remem.

not worth it to transport oil that far for very low markup. I'm not worried about counterfeit quarts of oil "bad" oil makes itself known quickly

MY Imp doesn't have rear discs. The Forester rear I used had the rotor and backing plate - pressed out the hub, pulled the backing plate, installed the DRUM backing plate, lubed the bearing (fresh grease), installed the new outer grease seal, pressed the hub in, installed the brake pieces and was done. no ABS not on mine either

never mind... (it was "blended with what?") synthetic...perfectly clear

and if they went to 10 bolt heads they probably wouldn't blow either. (but it would mean a bit of redesign because of the water jacket and manifolding needing changed to put in the 4 extra bolts)

Yeah - did the sister's 97 IMP 2.2 with "ordinary" NGKs - interesting thing was that the plugs that came OUT were gapped at about .080 or so, car had 160k and I would guess that these plugs had 100k of that on them to be that worn - almost all center electrode, BTW. Still "ran" but the new plugs brought the MPG up by 1.5 to 2