Bigbusa

here's my $931 ebay subie. 96 obs with 180k miles. After $460 of new parts she's a solid runner and should be a keeper.

On my 96 2.2L the drivers side was a bit of a bit&ch because the most rearward bolt is real close to the cars frame. I used a 10 mm wrench on this one and a socket ratchet combo on the others. Be ready to get your arms all greasy if you don't wear a long sleeve shirt! I found it pretty easy to remove the valve covers without removing anything else... even the spark plug wires. It looks like everything is in the way but it isn't. If you leave the oil filler spout on, you can use it as a handle to help you guide the cover out and then back in without any problems. Another big time saver for me was... The breather hoses on the valve covers wouldn't come off easily. They were sort of grown onto the metal spouts on the valve covers and they're kind of hard to get at. I'm sure I could have got them off with enough time & effort. I found that the other end of the breather hoses both connect to a plastic T fitting (located in the back, top area of the engine) and will slide right off with a slight tug. Then just remove the valve covers with the hoses attached. Install them the same way. My parts came in the master timing belt kit from ebay seller theimportexperts . I only have about 50 miles on the repairs but so far so good!

thanks - yours came out nice!

Your wagon looks awesome! I just picked up a 96 like yours and it's sitting low. With 180k miles, the shocks are definitely shot. I'd love to raise it up like yours. Can you tell me exactly what I need to buy to do it? What year and model forester should I get the struts from? Are the parts "bolt on" or do I need to do any modifications to make them fit? What should I expect to pay for the 4 strut assemblies from a junk yard? thanks for your advice! -Don My car.

I'd never done a timing belt before so I used the online 4 page .pdf "endwrench" directions. It says, If the marks on the old belt are worn off, mark new lines on the old belt before removing it. That made no sense to me. The whole emphasis on the timing belt marks in general seems like a waste of time and extra worry. They should just say ... make sure all 3 pulley marks are lined up on the engine before installing timing belt. Why even have the marks on the belt? I'm annoyed because I wasted a bunch of time and effort racking my brain trying to get the marks to line up when in reality, the belt marks don't mean anything. Here's my $931 outback

I just picked up a 96 outback impreza on ebay. 180k miles. It needed some work but I got a good deal on it. I put in a "master timing belt kit" that included all the idlers, seals, water pump, belts and valve cover gaskets. Used radiator and some other stuff. When I got the timing belt covers off I noticed that the marks on the current timing belt didn't line up with the marks on the cam and crank pulleys like everyone says they MUST. When installing the new belt I absolutely could not get the marks on the belt to line up with the marks on the pulleys. No matter what I did. I even turned the belt around and installed it that way but still, no go. I was able to get the marks to line up on both camshaft pulleys but the belt mark on the crank was off about 4 teeth to the left. With the belt in my hand I counted the number of teeth between each mark and it was 40.5 and 44 like it's supposed to be. I figured if I'm off by 4 teeth maybe the belt is on backwards. I switched it and still couldn't get the marks to line up. The new belt did not have directional arrows on it so I assumed that it should be installed with the writing right side up not upside down... if that makes sense to anyone. I got thinking about it and realized it really shouldn't matter how the belt is put on as long as the cam and crank pulley marks are lined up with their marks. The car runs fine with the new parts installed but I'm wondering why the marks wouldn't line up.

thanks guys! Here's another pic for those who couldn't see the 1st one.

Hey people ...The waterpump on my brat is toast. It's leaking and making that rattling noise. I do not have a repair manual and was wondering if there's anything I need to know before I dig into this job? Here's my big boy.