98LegacyL

I want to thank all of you for your comments and suggestions. I am going to have the timing belt changed as recommended because it probably needs it. I am also going to the cam seals replaced as there is some oil leaking. The cheapest part of the items, the keyway, was the difficult piece to find and I hope to have the car back on the road this week.

Thanks for the advice. Unforunately, I am a work and the car is at the friend's shop, so I can provide pics of the damage. I stopped driving the car once the problem became noticable. From what I saw of the damaged key, it looked as if only the key was smushed. I believe the car is in good shape, no major rust and only a couple dents in the body. This is first major repair to the car in the 5+ years of owning it. So fixing it is a reasonable option and a new car is not. Thanks again. Pittfield is in Western MA near Albany, NY.

Hello, I have read these forums for a long time and need advice regarding my 98 Legacy L. It has the 2.2L engine with about 174K miles on it. Recently, the harmonic balancer (crankshaft pulley) went bad and I had a friend (also a mechanic) help replace it. When he took it off the pulley, the part underneath had been damaged. I do not know the name of the part, but it has the key that the pulley bolts up to. I have not replaced the timing belts since I have owned the car, purchased with 100K miles, and I am not sure if all the items he is recommending should be changed. Can you let me know what items need to be changed when the timing cover is removed? The car has been running fine up until the pulley went bad and I only drove it about 20 miles to get home. I apprecate any advice that you can give.