WAWalker

Frag, My replies had nothing to do with the TDC argument. It is not relavant to the question asked. Question was. Question was awnsered. When replaceing a SUBARU timing belt TDC is irrelavant. There is a reason why Subaru did what they did. Any Subaru repair info that you read, be it a FSM or info published in The End Wrench, will tell you, and provide you with pictures of which timing marks are meant to be used when replacing the timing belt. They are not the marks that line up when #1 is at top dead center. That is FACT and not my opinion. Other sources, i.e. Haynse and Chilton, and any others you have read that say to set #1 at TDC when replacing a SUBARU timing belt are wrong simply because that is not the way that SUBARU desinged it to be done. SUBARU engines were designed so that when the proper timing marks are lined up when replacing the timing belt all pistons will be midway down the cylinder. So............ if the cams need to be rotated there will be no chance of valve to pistion contact. It would seem that you were questioning where the pistions are when the proper marks are alignend. There are two sets of marks so I can understand the missunderstanding there. But for a first timers doing there first timing belt it could be critical for them to have the proper marks aligned to avoid unwanted and expensive engine damage. This is why I do not post my opinion in responses to technical questions. If someone is asking a question about replacing there timing belt, they need facts not opinions. Finally, I did not mean to talk down to anyone, and if it seemed that way I apologize.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/data/500/3702_2L_005-thumb.jpg

All your reference materials are generalized, and mostly biased toward American made cars. You are reading these and taking the info as gospel, big mistake. I take no personal offense, but I feel for the people who are relying on this fourm for correct info to repair their cars. Try this. http://endwrench.com/main.php?smPID=PHP::article_detail.php&&RECID=171 And this. http://endwrench.com/main.php?smPID=PHP::article_detail.php&&RECID=184

I can provide pictures.

No, not beating a dead horse. Just trieing to clear up some of the bad information floating around here. There is a rash of it. Sadly some of it is comeing from repair manuals that people are paying money for.:-\

Did you pull #1 plug to put it an TDC compression? Or are you assuming that #1 is at TDC when you align the marks. I work on Subarus 5-6 days a week. Have done many many timing belts, head gaskets..................I know where the pistons are at when the timing marks are lined up.

I wouldn't see a problem with doing it in the car. This of course would be up to the preson you find to do the welding. I rump roast u me ing your not doing the welding yourself. You may want to think about having it welded sooner rather than later. If this patch job fails, the damage may make another repair impossible.

Let me throw a monkey wrench into this discussion. Since this is a Subaru fourm and I assume this was started with a Subaru related question................You don't want to find TDC of anything when replacing a Subaru timing belt. When all the timing marks are lined up (in the 12 o'clock possition on an EJ engine) all four pistons at are in the middle of their stroke. You should NEVER just pull an old belt off and then rotate the engine and or cams to line up the timing marks. The timing marks should be lined up before removing the belt. The marks on a timing belt will not line up again after rotating the engine. But the timing marks on the crank sprocket and cam always will. You should rotate the engine by hand after a timing belt install to make sure these marks line up before starting the engine.

The VC's in 5MT's do go bad. When they fail they usually lock up. Also a failing VC will, for whatever reason, destroy the rear diff if driven long distance. Causes the diff to heat up, have seen the rubber mounting bushings on the rear diff melt from this.

The info from Alldata DIY web site is STRAIGHT out of the FSM. Well worth the money. As long as you have one subscription the next is only $14.95. Chilton maunals cover a broad range of years and therefore the useful information is limited. Haynes seems to be a little better.

The scheduled maintenance is "Preventative checks and maintenance". That means fixing things that are not broken, in order to prevent inconveniant break downs. If you only want to fix a broken car, drive it till it brakes, have it towed, and repaired. Forget the Scheduled maintenace. There are a lot of people on the "information super highway" that fell this way. I'm sure if you all put your heads together and figure out how a shop owner could pay the overhead of running a repair shop and not have to charge for time spent on customers cars, you would be highly sought after buisness consaltants.

Still nothing backing the pully on the top side. Keep in mind the the timing belt load is pulling upward on that pully. Can't weld steel to aluminum.

So you don't have the missing piece?

Very good deal. May need a hood latch cable, they are cheap.

No, I don't think that would be the best idea. If it is off just a little, you will be eating timing belts.

Would take a lot of force or a defective casting for that to happen. Is the peice of aluminum you found in the timing cover the piece that is missing in the picture? Or did the missing piece from the pic brake of when you took the bolt out. I would think that if that large of a piece of metal was floating around in there with the engine running it would have done some other damage. Can't tell by the pic if it is a fresh brake. If you have the entire piece that is broken out of the block and can fit it back in place and have it welded, you could then drill and Heli-coil the bolt hole if need be. JB weld isn't going to do anything for you. To much load on that bolt, JB will never hold.

They all have the pickup screen in the pan. There were problems with early transmissions, and Subaru issued the retrofit filter in order to prolong the life of the transmissions. They changed whatever was causing the problems in I believe MY 94 so that the extra filter was no longer needed. All I'm saying is if you feel the need you could probably install one on a later car. It is unessasary though.

That car has probably been wrecked. There was never a stud in that location. Someone has cobbled that together. You would need the missing peice of the block to be welded back into place in order to have a chance of fixing that.

Brake rotors are warped. Either the rotors were not resurfaced when brake job was done. Or they were machined below min. thikness. Or the pads are not good quality. Or any combination of the above.

I have heard something about the axles causing this shake also. Don't know the details on this though. I do know that they changed the DOJ. Not sure what MY the new axle were first installed in, but I know that 2000 on have the new DOJ. My wife had a 2003 Legacy SE, auto trans. Purcased brand new, it had the same shake. There are addatives that are supposed to reduce torque converter shudder, but I have never used them. If they work like the addatives that people claim to fix transfer clutch bind..............I would be scepitcal.

No filter. There is a screen in the pan, that doesn't need to be seviced. You could put the early Legacy ATF filter retrofit kit on if you really want one.

If the cars in question have automatic transmissions, the shaking is likely torque converter sutter. Subaru motor mounts are not a high failure item. '91 mounts wont fit a '96.

A loose crank pully isn't going to bend your crank. It will round off the end of the crank, damage the keyway, and timing belt drive sproket. And if driven long enough take out the thrust bearings. If the keyway will still hold a key it can be fixed. Just throwing new parts on isn't always going to be a permenant fix depending on how bad the crank is worn on the end were the crank pully rides. And the timing belt sproket will need to be replaced. I make a repair kit that will keep the crank sproket centered and spinning true so that this problem dosen't come back to bite you. As long as the crank bolt is properly torqued when installed. Improper torque on the crank bolt is the root cause of this problem.

TB is caused by a mechanical defect. Friction modifiers are only a bandaid. Lube Guard is good if that's the way you want to go.

The numbers and letters, top center of engine block, that you are thinking are s/n's are not. The numbers are rod and main bearing sizes. The letters are piston sizes. MY '95 is the year they went to roller rockers, but retained hydraulic lifters. MY '97 is the year they revamped the pistons. And also went to adjustable valves (no hydraulic lifters). MY '99 is when the Phase II 2.2L engine was introduced in some modles. This is the engine with the spark plugs going through the valve covers. Looks same as the SOHC 2.5L from MY '00-.