Subaru Scott

Late 70's, early 80's GM thought it would be cool to provide these collapsable, inflatable spares with an air canister to fill it. Thereby advertising 1/2 foot more cubic trunk space. Probably all dry-rotted by now, if you could even find one... never mind. Tailgate mount or roof basket would be cooler anyway

Has anybody ever purposely used it... ever?

Spray penetrating oil on the cover bolts asap, try to get them from the back where the nuts are. A sharp rap is what you want to break them loose. Just trying to turn them will twist the nuts out of the back covers. Use a wrench, preferably a 6-point, (good luck finding those btw. probably have to order online. Don't get me started about 6-point wrench availability ) hold it firmly on the bolt head, and hit it with a small hammer to break loose. If it's too rusted and it strips the nut anyway, get a big screwdriver between the covers as close to the stuck bolt as possible without damaging the covers, and gently pry them apart while at the same time twisting the bolt. The nut will pull out of the rear cover, and you can assemble the same way, twisting the bolt while pinching the covers together with channel locks. This can be done a few times before the hole in the back cover is too loose to hold it anymore, then just use zipties like idosubaru sez. The little tensioner springs are NOT strong enough to put proper tension on the belt! The factory procedure involves preloading with a torque wrench and special tool on the cam sprocket. After doing 100 or so like that, I got a pretty good feel for the proper tension. For the passenger side belt, you want to push up on the tensioner pulley with your left thumb about as firmly as you can without hurting yourself while you tighten the bolts with your right. For the drivers side, you want to pry down on the tensioner pulley with a big screwdriver. Not much pressure, really just about the weight of your arm hanging on it, where you just see the belt straighten out nicely, then lock it down. Don't try to be a hero on the tensioner hold-down bolts, you will strip them. just firmly snug up with a 3/8 ratchet. The access holes in the cover for re-tensioning the belts was wishful thinking on Subarus part, and they admitted that early on. Depending on the position of the engine, you can actually make the belts looser than before. In an extreme case, if you've got the "clack-clack-clack" of super loose belts and really don't have time to do it right, you can usually shut them up by re-tensioning through the holes, just don't leave home without your tools and a new set of belts...

Power washer.

So, the crank and l. cam were lined up on the marks when you took the covers off?

"Rod knocking," that's the sound of a collapsed newer style tensioner. My bet is when you turned it over by hand, is when it skipped. I have seen that can occur, because going that slow, the l. cam has the opportunity to snap forward on the back side of a lobe and throw all the slack at the r. cam.

What year, first or 2nd gen tensioner? I would pull the r. valve cover off and check for carnage in there...

I don't see how that could happen, especially after only 60k. Even if the tensioner completely failed, the drivers side cam, first in line after the tensioner, would surely skip first. If it is a manual and doesn't have the belt guide, then the crank sprocket would have skipped backwards and both cams would still be even.

You would have found, after deeper investigation, that the opposite happened. The valve dropped, because it was over-revved, or the keepers let go, or it seized. THEN the belt skipped a tooth because of the loose spring/retainer or stuck stem jamming the cam. One tooth off will certainly not bury a valve in a piston.

Wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard "I think it jumped time." In all my years, I don't believe I've ever seen an engine that did so and kept running. Even the old american V8s that tried to use nylon coated aluminum cam sprockets (that trick never works), and ended up looking like circular saw blades... That's like saying, "I saw a ghost." There's always a logical explanation. Is it your car? Did you just buy it? Did someone else just work on it? What year? I suppose it might be possible with some of the cheap aftermarket tensioners.

It is normal for the drivers side to feel that way, as it is ramping up on valves where the marks line up. I'm assuming your belt did break? You should assume you do have bent valves if so. You can install the belt and do a compression test to find out for sure. Unplug the fuel pump or injectors while testing. You do NOT want to try and run the engine unless your compression check shows good . Like at LEAST 160 psi in every cylinder. Trying to run the engine risks breaking a valve that is bent, resulting in piston/cylinder damage.

Has to be another source feeding the circuit. Most likely a remote start. If the CEL came on, that indicates the ignition switch IS working. Edit: Ignition relay is sticking.

You just need to use an EJ transmission. I know AWD has its own set of disadvantages too. Too bad we can't have RWD/4WD like trucks. Any EA car with power is horrible to drive with just the front wheels. The front end raises up and the torque-steer is awful. You have to keep a deathgrip on the wheel, and if one side hits a patch of sand, it lunges sideways. Driving is too much work... no fun at all! I used to take the front halfshafts out of my turbo hatch 9 months out of the year back in Indiana, now THAT was FUN!

Sounds like the tires were low. If you had been standing in my driveway on that day, they would have been yours!

I have a true EJ dual-range JDM trans in my daily. Hard to find, but they're out there.

It's not about what we like vs. what you like. The Point Is: There are members in this thread that by their own admission, have never owned an EJ car, and yet, they keep touting the superiority of EA82s. That's like saying, "I love Bud Light, it's the best! Ive never tried a Sam Adams, but it couldn't possibly be better." Or going to a barbecue and eating hot dogs because the bratwurst look "too complicated," It's not about being "right," it's about helping those who don't know any better because you've never tried. I used to love EA82s too. But the day I drove my first Legacy home, I GAVE AWAY my 3 Loyales and a whole barn full of EA82 engines, transmissions, etc. YES, they are THAT much better!

Well, that would explain the problem in reverse, but not in forward on sharp left turn. You have another problem. Remove your wheels and check your brakes. If you have a pad worn so thin that it's about to spit out, you're about to trash a caliper. And that may end up being the least of your worries...

Following. Still trying to sift through major renovations of the 07 Tribeca I just picked up. But I know eventually, I will need to deal with this because, at least where I live, no one would want to steal it anyway. And I'm just fine with a key. never had no car with no "security system" anyway.

Sounds like you have a brake pad worn so thin, it is slipping out of the caliper mount.

Most standard mufflers are going to be louder than factory. I had a hard time finding one as quiet as stock without running a resonator too. "Turbo" style mufflers, originally developed by GM for the Corvair turbo, by the way, will give a little rumble.

3M Super Weatherstrip adhesive.

So, are you talking about cigarette lighter power ports or USB?

Hey sure! I just did some big holes in 1/4 with a Dewalt 18v with the triple-range gears. Trick is to not overheat the cutting teeth, then you've screwed the pooch!

If you have a decent drill with a low gear, you can cut the holes easier than you might think with a good bi-metal hole saw. Just go slow and use cutting oil. Makes a much nicer hole too.

Here's the setup I did on my XT: Wallyworld basket, 99 bucks. Could have probably found one cheaper, but it was convenient. Cradled in hardware store handles that I bent the feet on to match the roofline. Fastened down with stainless bolts into crimp-in threaded stainless inserts from Northern Tool, where I got the insert tool from as well. Didn't have to remove or butcher the headliner either. Stainless hose clamps hold it down, and it's incredibly strong. Add a hitch-mounted basket on the back, and who needs a truck?