VolvoMatt

Pretty sure I got it, the hard way. Between filling, running, filling, running, nose raised (easy with lots of steep hills), opening the radiator vent, filling radiator, filling overflow, driving to a neighbor's steep driveway, repeat, squeeze upper rad hose... etc, etc. I think in the end, I got it over-filled. I'll keep an eye on that, but otherwise, no leaks, heater seems to be 100%. Perhaps better than before this project even.

Fascinating. And thanks for the advice! Very first thing I did was drain the coolant. It was low, and I knew that in advance. But never bothered to top it up, knowing the upcoming project. Upon completing the project, of course, last thing to do was add that coolant back in (clean before, clean after). At first, it wouldn't take all that I'd drained. Ran the car for a spell. Added the remainder. Still no heat. Topped it off yet again, took a short drive (including steep ups and downs, as that's how the road here are). For about 15 seconds, I started getting good heat from the vents. Then back down hill, heat went away again. That's the curious part to me. I'll get it figured out, and really do appreciate everybody's replies throughout this project. I do love learning new things, taking on new tasks. But man, I sure don't like going in blind. Thanks for the eyes! -Matt

I just (yesterday and today) the belt, idlers, water pump on our perfectly good running '92 Legacy. Why? Peace of mind. The car came with zero service history. Better safe than sorry. As said, you pull the drivers side cover, you'll be able to get an idea if it's been done (turn the engine over and look for a non-Subaru mark on the belt, and look for cracks.) Suffice to say, I've learned plenty in the last two days. I'd never done the job before on a Subaru. The shaking engine you feel is not caused by the timing belt. Unless it skipped a tooth, but I'd say that's unlikely. Timing belt is generally an all or nothing deal. it works fine, or you're dead in the water. Head gaskets, compression... good things to look into. As said, if that needs done, do it all at once.

The gasket that came with the pump seemed better than paper, but definitely less than stamped metal. In any event, the project is done. I ended up using a very thin smear of sealant on both sides of that gasket. No sign of leaks. Only problem with the belt was getting the idlers in place with the belt aligned. Not knowing the order of operations, it seemed that getting belt aligned, then around the water pump, then get the toothed idler on, then the other low smooth idler last. That toothed one was a bit of a bear, but I got it. Any hints on bleeding the cooling system? Upon completion, I refilled the radiator first, then the overflow tank, then radiator again.. Is it just a matter of running it and keep topping of off until it's happy?

Thanks all! I feel much better now The old belt was definitely not the original.. It has NAPA printed on it. Not sure about about the idlers (SKF is what came out, I think) or the water pump. I suppose I should be prepared to do timing belt on the road, if only to insure that I don't need to I figure it's less likely to fail though at steady highway speeds. It's just the proximity to home that worries me. And no, I considered doing seals, but... A) they aren't leaking, and I don't care if they decide to leak a little (I know, bad for rubber belts, but...) I should have picked up a thermostat, but... eh, not gonna happen.

Is there a way to delete a duplicate post here? Not my normal computer and this guy has an itchy trigger finger

Thanks.. the gasket is what came with the kit. And in the kit were instructions that said apply sealant to both sides. I read that only shortly before I was fixin' to install the gasket dry, as I would normally do. But, a coolant leak there effectively means the whole job all over again. Don't want to do that. I'll not worry about it too much. And if it drips a bit, I don't care. This ain't no trailer queen (but we love her just the same ) Thanks for the reminder on renewing the AAA subscription

Pretty nice weather today, so I decided to tackle the timing belt project that I wanted to do before a ~4000-6000 mile road trip next month. There have been no running issues with the car, but, it's got 185k miles, and zero service history. Belt didn't look bad to me. Attached pics show cracks, but I really had to bend it tight to get those cracks to show. All idler pulleys looked okay too.. little noise, tiny bit of play. Ditto water pump. Said pulleys and water pump are all getting replaced. I hate doing a project like this with the feeling it was unnecessary. Ah well, I suppose peace of mind makes it worth it. Does that belt look all that bad? NAPA brand (still visible) Second, water pump gasket. I forgot to get gasket sealant. And now I'm committed, have no car, and the nearest parts store is nearly 2 hours away. Any thoughts on something that would work in lieu of 'the right stuff'? Bearing grease? Shoe goo? Silicone calk? I can probably get some sealant tomorrow from a neighbor, but alternative ideas would be helpful. Lastly, what other precautionary maintenance stuff might you recommend in advance of a fairly long trip? On other types of cars (Volvos), I generally carry a bunch of spare parts.. fuel pump, distributor, etc. Are the simple things I should carry just in case? Thanks for any and all thoughts!

Thanks! I'd love to see any photo/writeup you know of. I'm an experienced shade tree guy, and the job doesn't scare me in the least, but good to have any and all info going in...

Thanks, both of you! Very good to know!

Hi all. I'm Matt. I'm a Volvo addict. But I need AWD in winter and I don't care for newer Volvos, so I drive a '92 Legacy wagon. My wife and I are planning a trip in about a month, and not knowing maintenance history on this car, I'm thinking it'd be a good idea to do a timing belt/water pump kit before we go. Normally, not a part I'd skimp on, but OEM seems awful expensive. I can get aftermarket for about $150 (Rockauto), and it seems the sky is the limit. Any recommendations on brands for this specific kit? Or more importantly, brands to absolutely avoid? Thanks in advance for any tips! Matt