ColoradoExile

I just used the Gates kit on my '99 Outback with 186k miles this past weekend. Hopefully it will last well. A word to the wise, be sure to replace the tensioner and ALL of the idlers. I had the kit on hand waiting for a convenient time to do the job, but fate intervened. The bearings in the geared idler wheel overheated and popped off the ball bearing cover (a ring of plastic covered metal), which then got caught in the timing belt and caused the right-side cams to go out of time (P0301 and P0303 codes).

Thanks to all. Purchased a couple of washers and everything seems to line up fine now.

Correct, Fairfax. The two bolts that secure the tensioner to the bracket would not thread in all the way. They do have 12 mm heads and I am certain that they were the ones that were in there originally. Thank you Rooster for your reply. The bolt and nut you refer to worked fine. It's the two bolts that secure the whole tensioner assembly to the block that don't screw in all the way.

As part of my timing belt change on my '99 outback 2.5 DOHC (discussed in another posting), I had to remove the tensioner for the belt that drives the A/C compressor. When I put the car back together, I noticed that the two bolts that hold this tensioner to the block did not screw all the way in (short by about .5 cm), leaving the tensioner a bit loose. I know they are the correct bolts since immediately when I removed the tensioner I put the bolts back in their holes on the block. I tried swapping the two bolts for one another but that didn't help. When I put the belt on and put it under tension, it seemed to lock it in. Still, this does not seem correct. Has anyone else had this problem? Are there some washers behind the tensioner that I didn't know about and dropped?

Well, John and Fairfax nailed it. When I moved the airbox to change the passenger side spark plugs, I must have inadvertently dislodged that hose that John references. Plugged it in and now, with the new plugs, coil, timing belt and idlers, it runs like a top and MUCH quieter. I can't thank you guys enough.

Thank you, John. I wil check that out. ALso, as a Newbie, I didn't see Fairfax' name, but thank you Fairfax. I will check out all of your suggestions.

Thank you, Sooberoo. I tried to remove the big airbox to clean it but couldn't figure out how to remove it. Any suggestions?

I have a '99 Outback with about 186k that I bought for the kids. My daughter complained about it running rougher than usual at idle. I picked it up from her school and she was right! It tripped P0301 and P0303 codes (misfire on 1 & 3). I was able to limp home with it. Here's what I have done so far: 1. Changed plugs and wires 2. Changed Coil and Air Cleaner After doing this, I tried the car. It kept stalling (see detailed description below). I was able (barely by giving it lots of gas) to get it the 20 feet into my garage so I could work on it out of the rain, but that's about it). 3. Changed timing belt, hydraulic tensioner and all idlers (see below, they were past their expiration date) 4. Changed water pump (well, I figured since I was in there anyway...) 5. Changed upper and lower radiator hoses and thermostat (again, since I was there..) 6. Changed alternator/PS belt and AC compressor belt, as well as idler on the AC belt tensioner (after all, my kids are driving it...) So, here's where the story gets interesting. When I opened the timing belt cover, I found a rubber-covered metal ring floating around in the sprockets. It ends up it is the ball-bearing cover on the idler wheel that has the teeth (don't know the technical term for this). So, clearly that idler was fubar and it's a fair assumption that this foreign body probably caused the timing belt to skip, resulting in the misfires. I put the car together and started it up. It started right away, sounded smooth, revved up to about 1500 RPM, and then died. Thinking that maybe the computer needed to relearn the idle, I disconnected the battery for a minute or so and then turned the ignition on for a minute or so, and then started it up. Some thing. No CEL and no codes came up, but it just doesn't run. If I give the car lots of gas, I can keep it running, but it tries to die every few seconds and I need to pump the throttle to keep it running. Don't think that I can move it like this, since every time I try to shift it into gear, it will stall. Suggestions are welcome! Thank you.