turbofiat124

OK, got my parts the other day. It always takes forever to get stuff from Washington State or the west coast for that matter. But I took you guys advice and bought the good parts. I've been waiting for my long weekend (seven days off) to roll around before jumping into this. And not having my 7 year old daughter around to distract me while she is in school. Not that it will actually take me seven days to do this, but since this is my first Subaru timing belt, I won't be as fast at it like someone who has done this several times. I just want to take my time and not screw it up. I bought the Mitsoboshi belt but haven't really looked at it closely. I didn't realize it until I watched this video that there are marks on the belt that align with the crankshaft sprocket and the cam pulleys. So I guess that makes aligning these pulleys more fool proof. I was concerned trying to see these pulleys with the engine on the car might be a challenge. This guy uses a side view mirror in one of his other videos. Thank God my Baja has the SOHC engine and not the DOHC!

Thanks guys. This is the first boxer engine I've done at timing belt on so I just assumed the crankshaft aligned with the mark it was #1 piston at TDC.

Getting back to replacing the timing belt. I contacted SixParts about adding a waterpump to this kit so he sent me an invoice. I got a new waterpump, idler pulleys, belt tensioner and timing belt on their way. These are all AISIA parts. I downloaded the Subaru manual for my model. I hate to say it but the Chilton's manual has better illustrations! I read both to get an understanding but will go by the Subaru manual. I just wanted a heads up on a few things. 1) First remove the AC and drive belts first. That's straight forward. I might as well replace those belts while I'm at it. 2) It does look like the crankshaft pulley has the be removed before the outer covers can be removed. No big deal. Or shouldn't be... 3) Put the crankshaft pulley back on and rotate the engine over to TDC, then make reference marks on the cam pulleys and crankshaft pulley in relationship with marks on the inner cover. 4) Looking at the supplied parts, I just have to remove the bolts, replace these and torque them. The only tool I don't have to do this job is the crankshaft pulley holder. I should be able to find one of those cheap at one of the parts stores. I actually have one of those Vice Grips locking chain devices but haven't had much luck using it in the past on other things. 5) Taking tension off the timing belt. The Subaru manual says to remove the two idler pulleys and this will take the tension off the belt and it will slip off? So I don't have to actually mess with the automatic belt tensioner? 6) Installing the new belt: My assumption is: a) remove and replace the automatic belt tensioner b) Slip the belt on over the camshaft and crankshaft pulleys. Noting the number of teeth on the belt in relationship to the cogged idler pulley (2 teeth) and camshaft pulleys. c) Install the smooth idler pulleys d) once the new idler pulleys, automatic belt tensioner are installed, make sure all the reference marks are still aligned then pull the pin out of the automatic belt adjuster and this will set the belt tension. Then rotate the engine over a couple of times to make sure all the marks align. Does all of that sound correct? I hope I don't sound like I don't know what I am doing. I have installed timing belts before on my Fiats, just not on a Subaru. But doesn't sound too hard, just different. Not worth the $800 the dealership wanted.

Sorry , I thought I posted the link but I guess not. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F254095461800 I've only had it in for about a month. It might crap out in a year.

I installed this Android based radio the other day. I use my phone as a mobile hotspot for the WI-FI. GPS works great. Only thing is it lacks some functions a phone has so I can't use some apps like a inclinemeter. I've been trying to get one of those OBD II readers to communicate with the Bluetooth like Torque but so far no luck. I had to do some drilling on the factory bracket to mount the radio. I thought it required a 2DIN adapter. Aparantly this type of radio may not actually "fit" a 2003 model's factory bracket. Because the car is rather old. I had to shave the fins off the cubby hole a bit . It looks a bit squashed.

I hate to talk about this POS Neon but your saying there might be a possibility the belt just jumped a tooth? I haven't pulled the cover off to even see.

Mine had 59,700 miles on it and I replaced it on 4/25/10. I keep a record of everything I do to my cars. Even stuff like wiper blades. I caught mine pretty quick. I just got home pulling a rider mower on a 4X8 trailer and when I got home there was smoke in front of the headlights and this pungent odor. It slung grease allover the exhaust. I had to wipe it off by hand with a rag soked in kerosene. I wondered if towing had something to do with it. I didn't have the wagon overloaded. I've hauled heavier stuff in the bed.

Thanks for the link to the shop manual. I downloaded it. So far the Chilton's manual hasn't let me down. They are much better than Haynes. One was pulling the axle to replace the passenger inner CV joint boot which busted. Weird, never had an inner joint bust. It's usually the outer boots that bust on most cars. Also noted to use two 8mm bolts in the threaded holes in the rotor to push the rotor off the hub which was seized. I saw the threaded holes but didn't click that was their purpose but did the job. Clever on Subaru's part. I once had to rent a 9" gear puller to remove a stuck rotor on a Fiat Spider. BTW. I bought this car new two weeks before Christmas in 2002. It's been a great car. Mine is a 5 speed. Other than the CV joint boot all I've had go wrong was an O2 sensor. I've done all the maintenance on it. Other repairs: I'm on my third battery, third set of tires and just replaced the front and rear brake pads and front rotors which seems warped. And flushed the brake fluid. I didn't replace or turn the rears. I wanted to see if just replacing the front rotors would get rid of the shimmy under braking which it did.

One reason I asked about the crankshaft gear was some guy in YouTube was showing how to do a timing belt swap on a 2.5 sohc engine and he was removing the crankshaft pulley but I think he was changing the seal. I haven't watched the whole video. I'm going to consult my Chilton's manual but if I run into any snags I'll ask. I'll take my time at it.

Thanks. I want to play it safe and replace anything that might lock up and snap the belt. I plan on keeping this car for awhile. One thing that really got me thinking about replacing the T-belt was I bought a 2001 Dodge Neon with 200,000 miles on it for my stepson and before I got a chance to change the T-belt it snapped. Or at least I think that's what happened. When the motor spins over it speeds up and slows down and after watching a YouTube video of an Audi with a snapped T-belt, it's making the same sound. That car is sitting behind my garage right now and I'm not sure what to do about it . Wheather it's worth fixing or not. I just put a brand new clutch in that POS not long ago! Took me several days to do it.

Thanks guys. I think I'll go with sixparts. Since this car will be due for a new belt in 10 years/30,000 miles I could just buy the kit from six parts , replace all the bearing parts (cogs) and water pump and just replace the belt with a Mitsubishi (Mitsuboshi?) brand when due in ten years. Unless the grease in the cog bearings will dry out after 10 years. Do the teeth on the cogs wear out or just the grease dry out inside the bearings? Did someone say the cog behind the crankshaft pulley needs to be replaced? If so why, I would think it would be keyed or whatever and not have a bearing inside it. I have a Chilton's manual so I can read up on it. Not trying to skimp on new parts or wrap this project up hastily. I am mechanically inclined but my time is limited but can't afford to pay someone $800 to do this job if it's something I can do myself. Apples to oranges but I've replaced timing belts on Fiats ( the pre 83 models) and the only two things they say to replace is the belt and the tensioner bearing every 30,000 miles which looks like a front wheel drive wheel bearing. It just slides over a mechanism and is held on with a bolt. Water pump is driven off the V-belt and is easy to get to. The teeth on the cogs don't wear out. They are made of steel. BTW, you can blame FIAT for timing belts. The DOHC engine used in my 124 Spider was the first massed produced engine to use a timing belt as far back as the 1960s. The first car to use one was some German car but was made in limited numbers like 50.

Yeah I was kind of wondering about counterfeit parts. For some reason I thought AISIN was a distributor of factory OEM parts. When I tried to Google AISIN, it pulled up all sorts of websites. Like Summit Racing and Advance Auto for example. I found this kit on Ebay, whether it's an actual Mitsuboshi belt or counterfeit belt. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Timing-Belt-Kit-OEM-1999-2012-Subaru-Baja-Forester-Impreza-Legacy-Outback-21BK/123474541085 Here is one with the water pump: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Timing-Belt-Kit-Water-Pump-for-00-06-Baja-Subaru-Legacy-Outback-SOHC-2-5L-EJ25/173297604420 Replacing the water pump may not be a bad idea while I'm in there since it's driven off the timing belt. I actually had a timing belt driven water pump on an 86 Honda Prelude lock the engine up. It was spitting out metal chips and squeaking before the engine stalled! Luckily it didn't do any damage to the engine. Should I just goto the dealership and buy what I need in order to avoid getting high priced Chinese made counterfeit parts when I can get the same stuff for $50? Since taking the serpentine belt, covers and all that jazz off is most of the work, I might as well replace all those cogs and the waterpump while I'm at it. Can someone point me in the correct direction where to get descent parts?

My 2003 Baja (2.5 liter SOHC non turbo) has around 85,000 miles on it so technically it's not due for a timing belt until around 110,000 miles. But it has the original belt and I've heard it's a good idea to change it with that amount of age on it. And serpentine belt while I'm at it. I'm planning on doing it myself. I definitely don't want to buy the belt and the tensioner from the parts department at the stealership and get raped. I was looking on Ebay and there are tons of brands ranging from different prices. Some kits as low as $60 to $300. Normally when I just buy a car part, I buy the cheapest thing I can find and very seldom have I ever had any issues but since this is a timing belt and my engine is an interference engine I thought it would be a good idea to ask. Can someone recommend a good quality belt and tensioner? I'm sure Subaru doesn't make their own belts. Also some of these kits come with a waterpump, cam and crankshaft seals. I have not pulled the timing belt cover off but is it really worth the effort to replace all that stuff (just while your in there) if none of that is leaking? I realize the waterpump is driven off the timing belt but is it set in stone these waterpumps give up the ghost every 100,000 miles? As well as the oil seals? Not trying to be cheap but just practical. Just looking for some advice from you guys who have worked on these engines.

2003 Baja: My AC is not working. I stuck a temperature probe in the vent and it's not cooling at all. It was working last fall. My guages seems to indicate the system has lost all it's refrigerant. The engine rpms drop a bit when the AC button is pressed. I believe it's just the fans kicking on. Due to the serpentine belt cover I can't tell if the compressor clutch is engaging. I hooked up a set of guages and turned the AC on. The low side is zero. I think the high side was 100 lbs . I tried adding a can of R134a but the compressor won't take it. I turned the can upside down BTW. I tried one of those simple tools that has just an inline guage. Still nothing. I'm thinking the low pressure switch on the receiver/dryer is not allowing the compressor to kick on and that's why I can't add refrigerant to the system. So do I need to jumper the connectors with a paper clip before I can add refrigerant or should the system take it otherwise?

We got hit by the "Finger of God" here in the southeast. On average we get one good 6 inch snowstorm per year. Last significant snow we got before Christmas was back in 2009 and like this storm, it was one big slushy wet mess. This one measures 1 foot at my house. Power knocked out in places. Cedar trees split down the middle out in the field. Half of a Magnolia tree in my yard is broken off. I've got my work cut out for me once this stuff melts. This morning after I got home, I could hear tree branches breaking off in the distance. By this morning we had about 6 inches. By the time I woke out after 3:00 pm, we had one foot. About an hour before heading off to work, I wanted to make sure I could pull away from my garage. I couldn't see the driveway and backed off the pavement and into the grass. I made it up my driveway that morning without issues but the roads were a bit dodgy. I tried digging myself out to no avail and gave up after 45 minutes. I think I wore about 2000 miles off the tires spinning out! I think one issue was the snow was packed underneath the car. I called my co-worker who is also my neighbor and he was kind enough to give me a ride to work. This is the ONLY time I have ever gotten stuck in my Subaru. Back in the winter of 2009 when he got that snowstorm, I was out behind my garage doing doughnuts and never got stuck. But the difference is that snow was dry and frozen. Incidentally those tires are the same tires I replaced in 2007. So they are now 11 years old but still have plenty of tread left on them. The rubber does not feel hard. I felt like my Subaru had let me down then then seen two Bajas abandoned within 1 mile of my house, so after seeing that I didn't feel so bad. So here is the question. Can you run snow tires year round? I only drive my Subaru from November to April. The rest of the time it sits in the garage and I'm out driving one of my classic cars. Also what's a good snow tire since there are tons of brands on the market. What about these Yokohamas? https://www.summitracing.com/parts/YOK-02076?seid=srese1&cm_mmc=pla-google-_-shopping-_-srese1-_-Yokohama-Tires&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImeri-NKU3wIV1sDICh39gAHnEAkYAiABEgL2WvD_BwE They are a "brand" tire name. Despite being $49 a set. Are they any good? Also since I probably need to replace my tires more often, I could care less if I get 10,000 miles out of set. It would take me about 10 years to wear a set of tires out, at that rate.

Well, Subaru made them for about 8 years according to Wikipedia which was twice as long as the Baja. Maybe the Baja just stands out more because the Tribeca looks just your average crossover vehicle.

I see more Bajas still knocking around but seldom do I ever see a Tribeca. They obviously did not sell many in East Tennessee. Wonder where most of them were sold?

I agree, stay away from dealerships. One make I will NOT work on other than oil changes and brakes are Nissans. I know a guy who used to work for the Nissan dealership who runs his own shop and he only fixes what's wrong with the car. He might suggest something but not try to sell you a bunch of "preventative maintenance" items like the dealerships do. The local Subaru dealership around here acts like they still own the car! I don't know if this is all Subaru dealerships or just the local one. I took my 2003 Baja in to the dealership summer of 2017 to have the faulty air bag checked and before I left the service manager tried to talk me into what I suspect would be over $2000 worth of work. They told me I needed new tires, new battery, brake pads, wiper blades, timing belt, coolant flush, transmission and differential fluid changed, brake fluid changed. I guess because I have done all of this stuff myself and it's not showing up in Subaru's computer so they assume none of this stuff has ever been done to it. I might agree with the timing belt since if it breaks can do major damage because the car is 15 years old yet even though it only has 80,000 miles on it. I asked him how much would that cost and he said $800. I can buy the parts from Advance Auto for around $200 and do it myself! I'm like, "Why don't I just replace the entire car?" I do almost all my own maintenance on my vehicles unless it's something like a front end alignment. I informed him I already done everything he quoted me and keep a record on my Google Drive of what I do even if it's minimal. I pointed out at one time I had removed the calipers on one side and measured the friction material off the pads compared to some new ones and they were half worn at around 68,000 miles and there was no way they were worn out at 78,000 miles. It seems these dealerships really try to sell people on "preventative maintenance". OH you wouldn't want your battery to go dead at the wrong time? I have AAA if anything happens. I mean, yeah changing your oil is a good idea but most of the time, why replace something if it's not broken? Here is a list of what I have done to my Subaru. I started keeping these records about 10 years old. So yes the car has had several oil changes before 56,000 miles. Looks a bit crooked because I copied and pasted it. 2003 Subaru Baja Oil drain plug : 17mm Trans drain plug : 21mm Filter: Purolator L14460 Oil Capacity : 4.2 quarts / 4 liters (5W/30) Trans : 3.7 quarts (75W/90) Diff : .8 quarts (80W/90) Tire pressure : 30 PSI Wheel torque : 65 ft lbs Lug nut : 19mm Wiper blades : Rain-X Expert Fit : C20-4 (pass) C-22-4 (driver) Coolant capacity: 7.2 quarts (13 mm allen head bolt, near oil filter, engine block drain) (Phillips head screwdriver, passenger side, radiator drain) Spark plug : 5/8" (16mm) , Plug Gap: .040" New pad thickness: Front: 10mm , Rear 8mm Item Mileage Date Recommended Mileage ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Tires : 45,265 11/13/07 Changed oil @ : 56,000 Unknown 60,000 New O2 sensor : 59,344 03/02/10 xxxxxxx New IFPS CV joint boot : 59,760 04/25/10 xxxxxxx Changed oil @ : 60,130 05/11/10 64,000 New spark plugs : """""" 05/11/10 90,000 Changed oil @ : 64,300 08/01/11 68,300 Changed oil @ : 67.800 12/31/12 72,000 Checked brake pads : 67,800 12/31/12 Front: .55 mm , rear: .4mm Changed oil @ : 71,000 01/15/13 75,000 Changed fuel filter : 73,000 07/03/14 Changed oil @ filter : 75,000 02/02/15 79,000 Cleaned air filter : 75,000 02/02/15 90,000 Changed trans/diff oil : 75,600 04/25/15 100,000 Rotated tires @ : 75,600 04/25/15 83,100 New wiper blades : 78,000 11/09/16 ------- Changed oil @ : 79,000 04/27/17 84,000 Changed coolant : 80,600 04/24/18

I'm starting to break out onto another subject but since you mentioned it. Actually I've been wanting to install some springs from a Legacy GT sport wagon to drop the ride height a couple of inches instead of jacking it up. https://dxsdcl7y7vn9x.cloudfront.net/3/547638/10368305/886319025.jpg They only thing is, nobody seems to know if just swapping the springs is going to drop the ride height or I need to swap out the entire strut assemblies. I'd be POed if I spent my time swapping the springs only to find out the didn't give me the drop I was wanting. All I wanted to know what was a safe load limit for the bed to gain some traction in the snow. The car does fine in the snow but there are some really steep hills around here and usually when I get going up a hill I don't stop. Not even for people with 2WD pickups spinning their wheels going nowhere. I usually just pass them . That is if there is nobody in the opposite lane.

Sorry for the late reply. I wanted to attach some photos but it took me awhile to find them. A couple of years ago I went to Wal-Mart and bought some mulch. The bags did not indicate the weight but square footage they covered. That would have been a big help to know that before hand. I told the cashier, give me X number bags. Estimating how many I could fit in the bed. While the guy in the parking lot was helping me load the bed, I noticed the rear end starting to sag and bit. I said, "WOW that stuff weighs more than I thought". I was going to go back in and tell the cashier I think I purchased too many bags and to get a refund and come back to get the rest but figured since I only had 3 miles to go home, I would take it easy. The back end was a bit unstable but nothing seemed to rub otherwise. Out of curiosity I did get my bathroom scale and stand on it while holding a bag. I wish I could remember how much each bad weighed. That might give me an idea how much weight I could put in the back. From the photo, it looks like I bought at least 12 or 14 bags. I'm wanting to say they weigh 40 lbs a piece so that would be at least 480 lbs to 640 lbs. I've got tons of those metal 5 gallon cans. I considering just filling them with water instead of oil. Only thing is water expands when it freezes. I guess I could subtract 9% which is the expansion rate of water. Or just fill it up and leave the lids off.

My 2002 Baja has been a good car but it seems the ventilation gasket material is breaking down. What do I mean? When the heater is, I can still feel a slight bit of air leaking from the dash and defroster vents. Like the foam rubber gasket material around these flaps is breaking down causing leaks. Not too big of a deal as long as the heater and A/C still work but I guess from years of having to manually open and close the dash vent on the driver's side has caused an annoying side effect. When the heater is on and this vent is closed, it creates an annoying whistle. The one on the passenger side does not do this because it's seldom opened/closed. I can manipulate the tone of the whistle by opening the vent. Eventually I find a sweet spot to where the whistle goes away. I just point the vent toward the window. I'm wondering if the insulation has come loose or can be replaced. This whistle does not occur on defrost mode. Just when the heater is on. Not sure about the AC because I always keep this vent open anyway. Can this vent be popped out without having to remove the dash or instrument cluster? Before I start prying on it with a screwdriver?

For some strange reason this forum recognizes my user name but not my email address which I normally use on forums and I can't recover my password. Unless I signed up using my work address years ago. I just hadn't logged on in a couple of months. A few years ago I had 100 lbs of chicken feed in the bed of my Baja and my steep driveway was a bit slushy from where it had rained on top of snow and it seemed as if the car had more traction. I know you can weigh down the trunk/bed of a RWD car/truck but I guess this works on AWD vehicles as well. I was planning on filling some 5 gallon metal cans with used motor oil and using that as ballast. I estimated at 8 lbs per gallon, I could fill 6 which would equal around 240 lbs. I'm confused about the payload capacity. The door jam sticker says the maximum payload capacity is 800 lbs. So does that mean if I weigh 150 lbs, I can put 650 lbs in the bed? But according to the sticker below it shows 4 people and 3 packages and 210 in the front and 230 lbs in the rear. Suggestions?