Replaced the timing belt on '98 Subaru Outback Legacy w/ 100K. Followed a Chilton's manual. Ensured sprockets were marked. While I had the timing belt off, I replaced the water pump too. Installed new timing belt..ensuring marks were w/in a few mm of viewing slot on cover. Reinstalled everything else and now it will not start. Engine is turning over very rough while starter is engaged. Any suggestions before I bite the bullet and have it towed to the dealer?

you may have used the wrong marks to time the engine, this is very common. do not use the arrows, always the hash marks. the crank may be off even if the cams are right.

 

links to good help just below in my signature, especially the one with pics, see page 2.

 

good luck.

The dohc is a little tricky to get all the marks lined up. If you are more than one tooth off, supposedly it will not start. Subaru mentions doing a compression test in this case.

 

The old belt didn't break right (you are just doing this as maintenance)?

Dot(crank) and dashes (cam pulleys) ignore all else. Actually the splined piece that goes over the crank does have a hash mark at the back to line up with the mark jsut below the crank sensor.

 

Following the arrows will get you in trouble.

Thanks for all your advice. I had put my own marks on the sprockets to ensure they did not move. I put the mark on before I removed the old belt.

After checking again, I noticed that the right side was off by 1 tooth on the belt....this must have occurred when I released the tensioner.

 

John....I do not see the links which you are referring to.

Edited August 24, 201015 yr by BigRing

nice fix, glad it was simple. it's a preference, but it's simpler to use the marks on the engine verses marking belts/pulleys. the marks on the engine work 100% of the time so there's no need to mark anything.

i use both, engine marks and belt marks. my fear about just using the marks on the engine is, if there is too much slack in between the crank and drivers side cam (intake) sprockets, that when the pin is pulled the driver cam moves. but if the sprockets are all in the correct positions and you correctly mark the belt and place the mark on the cams correctly, it's done. there is no room for error unless the belt slips or there is slack in between the in and out cams.

 

with limited experience in replacing belts, i have more confidence in this method. a little more work but less room for error. but i would never rely on belt marks only and i double check the marks on the belt if it came with marks.

Some after market belts don't come with marks..... and all I have to say about that is if you have done dozens of belts (which I have) it's not a problem. For a first or third-timer I would fork out the extra $10 for the belt with marks already on it. I have never seen one where the marks were wrong and in any case it should be obvious if they were since once you line it all up there will be just enough slack on the tensioner side for the tensioner to take it up and no more..... I guess that's a bit cryptic but that's the mental gauge that I use.

 

GD

I use the Dayco belts but use the marks on the engine.

 

First time was frustrating with the drivers side being under load. That's when I started using the plier type clamps to hold the belt to the cam and crank sprockets so the belt doesn't jump.

John....I do not see the links which you are referring to.

 

 

for bigring:

 

http://www.lovehorsepower.com/SubaruDocs/TimingWaterPump.htm

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=832700&postcount=6

...thanks John!