my 85 gl wagon used to run strong , then the timing belts broke (I know this because the distributer does not turn) i have a manual that tells me how to replace them, but im suposed to order a special belt tension wrench, that i dont have the money for so if you have any comments or hints or can help. please do

There is a plethora of info here, including pictures. Just search for it.....

"art of subaru maintenance" episodes 8 and 9 on youtube.

 

find the 'timing belt check and replacement' article in the search on the USRM

 

if you are reading the haynes manual, beware that the illustrations do not depict the 360 deg crank rotation, although it is in the text, but in british translation!

 

good luck.

thanks! no its not a haynes its a "how to keep ur subie alive book"

there are holes on the face of the cam pulleys, that if you can fashion a spanner tool by using a flat bar with holes drilled in it and studs, you can take the slack from the belts.

 

i usuaally grip the pulley by hand and turn it the direction where it pulls the driven side of the belt tight, and then drop the tensioner.

 

when installing, loosen both bots on the tensioner, but do not remove them, swint he tensioenr away from the belt and tighten the top bolt. once the belt is on, take the slack from the belt and loosen the bolt so the tensioner comes in contact, and you can even push thensioner to the belt when tightening down.

 

if you go the extra step to take off the pulley, the cam seal is easy to do. there is a retainer to remove that you can chage the seal off the car, and then reinstall the retainer. loosen or tighten the bolts with the belt on the pulley. be careful with the 10mm bolts as they can brealk with too much torque. use a 1/4 dr ratchet and go nand tight, and then no more than 1/8 turn if not using a torque wrench

do i need any special tools, my manual tells me that i need a belt tension wrench. can i get by with out this tool?

my subaru has roughly 150,000 miles on it. im replacing the cam belts because they broke while driving down the highway. when i replace the belts, should i replace both cam seals and tensioners?

you can as long as you understand the function of the procedure. if the belts are loose, you would hear a knocking sound and backlash in the cams and distributor.

 

there are rubber plugs on the fornt of the belt covers that you can poke a finger in and periodically inspect the belts, and check your work. do it when you are changing oil to monitor it.

when all is done before i put the covers back on if i squeze iether belt together how much slack should there be?

I do not believe that there is any force/distance spec for the belts. The adjustment specification is for a certain amount of tension of the cam pulley (IIRC, 10 ft-lbs), and while applying that tension allow the tensioner to take up any slack, then retighten the tensioner. Although recommended, no special tool is required: You can do as Milesfox suggests (all good advice) or you can probably just apply tension with your hand gripping the cam pulley.

On my automatic 88GL , all I needed were 10, 12, 14, and 22mm sockets, a short extension, a breaker bar and a wedge for the flywheel to break the crank bolt off - thats it. On a standard trans you can put it in a high gear with the e-brake on and that is enough to hold the flywheel while you loosen the crank bolt. Miles Fox's 'Art of Subaru Maintenance' youtube video's # 8 and #9 say it all...including the encouragement of not putting the belt covers back on for ease of future maintenance.

cool, thanks for the info

is there anything i should know that you havent allready told me because on youtube i noticed that the engine was out of the vehicle. i dont have that luxury.

Easily/normally done with engine still in the car. Biggest issues is removing the timing cover bolts: They tend to seize in the brass captive nuts in the back covers, and then the nuts will spin within the covers.

 

All the rest is pretty simple as long as follow procedure.

you will have more room if you remove the radiator. Otherwise, access the passenger side tensioner from under the car, and the driver side from above the car.

 

you can remove the alt and ac assembly as a unit with lines connected for better room as well, as illustrated in episode 1 or 2 on the youtube series.

 

i recommend you leave the overs off. With no covers, you can do the timing belts again later without having to remove the crank pulley, ac bracket, and you will have access to the WP without any covers to remove, and the WP can be serviced without removing the timing belts.

 

going coverless will allow you do do an off-the-side-of-the-road t-belt repair with only a 3/8 ratchet with deep 12mm, and a 22mm offset box wrench. makes a 2 hour job a 20 min job. Remove the inside covers as well if you take the pulleys off to do the cam seals. Leave the one inside cover to the right of the oil pump behind the idler pulley, as this is the only place the belts are open form the back side.

 

specutation aside, you wont compromise reliability. no covers th hold oil and coolants into the belts. rocks and twigs will nto throw the belt as easily as you think. I have had sticks between the belt and the engine where i parked with the car running. I have had a pebble rolling around on the belt once. don't leave loose shop rags under the hood, as this is the only reported belt failure so far from running coverless.

I have run with both covers off and covers on, and my only real concern with covers off is inattentiveness while working around a running engine. When I reassemble my XT engine, I will probably compromise between "all on" and "all off" by putting the covers over the cam sprockets, securing with zip ties.

I have 3 ea82's that have been running without covers for a year or so now...no issues...

cool i really apreciat all of the help, its nice to be able to save money, while at the same time learning about my own vehicle, in the long run making me more self sufficiant. i will update this again when i complete the procedure. thanks!

one last question: what is the difference between oem and aftermarket parts? and what is a good brand to buy, because every place i check has drastically different prices

go with belts in this priority subje3ct to availability and price: Gates, Goodyear gatorback, Continental. avoid cheap chinese

 

for seals go with NOK made in japan. national seal made in mexico. The better vendors will provide the cam retainer 0-rings which are necessary if you pull them.

 

may just do the dealer for tensioners, but can always be done any time as you wish, if coverless

 

go with the middle price at least for the water pump. a rebuild oem unit may be better than a used chinese unit.

 

if you do the oil pump, get the mickey seal, as well as the inner o-ring. there is also a shaft seal. You may find a kit with all 3, or at least 2, but sometimes individually.

 

If there are parts listing conflicts with ea81's with your car being a 1985, try doing your parts references to a 89 gl or a 90 loyale. OHC is your key word at the parts counter, not to be confused with OHV(ea81).

 

Knowing this will help your parts copunter to know what to look for

are the belts different between the 1.6L and 1.8L? can i use my vin # to help get the right parts

be aware of what you are shopping for . there is no timing belt for a 1.6.

 

for this reason i believe you have a 1985 wagon with ea82 motor. this has an overhead cam(OHC) and is 1.8 only, although was turbo and spfi, and your engine shares the same for 85-94 dl/gl/gl-10/rx/xt/loyale

 

Not to be confused with an ea81 engine, overhead valve(OHV) and has a 1.6 liter variaont(ea71) and is pushrod. This is typical for 80-84 wagons, sedans, and 79-87 brat, and thru 89 for hatchback.

 

be careful that you get the right part, as there are overlaps of both platforms for 85-89 listings, and can be somewhat vague at the parts counter.

thank you for clarifying i was a bit confused. is it common for the gates timing belt kit to be in the high 200 price range?

is my model of engine ( the ea82 1.8L ) considered SOHC or DOHC

SOHC - One cam per cylinder bank.

 

Hopefully, this was for your own information rather than some Parts Store person asking you...