How long do the replacement timing belts last on a 99 Subaru forester. I had mine replaced by the dealer at 90,000 and now have 177,000. Do I need to replace belt at 180,000? Do the replacement belts last longer than the original belt?

 

Thanks

I'm kinda in the same boat. IIRC, replacement belts should be 105k. You can remove the driver side timing cover to inspect the belt but I would probably question the remaining life in the tensioner and idler pulleys more than the belt itself, not to mention the WP and resealing the oil pump. congrats on having a 99 forester with 177k miles. 180k sounds like a nice round number to remember that the front end was done. Moon shot...It's a subaru thing:D

I am kind of wondering how durable the belts are too. I have no idea the mileage of my belt on my newly purchased impreza with 165k miles. Visually its a little shiny with some tiny cracks in it, but I have heard they almost never break unless a bearing in a pulley goes. How true is this?

sounds like we need a timing belt party:drunk: . but seriously, if you can't confirm that the belt has been replaced, 165k is waaay overdue. may as well order a kit with tensioner and pulleys because when you get into it if the bearings sound like a skateboard-they also need to be changed. cracks in TB are almost never a good sign. just my .02 (adjusted for inflation).

IMO if you dont know the milage...replace it..and alll the pulleys and water pump. It will end up saving you the trouble of doing valves down the road if it does break. Ive seen too many ppl get rid of nice cars that they liked cause they didnt keep up on the maintenance and "took a chance". Just my two cents.

When in doubt do the belt. And I always do everything that touches the belt.

 

In your case it's up to you on crank and cam seals, oil pump Oring and screw tightening.

 

I do accessory belts, coolant, plugs, fuel filter, oil & filter and then it's done for a while.

^^^ very sound advise. On a similar topic, is it possible to service the oil pump without removing the belt?

^^^ very sound advise. On a similar topic, is it possible to service the oil pump without removing the belt?

 

NO. It's behind the cogged end of the crank behind the crank pulley/harmonic balancer.

 

Infact to me it dictates a new crank seal too. ALong with the oil pump Oring and ultra grey (no gasket) and check those screws on the back of the pump!

I am not sure it's worth spending $500.00 on a timing belt change on a car with high mileage and rust. Maybe I should wait until the belt has 105,000 miles.

Well I just dont have the time to replace it right now Bearings sound fine, motor is actually pretty whisper quiet. they are hairline cracks, but I agree never a good sign. Just wondering how bad it actually IS. maybe I will go take a quick cellphone pic.

IIR just a belt ranges 35-50 for Dayco for 2.2 to 2.5 belts.

 

You're asking those idlers to go an awful long time.

 

The labor is virutally the same.

 

But to each their own. I understand being on a budget too. But a car is kind of important. To get a person to work and food. So I have a tendency to cut back on car maintenance last.

Well I just dont have the time to replace it right now Bearings sound fine, motor is actually pretty whisper quiet. they are hairline cracks, but I agree never a good sign. Just wondering how bad it actually IS. maybe I will go take a quick cellphone pic.

 

Looks worse on pic than in person since its so close up

 

I am not sure it's worth spending $500.00 on a timing belt change on a car with high mileage and rust. Maybe I should wait until the belt has 105,000 miles.

 

Can get it done independently for about half that probably. very important on a post 97 model, not as much on the non interference pre 97 models.

Looks worse on pic than in person since its so close up

 

 

i had one last week that looked just like that...didn't break, but the teeth on the backside of the belt were coming off...crank was turning but the cams were not.

Crap so a cross country trip would be a very bad idea on that belt

do you have a pic of the tooth side? broken/cracked teeth=broken TB. Man, I want to drive to where you are and change that belt now

 

not sure what your year is but:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-97-98-2-2L-EJ22E-Subaru-Impreza-Legacy-SOHC16V-Timing-Belt-Kit-Water-Pump-/260923356471?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3ASubaru&vxp=mtr&hash=item3cc03e7537

Edited March 25, 201214 yr by 98obster

Crap so a cross country trip would be a very bad idea on that belt

 

personally a trip across town would be sketchy

I cant afford anything right now, let alone a $200 timing belt kit.

Yikes!! That looks bad. If $200 for a belt is too much, just stop driving it. When that breaks it's gonna cost a lot more in valves and gaskets.

At this point you'd be better off replacing the belt with a cheap one, and replacing any really bad idlers than letting it be. I probably wouldn't drive an interference engine with a belt that bad across town.

sorry mines a 95, not interferece. and the idlers dont make noise. I guess I should plan on getting a belt at minimum though, the consensus is that is pretty bad. maybe original?

When I replaced my timing belt (at about 102,000 miles), the rubber was pristine. The only visible deterioration was that the maker's name and inked-on timing marks had been worn off.

 

Your photo looks pretty bad to me. All those surface cracks can let contaminants into the fabric inside the belt. I would change it ASAP.

chiming in a little late on this one,

but i did a lot of research on belts a while back when

i got my kit for my 95.

the contitech kits are supposed to be the best and

have the high-saturated nitrile (HSN) belt instead of

high-temperature neoprene (HTN) belt, which is what

you'll normally find. also, i have used the cheaper ebay

kits but i think they are cheaper knock off pulleys and

water pump, where the ones that come with contitech

(continental of old) are at least oem or better. (supposedly,

but they do look very well built and the wp that came with mine

is an Aisin which I believe to be original manuf.

(strange thing is, i was told here on usmb a long time ago to

look for the german belts by Conti, but when I got my HSN belt

it says Made In Mexico, but I guess the tech is what's important.)

i actually was surprised how much tech went into the belts.

you might think that all belts, i mean across vehicles, would

pretty much be the same, but there's a whole science to

how they make the tooth shape, for example, and the same

manuf. may make many different tooth depths, width, angles

etc depending on vehicle co design. So, those cracks may mean

not only that the belt could break, but that it has more play

lengthwise and affect contact with the teeth, leading to more

breakage potential other than just snapping.

i forget where i found it, but i used to have a whole catalog

online where they had the actual shapes of the belt teeth, depth,

angles, etc.

but if you pick around here you'll get an idea:

http://www.contitech-usa.com/

lots of info there.

ps--hey! i found it! if you go into the "media" page of this site:

http://www.contibelts.com/prod_tbeltkits.asp

they have a real big pdf that has the shapes etc.

not that anyone's that into belts...

'97

In the case of timing belts, we always say to err on the side of caution. If the "recommended interval" is 105,000, do it at 90,000. A belt is a lot cheaper than a new engine. (Even if it is interferential.) Getting stranded due to a shredded belt sucks. And tows aren't cheap either!

 

Here in Colorado, with our extremes of hot and cold, dryness, etc., rubber takes a beating a lot faster than, say, Vancouver.

 

Emily

Emily, I always wondered, how much do one of your rebuilt engines cost?

You can message me if you'd like, or here if you'd prefer.

(I have a 95 legacy 2.2)

'97

do you have a pic of the tooth side? broken/cracked teeth=broken TB. Man, I want to drive to where you are and change that belt now

 

not sure what your year is but:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-97-98-2-2L-EJ22E-Subaru-Impreza-Legacy-SOHC16V-Timing-Belt-Kit-Water-Pump-/260923356471?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3ASubaru&vxp=mtr&hash=item3cc03e7537

 

Actually the underside of the belt looks pretty good, no cracking that I can see. still going after another month and a half, but hoping to get around to this soon.