Friend used the wrong mark on the crank sprocket in his 1997 Impreza EJ22 and it wouldn't run....used the other mark and installed it properly.

 

Idles horribly and runs poor below 1,000 rpm's....but it runs fine above that and he's driving 80 mph right now just fine.

 

Bent valves?

 

Car has like 250,000 miles and he's not going to fix it....how long can he drive it like this?

 

looks like this guy bent his valves on a 97 EJ22:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/38590-97-ej22-timing-belt-versus-valves-fight/

Compression check?

 

May go a long ways to determining longevity based on how bad any valves may be bent.

i would also double check the timing.

a tooth off could cause issues.

 

and there could be bent valves,

but there have also been times when a busted timing idler or belt did not cause bent valves.

triple check the timing.

he will check timing tomorrow.

compression test is out of the cards.

 

how long can he drive it with bent valves?

 

if it drives fine at 80mph it's obviously not too bad.  the two bent valve Subaru's i repaired last year wouldn't idle or drive at all.

 

quarter million mile old impreza and he's buying a new subaru this summer, he won't be fixing heads/valves.

Probaly one tooth off.

+1 The tollernce allowance with these engines are ablout one tooth, any more than that and its benging valves. Sounds like the same thing with mine. I was off one tooth and it ran very poorly, fixed it and ran perfect agin.

 

-Prwa

he checked it tonight - it's dead on so he must have bent valves.

 

so previous question again - how long can he drive it with bent valves?

runs fine above 1,000 rpms....he drove 100 miles today at 80mph.

 

the only thing it could hurt is:
valve guides...but the bend would have to be high up the shaft?  seems unlikely to me.

catalytic converter due to misfiring...but quarter million miles and he's about to get rid of it in a couple months