Hello, everyone, I'm new to the forum here...I have a 1998 Outback, 2.5 DOHC, blown head gasket (presumably!) and I need the special tool for removing the camshaft sprockets. Is this a dealer-only item, or will I find it at Autozone?

It looks like a large socket is needed where a socket/extension can be inserted thru the center. Hold the large socket with a large adjustible wrench, and loosen the cam bolt. I guess.

you dont "need" the special tool to remove the cam sprockets - a little ingenuity will go a long ways here.

 

if you are tearing it down to do headgaskets, it makes sense to do a full timing service as well - new belt, idler pulleys, etc - in which case you can use a section of the old belt to cushion the sprocket teeth, and use chain vise-grips to hold it still to unbolt.

 

Or, if you are a handy type of person, make a tool with 2 prongs to fit in the slots of the sprocket to hold it (kind of like the tool used for changing angle grinder blades, but bigger)

 

Or, if the motor is still in the car and the timing belt is still in place - use a prybar/large screwdriver/similar thru the inspection port of the tranny to prevent the motor from turning over and loosen the bolt that way.

 

Basically, you just need to prevent the sprocket from turning while you loosen the bolt - how you do that is up to you.

most of us don't have the tool and have done dozens of these. 

 

line the timing marks up and remove the bolts before removing the belt so it holds the cam for you. 

 

use an impact gun - of course stop if the belt slips, but i've never had that happen yet but it could vary by equipment/tools?

 

you can also use rubber strap wrenches to hold the pulley once the belt is removed.  they are nice to get because you can use them for other things too.

here's a cheap one to give you an idea, probably don't want this one but just in case you don't know what they are:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200306401_200306401?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Hand%20Tools-_-Wrenches-_-1501539&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=1501539&gclid=CLTp36HporkCFcue4AodX2IAPw

 

there's a flatspot for a wrench on the cam.  remove valve cover and put a wrench on it to hold the cam.  no extra work since you're disassembling the engine anway.

Take valve cover off and you will find a spot on cams inside to put addjustabble wrench on all four cams have a spot to hold think its 1/1/16 size wrench fitts

And make shure you surface heads absolut must

Take valve cover off and you will find a spot on cams inside to put addjustabble wrench on all four cams have a spot to hold think its 1/1/16 size wrench fitts

Or 26mm

Well, thanks for all that. I don't know why I didn't think to use the impact wrench, that's obvious. And I also forgot to set the engine to top dead center before I took off the belt...that's an ameteur mistake I've made several times before. Good thing it doesn't really matter.

 

I went to Autozone this morning because the employee guy on the phone said they had one--it turned out to be a pulley puller instead. So I improvised and bought a chain wrench--$20--and figured I'd use a piece of the old belt to cushion the pulleys. Turns out this engine has cam sprockets that aren't steel, they're some kind of fiber resin stuff and scratch easily.o and don't recall

 

Thanks for all your thoughts. I'm not a professional mechanic, obviously, and I've just sort of been improvising all my life. But a couple things that were said here are interesting.  Ivan said 'are you sure' I need to resurface the heads? I don't know for sure but I know the aluminum heads are prone to warping and I assume one of them is. I don't trust either my eye or my steel rule to tell me for sure if either head is warped. So I intend to simply take them to town and have them milled to make sure.

 

I have another question for you guys...the only subaru engines I have experience with are the SOHC types--primarily the 2.2; I did some work on another one years ago, not sure which one it was. It was in a really gutless 1986 wagon. But the 1993 sedan legacy we've had for several years, I've had to redo the head gaskets twice and the timing four times for various reasons, and I have always really admired the  fact they engineered it to be a non-interferance engine. I love that, cuz if the timing belt blows or slips--no damage.

Does anyone here know if the 2.5 DOHC in this outback is a non-interferance engine as well?

The 2.5 DOHC  is an interferance engine.

pretty much everything from 97 on is interference in the Subaru lineup.

 

the old 86 you mentioned should have been an EA82, 1.8 liter - and yeah, pretty gutless at a whopping 89 horse! LOL

 

I like the older non-interference engines as well - just a little added peace of mind in case something does happen.

Wow, 89 horsepower! I didn't know it was that strong...lol

make shure you clearance all valves and pucks go back in same spots they came out of they are all indavidualy sized to valves should be 0.25 -0.20 mm or close to it to tight missfires to loose ticky i set uo the clearance with head on bench by holding cams down while checking with feeler guage if to tight i nip a bit off the end with my valve grinder and recheck. Also set crank at the small line oppeset keyway strait up this puts all pistons at same height so no valve damage can ocur and caution the valves can touch eachother so only turn one cam at a time