I am in the process of pulling the engine on my 05 outback. 2.5i NA. it has high mileage and the water pump froze/melted and snapped the timing belt. I need to rotate the crank to access the flywheel bolts. How can I set the camshaft pulley so I can rotate the crank without any further damage being caused. Do I have to pull the rocker arms off? I plan on going through the motor and rebuilding it.

first, the valves are probably already bent.

and the cams are most likely ''at rest'', all valves closed.

if there is no tension on the cam shaft, the valves are closed.

with both at rest, rotate the crank to the correct timing alignment position.

(the key way in the crank sprocket will be at 6 0clock, straight down.

NOT the ARROWS.

once the crank is right,

all piston will be at mid stroke,

no chance of more valve damage.

you can rotate the cams any way you want.

 

if one or both cams are under load,

it gets trickier.

i would rotate the crank the shortest distance,

either forward or backward,

to get the crank key way in either the 12 oclock or the 6 o clcok position.

again this puts rthe pistons at mid stroke.

DO NOT rotate more than 90 degrees.

you do not need to.

you are just trying to get the piuston out of the way,

with the least amount of rotation.

 

once you have done this,

you can move the cams any way you want.

once the cams are at rest

you can move the crank to the proper timing belt install position,

key way at 6 oclock.

 

good luck.

Thanks. I agree, the valves are going to be bent. Just trying to save the pistons. The PS cam doesn't want to rotate either way. The DS is free. Your info on the crank position for the pistons to be neutralized confirms my assumptions. This being the first boxer engine I've torn into, I just wanted to hear from someone who's been there already. Thanks for the feedback.

You can rotate it by hand. Go carefully and if you feel resistance, stop. The engine was already being spun around really fast by the transmission when the belt broke, one more rotation isn't gonna do more damage. Good news is, when this happens the pistons and block don't usually get damaged, it's usually just the valves.

Use a 17mm box end wrench or socket on a breaker bar to turn the cam. Wrench is better because you can turn the cam easily, but still feel for any resistance. And it saves you fingers from getting cut when the cam snaps over as the valve springs unload.