Pulled the Gates pulley, replaced with OEM.  I'll see if I can return the Gates.

Now after I get the engine back in the car and try bolting up the torque converter, we discover that I've got a cam 180* out of phase, so it all comes back apart.  Oh joy...

Otherwise things are going back together pretty well, though going on a two week vacation in the middle of the repair ratchets up the difficulty.

Engine is back together and dropped in.  The car starts and moves under its own power and didn't overheat or leak any precious fluids in the time we left it running.  I'll be doing shakedown runs this evening to ensure all is well.

Thanks for all the advice!

Excellent. Good job.

Just wanted to check back in and provide a follow up on our experience.

Things are going great after the repair, no more oil leaks, burning oil smell or other unexpected issues.

I had originally thought we still had an oil leak because the car still smelled of oil once it was hot, but a good round of brake-clean seems to have removed the remaining oil from the exhaust/block/etc.  Our upper radiator hose had one of the clamps tightened while slightly askew (thanks Dad) which caused a coolant smell when hot.  Took care of that and no more smell.  The jury is still out on loosing coolant, but if the overflow tank doesn't lose any water this week while the wife drives around, we'll call that one done too.

The biggest difference I've noticed is on cold starts.  The car used to have some pretty noticeable piston slap that would take a minute or two of driving to get warm enough to make it go away.  After replacing all the PCV hoses/valve/plastic tee as well as the oil separator plate, the slapping noise is almost gone on cold starts.  Instead of sounding like a diesel, our car sounds like a Subaru again!

The car does still use some oil (not enough to see out the tail pipe) but even the oil consumption seems to have let up a little over the last 1,500-2,000 miles.  I think I'll be changing over to the H6 oil filters during the next oil change, just to gain that little bit of extra oil capacity.  Since these engines are so hard on the oil, I figure every little bit will help and once this car is retired from DD duty for the wife, it will get an STI oil pan and start doing some offroading.

Update:

I've been monitoring fluids since the repair.  Still losing coolant from the surge tank, maybe half the tank in a week or two?  The wife also reported a strong oil smell yesterday after a ski trip.

Haven't crawled under the car yet to inspect/confirm, but I hope its something simple and obvious because I'm starting to worry that I spent all this time and effort only to have botched the repair to the tune of a couple grand...

Put a pressure tester on the cooling system - pump it up to 20 psi and you'll likely find the leak. 

GD

43 minutes ago, GeneralDisorder said:

Put a pressure tester on the cooling system - pump it up to 20 psi and you'll likely find the leak. 

GD

Do you have a preferred tester that you use?  Might as well invest in the tool...

Well I use the Snap On tester, which is (I think) a Stant product. They have both a hand pumped version, and one that connects to shop air. I use the pneumatic one but both are quality and should work the same. 

I have used the harbor freight version but I don't remember them being particularly cheap and the gauge wouldn't come back down to zero after a few uses so it's hard to say what pressure you are testing exactly. I wouldn't buy one but it would likely work for occasional use or you could just return it when you are done. 

GD

is that something a parts store would rent/loan-out?

33 minutes ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

is that something a parts store would rent/loan-out?

Probably - you buy it and return it with their permission. But those aren't any better quality than the HF versions typically.

GD

Edited January 15, 20197 yr by GeneralDisorder

39 minutes ago, GeneralDisorder said:

Probably - you buy it and return it with their permission. But those aren't any better quality than the HF versions typically.

GD

yeah, half the stuff I've rented was in pretty bad shape or was the cheap version. Had to swap a vacuum pump recently because the port I wasn't using was leaking.

On 8/14/2018 at 11:34 PM, GeneralDisorder said:

NPR rings, NO honing. Drill the carbon out of the drain back holes, knurl the skirts and hand file them to a net-zero fit.

Pardon the intrusion here, but I just caught up with this thread and don't know anything about knurling.  Is the idea just to expand the skirt by pushing the metal up, giving a tighter fit and reducing slap?  How is it done?  Chuck it into the lathe and go at it with a knurling tool?

Honestly, I don't think I've ever had the sound of piston slap pointed out to me - I don't think I could recognize it.

No, it's done on a piston knurler. If you tried it on a lathe you would probably make the piston smaller. 

The idea on a Subaru is to leave indentations in the skirt like a golf ball. These hold oil and give the skirt a hydraulic cushion. 

GD

Oh, okay.  I'm guessing you'd preserve mass in both cases, but I can see how golf-ball-dent knurling makes sense and "regular crosshatch" knurling would create surface roughness that wouldn't hold the oil.  Thanks.

On 11/5/2018 at 6:05 PM, GeneralDisorder said:

If it makes it another 105k with a Chinese cogged..... maybe. I know *Dealers* that will replace the belt and the cogged idler only. Because ultimately the primary failure in the system is the cogged idler - the belt is only replaced because the service manual says it's due every 105k. 

The reality is that the cogged is THE most important item to replace when doing this job. I would pull it back out.

GD, can you give me the definitive guide to replacing this idler - whose parts to buy (or avoid)?  I get most new parts from Rock these days - not just 'cause of cheepnis, but because they're a lot less hassle wrt shipping to Soviet Canuckistan.  At the moment they list parts from Gates, ACDelco, and Flennor.  Are any of these acceptable?  How do Subaru OEM compare?  If none of the above, whose do you prefer?

Edited January 17, 20197 yr by jonathan909

On ‎11‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:48 AM, GeneralDisorder said:

Eh - the toothed sprocket is the most common failure item - more so than the water pump or the belt. That is the very last part I would consider replacing with Chinese.

Sounds pretty clear to me, OEM ONLY for the cogged pulley, no aftermarket allowed.  End of story.

I wouldn't necessarily make the same assumption.  There may well be aftermarket idlers with bearings (e.g. SKF) that are as good as or better than OEM.  That's why I asked.

Edited January 17, 20197 yr by jonathan909

Jonathan - your local dealer might match a price from an on-line dealer like fredbeans.com or subarupartsforyou.com or genuinesubaruparts.com etc. Mine did back when I put SS braided brake lines and SPT springs on my WRX.

or check ebay sellers like autoanything and mizumoauto (this is who I got the kit from for my WRX)

Japanese bearings are preferred;  Koyo, Nachi, etc. I suppose Chinese or other sourced bearings could be used but, most folks would accelerate the next TB service due to quality doubts. That means reduced utility and no real savings. May as well pony-up for the quality.

GD is a pro, he cannot afford to take the same risks some of us DIYers might. He screws up a customer's car - yelp google angies list reviews go down and it gets splattered across social media.

I screw-up my own car , it doesn't affect my career.

 

 

Edited January 17, 20197 yr by 1 Lucky Texan

1 hour ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

Jonathan - your local dealer might match a price from an on-line dealer like fredbeans.com or subarupartsforyou.com or genuinesubaruparts.com etc. Mine did back when I put SS braided brake lines and SPT springs on my WRX.

or check ebay sellers like autoanything and mizumoauto (this is who I got the kit from for my WRX)

I don't think you fully appreciate how difficult and/or expensive a lot of these vendors can be when selling to Canadians.  Ebay normally quotes outrageous shipping charges for stuff moving over the border - if they'll ship here at all.  If there's something I want/need badly enough I sometimes need to have it sent to a mail drop a friend uses just over the Montana border, then there's additional time/cost/hassle in getting it from there to here (less than a couple of hundred miles north of the border).

I'll certainly check the vendors you suggest, but I don't expect any love.

As far as either of the local dealers matching a US price - that's a non-starter.

But back to my point:  I won't automatically assume that Subaru OEM is the best available part - there may well be an aftermarket that's better.  (Example:  I've been spending some time with the ARP catalog, and those guys are hardcore.  I can't imagine anyone suggesting OEM bolts are superior.)  That's why I want to hear from the experts on this.  At what price is a completely different question.

Edited January 17, 20197 yr by jonathan909

NTN, NSK, Koyo, or OEM. All are Japanese and made in Japan. 

GD

Much appreciated.  The main (automotive specialty) aftermarket chain around here is Auto Value - they've got NSK on the shelf for $40 (CDN), which is comparable to the "GD-unapproved" parts Rock carries, once shipping cost is factored in.  For a benchmark, one of the dealers just quoted me $120.

Edited January 18, 20197 yr by jonathan909

On 10/25/2018 at 12:14 PM, GeneralDisorder said:

We use the 111 on all o-rings, lip seals, oil filter gaskets, thermostat gaskets, etc. Especially any Buna-N (Nitrile) seals. It keeps oxygen from getting at them, which is what ultimately speeds up the hardening and cracking process. We also use it for all dielectric applications since it's a silicone grease. It's food grade so I'm told it goes well with toast. Seriously we love it and use that $hit on EVERYTHING. That and Yield are probably my two favorite shop chems. Also Amsoil HD Metal Protector.

"Yield"?

It's a penetrating oil made by Chemsearch. 

GD

Thx.  Fyi, the Amsoil site says that MP HD isn't sold in Canadia.  Looks like I'm gonna have to add it to the list of things to buy when I'm down in Kalispell (along with Beaver Ghost Pepper mustard).

Edited January 18, 20197 yr by jonathan909

Jonathan, dunno if this is helpful but, check this thread; https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/121-subaruonlineparts-com/501795-new-lower-pricing-subaru-gear-codes-vip-s.html#post5763417