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Timming Belt is about a k past due...


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Guest synapse79

i have more experience with honda motors, ive seen timing belts break after 70k and last over 180k miles.

 

Its a miracle if you get 100k on a honda water pump with out it going, or leaking.

 

Ive been told by a few subaru mechanics, one of them was at the dealership, (which i dont usually credit, but it was an older guy that has been there forever), that when i had the motor apart, neither of them suggest i change the water pump. Like my timing belt example, it depends on each situations. But I have been persuaded to believe the water pump is more than likely to make it through the second belt.

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My 95 Legacy with 115k miles just developed strange noises coming from under the belt cover. I am assuming that it is the water pump. Tomorrow I will be replacing the pump, thermostat, timing and drive belts, oil pump o-ring and coolant, crank and cam seals, for ~$200 in parts. Dealer quoted me ~$1300. I don't think that I can drink $1100 of beer while doing this work. Wish me luck.

 

Matt

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Guest synapse79

Haha.. sounds good to me...

 

You dont need luck, the EJ motors are too easy to work on as it is. Which makes it fun to have things come off and go on like they're suppose to.

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Guest synapse79

small pry bars with like a 90 degree bend.

 

the font main seal coms out pretty easy, the back one is in pretty good, but you dont have the motor out, do you?

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Guest OthercarisaFiat

Yeah, $1200 was the dealership repair bill. Doing it myself was not an option at the time b/c we needed the car running pronto. And an independent shop I had been going to turned out to be screwing us. At least it didn't damage the valves; the 2.2 must not be an interference engine.

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Guest gotsubarus

If you read in the first part of this section you will see what to replace... However i forgot to mention that all you need is a medium size straight screw driver to replace the seals.

 

IF someone quots you more than 300.00 to do water pump, t belt and seals, and oil pump... than they are ripping you off !!!!

 

take the other 1000.00 buy gas, and beer, and come see me... we will have a party while we fix it right, and you will have a vacation!

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I got the left cam support bracket off so the seal is easy to tap out. The right one does not have anything to take off so I have to figure out a way to pry the seal out. Any suggestions?

 

Also, I will attempt to get the oil pump out and inspect it. I understand that there is some kind of o ring to replace. Some explanation would be great.

 

The crank shaft sprocket is still on. How do I remove it?

 

Thanks a bunch.

 

Matt

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Guest synapse79

the O-ring is in the bottom left and side of the pump when facing the motor. Its pretty obvious, when you pull the pump off you wont miss it.

 

I think the sprocket just pulls off.. lol, i had mine off only a few weeks ago and I already cant remember..

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The job has been successfully completed so many thanks to all who posted their advice!!!!!!

 

This is a very good resource: www.endwrench.com/pdf/eng...ulSp98.pdf

 

 

I will attempt to document the procedure for future reference:

 

Parts list:

water pump Napa brand came with gasket and thermostat seal ~ $65.

thermostat

timing belt~$50

alternator and ac belt - ~$12 each

oil pump o-ring (dealer)

crank and cam seals plus one o-ring (dealer)

lower timing belt cover seal. (dealer). It gets contaminated with oil from any seepage and distorts badly.

 

Disconnect and remove battery, coolant reservoir, drain radiator, disconnect ATF cooler lines (if equipped), lower and upper radiator hoses, remove radiator.

 

Remove belt covers. Loosen alternator/compressor bolt to slip out the metal cover bracket.

 

Remove belt pulley. I made a tool out of 3/4 inch wood board, drilled two holes ~3 1/16" apart (slightly smaller than the bolts), threaded two bolts through the holes long enough to engage the holes in the pulley. Cut a larger hole in the center to get the large socket through to the large nut, attached a 3 ft 1x2 to the board and used it for leverage.

 

Remove left, right and center timing belt cover. Do not disturb belt yet.

 

Spin engine clockwise until marks on front of cam sprockets are lined up with notches on the back belt covers. The crank sprocket should have a little triangular arrow on its front. Mine was pointed at 3 o' clock. Behind the sprocket are flat teeth which provide crank location to the sensor just above them. One of the teeth should be ligned up with the sensor. I would strongly recommend to mark that tooth and the 3 spots on the belt in case something moves unexpectedly. I also recommend marking the belt covers further back from where the notches are. I cracked one of my covers so that the notch is gone. I used a file to scratch it further back.

 

Loosen the belt tensioner bolts allowing it to slide to the right. Remove idler pulley. Remove other pulleys. Remove cam sprockets. I used a strap wrench to hold them (and to crack the cover).

 

The left cam (near battery) has a holder which can be removed. Remove the back belt cover, unscrew the oil dipstick bracket, remove the sensor, remove bolts, and extract assembly. The seal can then be tapped out from the back. Use old seal to tap in lubricated new one. Use the one o-ring and replace assembly.

 

Right cam seal is a bit more difficult. I CAREFULLY pried some of the plastic seal out until it started to spin. I pushed down on one side and the other side popped out. (other v. reliable sources have recommended drilling tiny holes in the seal's metal bands, inserting screws, and yanking. A dremel tool might work well). Replace with new seal. Replace both sprockets.

 

Replace water pump. Mine had the bearing badly worn at ~110k. Next time I will replace it at every timing belt change.

 

Remove the crank sprocket - gently pry with screwdriver if needed. Remove oil pump. O- ring is clearly visible at the bottom of the pump. Check appearance of screws on backing plate. Mine were fine. Some are prone to backing out. If so, use loctite and tighten.

 

Replace seal, replace o-ring, apply a bit of sealant to mating surfaces and re-install.

 

Slowly compress tensioner in a vice. It should take ~ 3 minutes. Use a very thin pin to lock it in place. Loosely install the tensioner and push it to the right. Install the Idler. Install new timing belt lining up marks on sprockets and covers, and on crank sprocket tooth. Since you prevously marked everything, this should be easy. Using screwdriver, pry tensioner to the left and lock down to specified torque. Put a little grease on the friction surface between plunger and cam of idler. Remove pin and allow tensioner to expand.

 

Replace covers, pulley, new drive belts, radiator, new hoses, re-connect ATF lines, battery. Start her up and enjoy the sweet sound of that 2.2 l Boxer.

 

At this point I also replaced the plugs (on cold engine and used a bit of anizeize on the threads) and wires (one broke during disassembly).

 

A couple of months ago I replaced the fuel and air filters, and flushed the brake lines. Brake fluid absorbs water so it is a good idea to flush/bleed brake lines yearly or at every pad change. Left to do is the PCV valve and rear differential fluid.

 

Cost of project - ~$300 in parts and tools (2 torque wrenches), and a day of labor.

Saving vs. dealer quote - ~ $1000!

The feeling of accomplishment - PRICELESS!!!!!!!!

 

Matt

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Guest synapse79

there wasnt a great deal of discription on how he replaced the belt. I figured out a trick if you have to do it by urself that makes it alot east. Maybe this is obvious to other ppl, but i'll type it out anways...

 

I was having a tough time getting the 3 marks on the belt to line up wiht the marks on the gears and sliding the belt on. I really struggled with this for a bit.. :)

 

Then i noticed the pully on the bottom left(facing the motor) under the cam sprocket does next to nothing except push the belt up maybe a half inch. So i removed that pully and had enough slack to get everything lined up, and was able to slide the belt on with out a third hand.

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