ready to take T belt and heads off...?

[bgambino]

Hey guys

Finally got going on this project...head gaskets on 96 OB 2.5 DOHC EJ25

Never did head gaskets....done numerous timing belts on GL's and loyales I have owned.

Need some help from here..done some reading (Haynes and posts) but would like to touch base on the next steps.

I have front belt covers off and valve covers

Next is to remove T belt--I am lined up with #1 at TDC of comp stroke (here's something weird--Haynes shows the notch on my crank pulley being towards the rear of the car but mine is on the forward/front part of the pulley...?)

 

1--How to remove belt...just unbolt tensioner? Should I rotate a little so there is no tension on any of the valve springs? Then remove lower left idler (looking from front)?

2--Remove cam sprockets?How?Then inner plastic T belt covers

3--remove 6 cam caps. Is 1/4 turn each okay? Do I have any "shims" in this motor and do I have valve adjustments to worry about?

Intestingly, my cam caps have identifying numbers scribed on them with arrows pointing toward front of engine (for example "R31FD" on pass side and "I2BA on drivers side)--these look like factory markings...?

4--Next, remove heads...weird looking head on bolt...I read that you have to use a 12 point 1/2 drive socket correct? Is a 1/4 turn at a time okay for these?

Thanks...I love this board...!

[Legacy777]

You shouldn't have to put the engine at TDC, you just need to make sure the timing marks on the pullies are aligned to how they're supposed to be aligned when doing the timing belt.

 

I haven't done a DOHC timing belt, but on the SOHC ej22's, you just align the marks on the cam pullies, and crank gear, and swap the belt.

[tomson1355]

Hold the cams on the flats to remove the cam sprockets. A 25mm or 1" open end wrench works, IIRC. The cams are marked. There are shims on buckets under the cam lobes. You should feeler guage these before you loosen the cam caps. All the shim sizes will be different and you want to get the shims and buckets back in the same place. Again, IIRC, skip's repair page is good on this stuff.

 

http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/

 

I just break the cam cap bolts and head bolts free one at a time. There is a proper order for the head bolts. It should be in your Haynes. After that I don't know if it matters.

 

Don't worry about TDC. Take the lower idler off and the belt will slip off. There is often confusion on the crank pulley marks. Search the forums and you should find an explanation of which one to use.

 

Tom

Earlville, NY

[Storm]

The 96 had hydraulic lash adjusters so you won't have shims. On the crank timing gear you will see an arrow and a hash mark. You'll want to put the arrow at 12:00 to remove the belt. This brings the pistons away from TDC and takes the cams off the lobes.

 

Yes a 12pt 14mm socket is needed for the headbolts. Follow the loosening sequence as well as the tightening sequence for best results. The cam cap bolts on that motor (iirc) are not reuasable. They are torque to yield so grab a set before you get too far. Don't forget the RTV or fujibond on the caps closest to the cam pulleys and new cam seals.

 

When you go to put the belt back on, turn the crank until the hashmark is at 12:00 and then line up the cam timing marks. One of the cams will be on a lobe and may want to spring free so an extra set of hands is a help. After you get the belt back on....the rest is cake. Take your time pushing the tensioner back into it's housing. Forcing it makes it go harder.

 

Jay Storm

[Gnuman]

Actually, forcing it destroys the tensioner (blows a seal). The order for the head bolts is

 

3 1 6

5 2 4

 

Turn the head bolts 180 degrees at a time loosening. I have always reused the cam caps. The debate is over the headbolts, which Subaru also says are reusable. The torque on the cam caps is 14ft-lbs, except for the front ones (where the cam seal goes) which are 7ft-lbs. When replacing the timing belt, you will have two cams that are under lobe tension (the ones on the driver's side of the engine) and yes, an extra pair of hands comes in real handy. I recomend that you also refurbish the oil pump (replace teh O-ring and front crank seal, and tighten down the screws on the backplate of the impeller, as they tend to work thier way loose).

[tomson1355]

Mea culpa on the valve shims and thanks to Jay for the correction.

 

Tom

[bgambino]

So is the consensus that I do NOT have adjustable valves with shims?? I am not familiar enough to tell by looking-----the end of the lifter that is visible simply looks like a solid piece of steel (not sure what the “bucket” reference is that I have read about).

I have never heard about replacing the cam bolts b4…..any other opinions on this as well as whether I should replace the head bolts or not?

When all the timing belt related marks are lined up (single and double hash marks on cam sprockets), where is the crank shaft gear supposed to be pointing (there is a small triangular imprint on the face of it…?)?

….I just set all the hash marks in alignment for the T belt just to see where the crank sprocket should be pointing---but the only mark on the crank sprocket I see is a triangular depression (almost like a pointer), and this is pointing to 3 o’clock…this does not seem right…it’s not pointing to any reference point on the engine….?

[Gnuman]

So is the consensus that I do NOT have adjustable valves with shims?? I am not familiar enough to tell by looking-----the end of the lifter that is visible simply looks like a solid piece of steel (not sure what the “bucket” reference is that I have read about). (A)

 

I have never heard about replacing the cam bolts b4…..any other opinions on this as well as whether I should replace the head bolts or not? (

 

When all the timing belt related marks are lined up (single and double hash marks on cam sprockets), where is the crank shaft gear supposed to be pointing (there is a small triangular imprint on the face of it…?)?

 

….I just set all the hash marks in alignment for the T belt just to see where the crank sprocket should be pointing---but the only mark on the crank sprocket I see is a triangular depression (almost like a pointer), and this is pointing to 3 o’clock…this does not seem right…it’s not pointing to any reference point on the engine….? ©

A: the solid appearance of the lifter is confirmation that you have Hydraulic Lash Adjusters, and do not need shims. The lifter itself is what is being called a bucket, as it is in the shapr of an inverted. . .bucket. On later models than yours, there is an indentation in the top (the part you can see) that holds a metal disk. That metal disk is the shim itself. YOur engine is much easier to work on (and should need less of it) than the later models of DOHC engines, as the valve clearances are adjusted automaticly.

 

B: The Subaru Field Service Manual does not call for replacing the headbolts. For a lot of people that is good enough right there. Others are in the habit of replacing them as a matter of course, as many engine manufacturers do call for them to be replaced. There has been quite a lot of discussion on this particular topic (the term ad naseum comes to mind) and you will likely not get a consensus on that issue. My recomendation is do not bother, unless you really feel the need to (or if the bolt shows signs of fatigue). The bolts are not cheap, as they are not a commonly replaced item.

 

C: that triangle is the "arrow" that you have likely heard referenced. On the back of this sprocket are 4 or so tabs or arms, that trigger the cam angle sensor. One of these (directly opposite the keyway) has a line on it that lines up with a notch in the front of where the cam angle sensor is mounted. That is what you line up. If the rest of the marks line up, then it is likely already lined up correctly.

[bgambino]

thanks all...and thank you Storm & Gnuman....good clear concise answers!

You are right...I found the hash mark on the crank tab.

 

What is the brown looking RTV type material under the fron cam cap and in the sharp corners of the valve cover gasket (and also sealing those 1/2 moon pieces on the back side of the head)....is this the anerobic sealant I keep reading about?

What is the trade name of this stuff and where do you buy it?

 

Is it true as someone else mentioned that you should not reuse the cam cap bolts?

 

What does IIRC stand for?

 

And, is it normal for the cam caps to be numbered like mine are...I never heard anyone mention this b4

[a97obw]

Some very useful info with regard to the stamping on your camshaft caps can be found in this archived thread:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=54665

 

The half moons can be reinstalled with a dab of permatex Ultra-gray, same for the dab on the cylinder head at the front camshaft cap where the valve cover gasket fits. I'd use the permatex anaerobic sealant (small blue tube that looks like loctite) very diligently on the front camshaft cap where it bolts to the head.

 

And IIRC is "If I Remember Correctly"

 

14 ft. lbs on the middle and rear camshaft caps, 7 ft. lbs on the 2 smaller bolts that hold the front camshaft cap to the head. Any more than about 9 or 10 on those and they WILL shear.....bummer!

[Gnuman]

What is the brown looking RTV type material under the fron cam cap and in the sharp corners of the valve cover gasket (and also sealing those 1/2 moon pieces on the back side of the head)....is this the anerobic sealant I keep reading about?

What is the trade name of this stuff and where do you buy it? (A)

 

Is it true as someone else mentioned that you should not reuse the cam cap bolts?

(

What does IIRC stand for?

 

And, is it normal for the cam caps to be numbered like mine are...I never heard anyone mention this b4 ©

 

A: Ummm, it is RTV. Permatex makes a very good anerobic sealant called "The Right Stuff". It is. I trust this stuff to seal just about anything, with just a very small ammount, which makes for less likelyhood of small bits of it getting dislodged and clogging up oil passages (a very very bad thing). It is not cheap, but it is well worth the cost. It should be available at your local Auto Parts Store (try Kragen/Checker).

 

B: I had never heard of that issue before, even in the Subaru Field Service Manual. I'll bet you can guess my vote is for you to reuse them, just do not overtorque them 7ft-lbs on the ones that carry the seals, 14ft-lbs on the ones that just hold the cam.

 

C: Yes, it is normal to have them numbered like this. it is to help you identify which ones go where. I always use a "Sharpie" and number them again myself, just to be sure I know where they go.