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Died and wont start


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Hi all,

I was out on a drive this afternoon and without warning the old faithful died. I heard something like a soft pop or a release of somekind and she stalled. She is now not starting.

 

My Thoughts:

1. time belt broke

2. double check that she is getting spark

3. the fuel pump was audible so perhaps she kicked it.

4. Check compression

 

Other than that I am lost

 

some history of the vehicle:

1. she was running really hot with a plugged radiator in the summer, since replaced

2. Gives a check engine light considently on harder acceleration past around 4000rpms and usually only when getting to highway speeds. usually not in 1st gear. Codes read were Neutral switch and Air Control.

 

 

apart from that she is driving well and just drove from Vancouver canada to Northern California with ease.

 

any other thoughts or perhaps ideas where to start looking. thanks

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At this point it could be many things, do the usual check, spark, fuel, timing belts. Pull your distributor cover and see if rotor turns when engine cranked. Also there are two rubber plugs on the front of the timing covers... although I have never tried to use these... they are there... I think.. and can feel if the left timing belt is still tight... the right turns the cam, which intern rotates the distributor.

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I popped of the timing belt inspection port covers and low and behold I only felt one timing belt. The inspection ports are awesomly easy to use.

so now I have to do my first subaru timing belt change. from the book it looks like I have to remove a lot of pulleys, is this hard to do.

 

1. the book suggests having a special tools to hold the crankpulley while tightening the bolt. is this necessary? any alternatives.

2. are you supposed to install passanger side belt first?

3. when installing you leave the slack on the tensioner side

4. now that one side is off is it hard to realign or are the marks pritty staightforward

5. lastly, do you need a flywheel stopper as the book has pictured, will it really move?

 

thanks for all the help

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1. Just put in to 5th with the hand brake on as hard as it will go. A breaker bar and a 3 ft piece of pipe should do the trick.

2. I can't remember, it is pretty obvious, the one closest to the block goes on first!

3. The slack is put on that side when releasing the tensioners, by turning the cam sprockets towards them. There isn't really all that much that you have any choice.

4. The marks are easy.

5. No. See 1. above.

 

This beast has lots of miles on it. Check the condition of the tensioners and idler.

 

The hardest part is getting the covers off. No sprockets to remove, just the crank pulley.

 

Double/triple check the timing marks by cranking it over a few times by hand.

 

Good luck.

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read the USRM entry by milesfox. its THE BOMB.

 

I managed to do it without.. the timing belts were what made my soob free from me brudder.... its an easy process, BUT its nice to read through the process and imagine it all once or twice before you actually tear into it. There are one or two potential hangups, but milesfox spelled them all out in his writeup.

 

+1 on rotating the crankshaft several times to ensure that the timing marks all still line up afterwards.

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I am working on the timebelt. the drives side belt was the one that went. I am having a hard time getting the inner timing belt cover off. it is hung up on the water pump pulley. I tried to take the fan off but I stripped one of the 4 10mm bolts. do I even have to take the fan off? or not. it looks like I should be able to get away without doing this but at the same time the waterpump pulley is getting in the way. I looked at the write up in the USRM which is good but makes it seem like everything should go just peachy.

 

I was also wondering if I align the passenger camstright up and the 3 marks on the fly wheel if it is the middle of the 3 dashes or the left of right. or if it even matters all that much.

thanks for the help as always it is really appreciated. and by hell or high water I will get the "beast" back in backroad ripping condition.

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yes take that clutch fan and waterpump pully off to get the covers off, also would be a good idea to do the water pump, so unbolt the a/c compressor/alternator braket and swing it up out of the way and its about 20 minutes to change the waterpump. Timing belts = easy after you do them once.

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I got everything together but the timing marks on the drivers side I had to feel becuase the radiator was in the way. She ran but doesn't have any power. she sounds a but loud too so I am thinking the valves might be ahead by a notch. would it be that or just the distributor off. I imaged that because the distributor works off the drivers side camshaft if I line it up it should all be timed right.

 

thanks for the ideas.

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well she runs! and well at that. I was a tooth to far advanced. I did manage to get the inner timebelt cover on and off with a far amount of trouble. (i never removed the waterpump pulley) I have a water leak though right around the water pump area. it drips off the timebelt cover about inline underneith the waterpump. do you guys think this would be the waterpump or some hosing that goes in and around it?

 

 

thanks for the help all!

 

-nate

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