Hey all, first time on the new gen board. Just picked up a 93 impreza, I have done many TB changes on the ea82 and er27 engines with no problem. Today trying to change the TB on the ej18, can't break the bolt on the front pully to get TB off. Any tricks to doing this, have bent wrench trying to break the bolt loose. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks.

better wrenches. breaker bar. 3/4" socket. a decent 1/2" socket should work fine, but they are very tight and one of the toughest bolts to knock off. if your socket is bending i'd get another socket wrench, i've done dozens and dozens with the same 1/2" sears craftsmen and it's never bent or broken.

 

the easy way if you're having problems is to let the starter do the work. be very careful and make sure you know what you're doing. place the socket on the crank bolt. rotate it around until it's solidly resting on something solid...if it's not long enough, use a pipe over the handle of the socket. then disconnect the coil wires so the car won't start. then bump the starter motor...as quickly as you can. just enough to turn the motor over. this will knock it loose, then finish by hand.

better wrenches. breaker bar. 3/4" socket. a decent 1/2" socket should work fine, but they are very tight and one of the toughest bolts to knock off. if your socket is bending i'd get another socket wrench, i've done dozens and dozens with the same 1/2" sears craftsmen and it's never bent or broken.

 

the easy way if you're having problems is to let the starter do the work. be very careful and make sure you know what you're doing. place the socket on the crank bolt. rotate it around until it's solidly resting on something solid...if it's not long enough, use a pipe over the handle of the socket. then disconnect the coil wires so the car won't start. then bump the starter motor...as quickly as you can. just enough to turn the motor over. this will knock it loose, then finish by hand.

 

I'll give that a try, bent wrenches and bloody nuckles, sounds like a good idea to let the car do some of the work. Thanks

Yes these bolts are often TIGHT. I got mine off with the sears 1/2" breaker bar with a 3' piece of pipe on it. Even then it was tough. Of course only 6 pt socket, 22mm usually, flank drive if possible, is really suitable. If you want 3/4" drive, sears has 3/4" breaker bars but all their 3/4" drive sockets at least in the stores are 12pt. You can get nice Armstrong sockets individually from mcmaster.com

 

Of course when the bolt gets put back in it needs to be the right torque b/c you don't want it loosening up later.

he brings up two really good points - use a 6point socket on this and make sure it's really tight when you reinstall. preferrably make sure you're torquing it to factory spec's and make sure the spec's are right, i've seen incorrect info posted on these before.

wedge a screwdriver in flywheel put aI believe 7/8 socket 1/2 inch drive long pipe and it's easy!

+1 on letting the starter to the work.

 

just remember to unplug the ignitor or removed the plugs so that the engine doesn't start.

 

Also if it's a manual, just put the thing in gear. If your clutch is in good shape it should hold and allow you to loosen the bolt.

 

BW

Set crank pulley bolt torque to 150 ftlb (haven't had one come loose yet, but have seen "factory specs" loosen up and require a new engine) and apply some grease to threads and shoulder of bolt so it'll torque properly... AND come off later. NO threadlocker!

 

Lewis

No thread locker? whoops.

Thanks for all the info, it came right off with breaker bar and a pipe with one quick application of the starter. I had oil all over the front of the engine, seems the front crankshaft seal on the front of the oil pump was leaking, removed everything and got a new seal, now I have to put it all back together. Anyone know if Subaru recomends a particular sealant or can I use any high temp sealant for the pump?

Yes the recommend some three bond sealer I think it is which can be tough to find. The approved alternative is Permatex ultra grey, which you will find at nearly any auto parts store.

 

Don't use too much though; you don't want any little pieces to break off and get lodged in the system somewhere.

 

Also make sure the o-ring seats correctly and does not fall out as you put the new oil pump on.

 

It is also easier to remove and replace the front crank oil seal (on the oil pump) before reinstalling the oil pump.

 

Also, make sure your oil pump rear cover case (over the rotors) are tight; sometimes they like to back out. Loctite green (wicking type) can work well on those screws without removing them.

Sounds good, loctite probable a good idea on the screws on the back plate, they were all loose except for one. What about the water pump, same sealant or something diffrent?

No sealant required for the water pump. You do however definitely want a new gasket. I used some edelbrock gasginch to hold the gasket on the new water pump whilst wiggling it into place.

I had to go out and look at my water pump again, I didn't even see a gasket it's pretty toast. Thanks for all of the help, I'll be making a run into the part store in the am and get this projest wrapped up tommorow.

 

Thanks again to everyone who helped me out, I hope to be able to start being helpful to others pretty soon.

If you can't find a gasket at the autoparts place, there's a good chance your nearest Subaru dealer would have one. They may charge more but it's not an uber expensive part.

 

If you were in a pinch you probably could use ultragrey on that too if you didn't have a new gasket or to reuse the old one.

Not a big deal going to the Sub parts dept, I have an xt6, you can't find parts anywhere else. I'm unfortunately a regular there.

Whatever brand sealant you choose for the oil pump make sure it is a anaerobic sealer. Triple bond and permatex ultra grey are, but non silicone sealers, even the high temp stuff, can get into your oil passages and damage or even ruin your engine .

anaerobic sealant is the proper sealant to use. it doesn't run the risk of coagulating in your oil supply if any happens to get in there. regular Permatex products and RTV that most people use will work, but it's more risky.

make sure it is a anaerobic sealer. Triple bond and permatex ultra grey are

i don't think this is true, permatex ultra grey is typically used, but it is NOT anaerobic. the anaerobic stuff is expensive and requires the applicator spray as well, but you don't need much of it, i'd stick to it. there's a picture on one of the XT6 groups of a guy who used permatex stuff and it got caught in his oil supply lines...i believe at the cams. he had severe ticking and found the glob of sealant wedged at the cam oil supply between the cam and the head, blocking oil supply to that cam. properly used it'll work, i'm not trying to sound like it's the end of the world, but don't be liberal with it if you're using the other stuff.

Since I have to go buy the selant I will make sure it is an anerobic sealant, to easy to risk gunking up or ruining the engine with a silicone based stuff.

the anaerobic sealant i got from NAPA is a set of squeeze tube sealant and a can of applicator spray. not sure if they're all like that or not?

Since I have to go buy the selant I will make sure it is an anerobic sealant, to easy to risk gunking up or ruining the engine with a silicone based stuff.

Ultra Grey works fine, just cut the nozzle at the smallest opening, 1/16". If any chunks split off (unlikely considering how the bead forms on the outside), they will go straight into the filter. I wonder why the factory recommends Ultra Grey and not anaerobic sealant. Perhaps they don't trust service technicians to clean the surfaces well enough.

Subaru recommends some # three bond sealer in this app. Maybe that's an anaerobic. Ultra grey is an approved alternative. Maybe they know it's easy to find for us, probably like three bond is for them. Rather than recommend some alternative that is hard to find so people just use whatever they can get their hands on.

I'm not sure ThreeBond 1215 is anaerobic, because some of its applications do not normally call for anaerobic sealant. I believe we are referring to the same TSB that lists sealants with applications, and their alternatives.

Also see http://www.threebond.co.jp/en/product/series/sealants/1200list.html.

never seen the "applicator spray", but use the permatex anerobic stuff all the time from the red tube, and the sealant is red as well, smells sweet. Never had a leak, due to the sealant, that is....

 

Lewis

Yes it appears 3M T-3 black silicone is also recommended. The entire list is here at EndWrench: Recommended Sealants and Adhesives

 

Copied out of the article: