Do you need to buy a special tool to hold the camshaft sprockets when adjusting timing belt tension on a EA82 engine? Haynes manual says apply 18 ft-lbs to one of the nuts on the sprocket, but they are supposed to be torqued to only about 7 ft-lbs.

 

The local dealer says they don't sell Subaru tools to individuals, and would have to call a tool truck.

Do you need to buy a special tool to hold the camshaft sprockets when adjusting timing belt tension on a EA82 engine? Haynes manual says apply 18 ft-lbs to one of the nuts on the sprocket, but they are supposed to be torqued to only about 7 ft-lbs.

 

The local dealer says they don't sell Subaru tools to individuals, and would have to call a tool truck.

While you don't HAVE to have one it makes it easier to get the right tension on them! I've got a CAD drawing of one and could probably get one fabbed up pretty quick if you wanted one.

massive overkill. there of tons of people on here like me that have done dozens or hundreds of these without any tools. EA82 belts are way too easy to even bother with it.

So how do you adjust the belt tension w/o tools?

So how do you adjust the belt tension w/o tools?

 

You don't need the special tools - make sure the slack is on the tensioner side using the crank bolt, give the tensioner a good shove and lock it down.

 

The EA82 belts are crap and don't last much past 50k usually. Tensioned regularly or not - doesn't matter. As such there is no need to be picky about this point. Just make sure the slack it out and call it good.

 

You can easily make a tool - get a peice of 1x1/8 flat bar stock and drill two holes for bolts that will slip into the holes in the cam sprockets. Wrap the other end in electrical tape for a handle.

 

You don't need it though - it's overkill and won't help the belts last any longer.

 

GD

you can torque the cam sprocket using the 10mm cam sprocket bolts if you'd like. very few dealers have used this tool...i bet most don't even have one, in the past 15 years probably on all their EA82 timing belt jobs...and it's be easier to climb mount everest than find a mechanic that actually uses one every time...well maybe that's easy on a subaru board!

 

i can tell you this - you won't notice a difference either way..using that "tool" or not.

Guess it's personal preference. Way I see it, if the tool is available then use it cos it was intended for a specific purpose and job. I've got 2 of them coming out of the waterjet machine at work first thing in the morning, one for my tool box and one for a friend's

You can easily make a tool - get a peice of 1x1/8 flat bar stock and drill two holes for bolts that will slip into the holes in the cam sprockets. Wrap the other end in electrical tape for a handle.

GD

 

Or you could put a couple of nails into a broomstick. Not so durable, mind you--I got maybe one job out of that tool. Not good for _measuring_ torque either. But it did help get the camshafts in the right position, since they're a bit stiff to turn by hand.

 

If you do want to build a tool, you gould use the bar and bolt design, but also attach a largish bolt head in the center. You could then actually use a torque wrench on it. I use something like this now.

OK, here are (lousy) pics of the timing belt tools I have. My father in law made them and gave them to me when he went to new gen subarus. The one on the right fits onto the cam sprockets so you can actually use a torque wrench to tension the timing belts. The one on the left fits into the bellhousing hole and holds the flywheel so you can get the crank pulley off more easily.

 

Is any of these what is being talked about?

 

498 027 000 - the Y shaped tool with 2 pins on the end.

There was another type made which was a 1/4" thick round plate with 4 pins on it (each goes into one of the holes on the sprocket and there's a boss in the middle with a 3/8" square hole broached in it for installing onto your torque wrench.

Here's one that I'm building, just had it cut on the waterjet machine at work, I've deleted the boss with the broached hole so I can just put it on the end of the torque wrench and get it into place a little easier. I'm going to get some SS cap head bolts and turn the thread off the ends of them, leaving about 1/4" of thread near the head and then loctite them into place

It's turned out pretty well so far, a little de-burring and thread the 4 holes and I'll be done!

It's a lot heavier than the one I took measurements off of, this one is made out of polished stainless (it's what we had laying around) and the original was aluminum.

498 027 000 - the Y shaped tool with 2 pins on the end.

There was another type made which was a 1/4" thick round plate with 4 pins on it (each goes into one of the holes on the sprocket and there's a boss in the middle with a 3/8" square hole broached in it for installing onto your torque wrench.

Here's one that I'm building, just had it cut on the waterjet machine at work, I've deleted the boss with the broached hole so I can just put it on the end of the torque wrench and get it into place a little easier. I'm going to get some SS cap head bolts and turn the thread off the ends of them, leaving about 1/4" of thread near the head and then loctite them into place

It's turned out pretty well so far, a little de-burring and thread the 4 holes and I'll be done!

It's a lot heavier than the one I took measurements off of, this one is made out of polished stainless (it's what we had laying around) and the original was aluminum.

Man thats nice.I agree that the belts and components quality are crappy, which is why using the proper tool,and the correct torque is important. They need all the help they can get.

 

Im all for the tool:burnout: and again NICE WORK.

Is any of these what is being talked about?

 

 

The Y one, right in the middle.