Slow02GT

cool, sounds good. that's the same thing that happened w/ my mustang... the things just snapped and I moved them back in the opposite direction. 8,000 miles on a built, supercharged motor with no problems at all

Thanks guys... seems easy enough. I'll take off the radiator too and do the water pump and all the idlers and stuff...BTW, did those of you who've done it use those tools to hold the cam sprockets in place or did you just jerry rig them so they wouldn't move? I know when I did the mustang it didn't matter anyway, I just put the belt on w/ the cams out of time and then adjusted everything tooth by tooth using the chains to hold things in place as I adjusted them. Valve spring pressure is not that strong!

Hey guys, I posted this on another board and they told me to come here... My parents just bought a 97 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited w/ the 2.5L H4 and 5spd, and it has ~105,000 miles on it. Generally speaking people have told me that dealers recommend replacing the timing belt at around 90,000 miles and we're not sure if it's been done yet. The car seems to run fine but we don't want to take the risk of it breaking because if it does the engine will be toast. Now, I know a lot about mechanics and have dealt with timing before, so I want to know how big of a job this is. I looked over the car and it doesn't look overly difficult to get to the timing cover except for getting the crank pulley off because the radiator is in the way and I don't think there's enough room to get a pulley tool in there. If I can get the crank pulley off (any advice on this would help), is the job as simple as removing the accessory belt, removing the AC/PS pumps and pulleys and stuff, removing the alternator, removing the timing cover and replacing the belt? I know about the marks on the belt and the sprockets and keeping the engine in time and all that stuff and I will have a Hayne's or Chilton's manual by my side. I'm assuming it would be about 300-500 to replace the belt at a dealer/mechanic and my parents just bought this car so I don't think they should have to spend that kinda money right off the bat. I have a 500rwhp Mustang and have done everything from replacing cams and valvesprings to motor and transmission swaps, so working on cars is nothing new to me...just working on Subarus is Any advice? And also, is there anything else I should replace while I'm in there, seals or sensors or anything? Thanks a lot! Chris As an addendum, the person who replied on the other board recommended changing the cam seals and oil pump o-ring (is that the front crank seal?), so I'll probably do that too...just looking for advice here. thanks