DanChas

After I installed the new head gaskets and torqued them down, I added a very small extra tweek to the torque to make sure these gaskets hold up. I'll keep the site posted just in case there are any problems found down the road. If I were to change out the motor, I'd definitely change to an EJ22 just for the peace of mind. Thanks for all the very good advice. I own all Subies and plan to continue as my experience with them has kept me alive when the weather got out of shape, ie. high winds and downpours. I'LL BE BACK!!

Hey Guys, That was the ticket! I pulled the timing covers off and hosed down the timing notches behind the crank pulley and there it was. 'The Hash Mark' was right where you said it would be and after I got the covers back on, the engine was purring like a kitten after about half a turn on the starter. Thanks for the help!!

There were no codes generated and I checked several times. My code reader sees the system and loads up but there are never any codes. All of the notches are on the crankshaft timing sprocket. There aren't any hash marks on the crank timing pulley just an arrow and that's what the Chilton's manual showed for the DOHC engine and also what other blogs and Youtubers said to do. I lined up the cams so that the single line on intake pulley of No. 1 was up and the double lines on intake and exhaust were facing each other. (intake down and exhaust up). No. 2 and 4 side cam pulleys also have the double lines facing each other (intake down and exhaust up). All belt lines fit to the cam lines perfectly. Now I'm suspicious of this hash mark and not the arrow thing. What does this hash mark look like as all I can see on the crank pulley is the arrow. The insanity goes deeper. I will tear it apart again and pull the covers off and take pictures. Maybe I'll get to the bottom of this!! Thanks for the help.

Hello all, My first post is a doozie!! I have been working on a 1996 Legacy Outback on and off for several weeks. I have a Chiltons manual which should be in the recycle bin. I have found numerous errors that drove me crazy until I finally figured out which diagrams will actually work with my vehicle. To preface this, the vehicle was running when it came into my garage. I changed out blown head gaskets, Installed new valve seals and timing belt. I have roughly 130 psi in each cylinder so I know I installed the belt properly. Installation went well though getting engine apart was one of the hardest engine jobs I've ever done. The engine will not start!!!!! I tested the coil pak, ignitor, and wiring all the way back to the ECM. BTW I can smell fuel at the exhaust pipe so I'm pretty sure the injectors are putting something out. I set up a test for the ECM to check the coil firing signal at the ignitor. I used 2 LED's with 470 ohm resistors in series with the coil firing wires from the ECM. When I crank the engine I see the LED's firing strangely. Coil one LED fires twice for every single firing of the number 2 coil yet the engine still does not fire. I traced the Cam and Crank sensor wires and they are intact all the way to the ECM. I changed both sensors even though they tested good on the bench. I also changed out the Coil Pak just to make sure I was dealing with a new set of coils. The coil pak failed the bench test as it would only fire once and then nothing. What have I missed? I'd love some useful advice, thanks!