Guy's is there some trick to getting the timing belt back on this thing. It seems to be 1/2" to short. It was on this engine so I know it did fit. This has been the worst subaru I have worked on. I'm just about to pull turbo engine and put 91 non turbo engine in it. It is a nice looking car and I need it running. Regular trips to Doctor.

tensioner assembly compressed and held that way with cotter pin?

do you have the bottom idler removed.

 

then place belt on the marks

then thread in the idler

then release tensioner.

 

ej22 is the easiest of them all. you can get it. oh, dont compress the tensioner quickly, you need take it VERY VERY VERY SLOW. use a shope vise a little at a time. takes about 30 minutes. if you go too fast it ruins it.

The early tensioners compress in 5 minutes or less. 30 minutes is WAY overkill. You need to go slowely - as fast as it will easily *let* you go. But 30 minutes is rediculous.

 

Leave the cogged ilder and lower smooth ilder off. Line everything up, install the belt and hold the belt in tension by pulling on it where the cogged idler runs. Then install the cogged idler, and then the smooth idler. Pull the pin on the tensioner and double-check your marks. When you have done a few it will take you about 2 minutes to do the SOHC belts. DOHC belts are a real biotch - they take like 3 minutes

 

GD