davebugs Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I have found them excellent to deal with. In all the kits/orders (I'm always adding or subtracting something) I've had 2 minor problems over the years. Those issues were handled promptly and very satifactory. That's atleast as important as price. They were recommended to me here on this forum and now I recommend them as well. I have also started buying other timing belt kits of of them with the same success. Remember to check Ebay FIRST. Sometimes they have deals on Ebay that aren't on their website. The boss decides to run Ebay specials and some of the workers don't always know what he's running. They will match that price if you've done your homework and know to tell them. I'm personally still hesitant to install the MitshbOshi belts on interference engines. I did recently buy a kit for an 02 and got the WP from them and cam/crank seals. I must say the WP gasket and seals look OEM. Haven't installed them yet on a friends car. I have OEM parts here incase he wants to use them instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 glad to here they are taking care of you. since i expressed some concerns earlier, i have read some more info on their site and a linked page from one of their sales. they seem to be saying and ''doing'' all the right things. i have since ordered from them again. the parts seem to be good, but i have not yet installed them. i am hopeful and re-assured by you post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Interesting thread. Glad it worked out for you. I installed a TIE kit on my 2.2 during the time I had it and didn't have a problem. But I remember being aware that I might be "getting what I payed for" so to speak. I was willing to take the risk given the non-interference nature of my motor, but I'm glad to hear they're willing to stand behind their product. Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 The big thing for me is will they stand behind it if they have a part fail-which in this case sounds promising. I have had to go with a supplier that is local and will for this reason and I am constantly working on customers vehicles and can't wait more than a few hours to get parts. I am happy to attempt to beat TIE's prices whenever possible for USMB people on a timing kit if somebody wants a quote. Am working on having the kits on my website with nice photos for quality comparison as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 wow what a marathon fairtax! you have one more test to do - run the new belt with the old pulleys for awhile and see if it causes them more play/noise? good call, it does sound like the belt caused the pulleys to fail. unlikely to have that many failures at once. you mentioned you suspect wrong belt - what could it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 wow what a marathon fairtax! you have one more test to do - run the new belt with the old pulleys for awhile and see if it causes them more play/noise? good call, it does sound like the belt caused the pulleys to fail. unlikely to have that many failures at once. you mentioned you suspect wrong belt - what could it be? I have driven the car with the new belt and old idlers installed and it is quieter than it was with the original belt. Had I done this job before, I might have known something wasn't right when installing the belt. It fit the sprockets and idlers just fine, and the tension idler was able to be installed with a little persuasion. The problem arose when the tensioner was slid over the 2-3mm to it's proper position. I backed off the mounting bolts for the tensioner while the engine was running, and the noise subsided. It was still there, but it was much quieter. I tried this after speaking with the Subaru tech. After getting a definite result by relieving some of the tension on the belt, I installed the Subaru OE belt. The Subaru belt went on with no trouble at all. The tension idler slipped right into place, no elbow grease required. With the idlers installed, tensioner in proper position, there was almost no tension on the belt. I could move it all around, probably could have made it jump the crank sprocket if I tugged hard enough. With the tensioner released (pin removed) there was still some wiggle to the belt. It was taught, but I can still grab it and make it move. The other belt was sorta like a guitar string when the tensioner was in place and the pin pulled. I could actually remove the pin from the tensioner, then put it back in while it was still on the engine. I find it kinda hard to believe the belt might have shrunk while it was in the box for 5 or 6 or 8 months sitting on a shelf, between manufacturer, wholesaler, supplier, then my downstairs utility closet. Although, if it is a cheap enough belt, who knows, maybe it did shrink. I can't imagine it has anything to do with the engine. The same belt is supposed to fit 6 years worth of production. So it's either, A. The manufacturer made a whole production run of belts that were too small, (in which case there will be about another 3 or 4 thousand people, maybe more, who will have the same problem as I did) or B. The person that assembled the kit put the wrong belt in the box. Lots of timing belts out there, all of them have teeth. You have square teeth, or you have round teeth. Those are the only two I know of anyway, and for how many hundreds or even thousands of applications? There are bound to be similar belts that will be just ever so slightly different lengths. Maybe I ended up with a belt for a SOHC 2.5 or something, don't know. I just know it caused me a lot of damn headache, but I now know what to expect, and what to look out for, next time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myhilo Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 I bought two vee belts a while back to go on a double pully alternator set up. Both belts needed to be the same length, they went onto a small double pully and a larger double pully at the crank, I had to go and get two more belts from different sources before I could mix and match two belts that were the same length. I'm convinced the QC on the vee belts from manufacturer to manufacturer regarding length is just not very precise. I don't know if the same applies to timing belts, any comments. Did you try to line up the old and new belts with your hands? How much wear (stretch) was / is there between the old correct belt and the new correct (Subaru?) belt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzpile Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) belts Edited April 4, 2011 by Fuzpile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) These guys are killin' me with this wrong part stuff!!! Got the new idlers yesterday, one of the smooth idlers is the wrong kind. The boxes that the two smooth idlers were packaged in have the same stock number printed on the outside. Just different brand parts inside. Double-yoo tee eff. They're shipping me the correct part, along with a pre-paid return label for the incorrect one. I'm starting to wonder now if this is an omen of things to come with this car!?!?! Did you try to line up the old and new belts with your hands? How much wear (stretch) was / is there between the old correct belt and the new correct (Subaru?) belt? I'll have to try that. I did try to compare the TIE belt with the old belt. Couldn't really tell a difference by feel. I didn't try too hard though. Edited April 6, 2011 by Fairtax4me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 Fixed! Now to move on to another part of the car that needs help, the steering rack bushings which are nearly non existent. Got a set of Whiteline bushings sitting on the shelf waiting. I never did compare belts. I was too caught up in the excitement of finally getting it put back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Fixed! Now to move on to another part of the car that needs help, the steering rack bushings which are nearly non existent. Got a set of Whiteline bushings sitting on the shelf waiting. I never did compare belts. I was too caught up in the excitement of finally getting it put back together. Another problem should be anther post not an additional thread.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 This belt is NOT a Mitsuboshi belt. Every Mitsuboshi I've ever installed had their logo clearly printed on the belt. Their belts are good quality that you can see and even feel in the material of the belt. I can attest to Mitsu belts being good quality. My gf's 2000 Mitsu Galant had the original timing belt on it with 168K I just changed it about 3 weeks ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Another problem should be anther post not an additional thread.. Oh yeah! I gotta start a thread about my power steering pump leak too! And the broken exhaust hanger that mounts to the side of the transmission. And the rear wiper sprayer that just dribbles a little when I push the button. And... Oh and btw... for those interested. I found a brand name on the Subaru TB when I had it off. Unitta is currently making the timing belts for Subaru: http://www.unitta.co.jp/company/kaigai.html I went from one Gates belt to another. I can attest to Mitsu belts being good quality.My gf's 2000 Mitsu Galant had the original timing belt on it with 168K I just changed it about 3 weeks ago The one on my mothers Camry had only about 75k, but it was 13 years old. I caught it slapping the timing cover and replaced it before it broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Unitta is currently making the timing belts for Subaru: http://www.unitta.co.jp/company/kaigai.html I went from one Gates belt to another. Don't try tricking us with facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 The saga continues.... There is still a slight whine from the tensioner and cogged idler bearings, even though they are brand new OE brand parts. I checked the belt tension, seems fine. Even backed off the tensioner just for good measure, no difference. Maybe it's nothing and will go away? I dunno, I'm just a little annoyed by it right now. Another issue has popped up. There appears to be an oil leak from the bell housing area. Of course there's no room to see exactly where it's coming from, but it appears to be running down the differential cover from the bell housing. Brand new separator plate sealed with Permatex anaerobic. Has a brand new rear main seal as well, since the old one was leaking. Guessing by the repeat offenders record the new rear seal didn't take. Oh the joys of auto repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzpile Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 (edited) Oh Man.:-\ What if the oil pressure was clogged upstream someway and all the pressure was put thru the crank? With no relief. OTOH if perchance the compression entered the oil hole to lube the cams...what may happen? So it could be interesting to attach a pressure guage beyond the crank and see if it pulses. that's probably,well you know. I have no doubt the seal was right. Edited April 19, 2011 by Fuzpile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 It would be interesting to see a diagram of the oil feed system, to see exactly where the oil goes after the pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 It would be interesting to see a diagram of the oil feed system, to see exactly where the oil goes after the pump. Ask and ye shall receive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 how deep did you seat the rear main seal? did you use a subaru seal? did the crank have excessive end play? did you notice? have you replaced the valve cover gaskets? or the cam cap o-ring on the rear of the passenger head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzpile Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Particularly informative diagrahm/pic Nipper. This is going to help those who follow it. I wish I could be of service like this. Fairtax opening up these topics and solving them. You guyz are de Best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) Ask and ye shall receive Yoodaman! Subaru seal driven just a hair further than the old seal. Perhaps it needed to go a bit further still. There was some buildup/corrosion/crud on the end of the crank that I wanted to be sure to get past so it wouldn't chew up the new seal. Maybe it chewed it up anyway while I was installing it? I tried to clean it off but it was crusted on pretty good. Figured it was better to leave it and not risk getting grit in the main bearing. I might grab the borescope from work and stick it down in the bell housing to see if I can tell where it's leaking from exactly. :-\ That thing is not the greatest quality though. Didn't even check end play. Everything else except for the valve cover gaskets has been replaced, including both rear cam cap seals. VCGs were not replaced because they were, and still are, (surprisingly) not leaking. I got the steering rack bushings replaced though. More of a pita than I thought it should have been, but it was worth it. No more wandering. Something still clunks/rattles in the front end from time to time if I hit the right kind of bump. Everything seems tight though. Also changed the transmission fluid, the old stuff looked a little brownish on the dip stick. But when drained it looked like chocolate. So I changed I twice more the same evening, gonna do it one more time (bought a whole case of Castrol multi-import ATF) and call it good for 12-15k miles at least. I did notice after changing it, there was a very slight rumble when accelerating around corners, that has now gone away. Mild Torque Bind maybe? Edited April 20, 2011 by Fairtax4me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 sounds like the seal didn't take, but is the PCV valve new? it reduces pressures in the crankcase, won't hurt and for $7? some folks swear that needs to be a Subaru part. i've put hours into this forester with lots of bad luck and poor guess work, you and i should hole up in a cabin next week and just tear into them both at the same time, cussing, kicking, rocking, and high fiving each other along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 As long as there's beer. PCV valve was one of the first things I replaced on this car. It was clogged shut, which may have accounted for the MASSIVE amount of oil leaking from it before I did the work. I got under the thing with a light and a mirror today and still couldn't get a good idea of exactly where the oil leak is coming from. Guess I get to pull the engine again to fix that. Not like it's hard... I'm tired of draining the coolant out of the thing. I swapped the brand new tensioner today with the old leaky one. I checked the condition of the idler bearings, they seem to be in good shape so far. Thought I could feel some play in the cogged idler but it may have just been my imagination. (I want something to be physically wrong/broken so I can shoot it) Either way, old tensioner on, the whirr has subsided. Just gonna have to keep an ear on it, check it all again when I pull the engine to fix the oil leak. In the mean time. The outer cv boot on the right rear axle has split open, and the rest don't look so hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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