1997 Subaru Legacy Outback Timing Belt

[pod.rock]

I am in need of a little knowledge, if anyone could help me out in this I would be greatly appreciative.  Long story short, I have a '97 subaru outback 2.5l. The idler pulley came loose, my timing skipped.  I pulled the cover and like an idiot popped the timing belt off without the marks in the right place.  I wasn't thinking and am now paying for it as I don't know exactly how it aligns or how I should go about it. The cam on the right spun when I let the tensioner loose so I'm not quite sure where the marks should be if I could just put everything back together and turn it.  I really don't want to bend anything.

Edited July 4, 2013 by pod.rock

[darsdoug]

[idosubaru]

as you turn crank and cams, just STOP immediately if you feel any resistance at all and move on to the next.

 

the ones that spun around on their own spun to rest in the closed position so those should be golden...at least now.

[davebugs]

If it was being driven when idler failed things aren't looking so good.

 

Have the HG's been done?

Are you thinking of keeping the car?

 

I used to sell a "I'm feeling lucky kit" I may have one or two left over.  Or  most parts anyways.

 

Often a cam sprocket wil lshater too.  FOlks are in denial and need a cam sprocket.  I used to sell them the idler of their choice, a used timing belt, and a cam sprocket(or 2).  So they could install teh parts and figure out just how screwed they are.

 

Personally I've never seen a DOHC have a failure and skip time and NOT have valve issues.  IIR the pass side usually crashes first.  If you're gonna keep the car and HG's haven't been done now if your chance...

[pod.rock]

The car was being driven when the idler pulley came off.  I kind of assumed the timing was off as they said the timing read 15 degrees past dead center, and it was misfiring.  I had never done timing before and popped the belt off without thinking about what was really happening.  Upon looking at the timing though it appears that the drivers side lower cam was significantly out of time.  Most of the pulleys are solid but the lower drivers side cam can move further than the others.  I tried to bring it back in to alignment with what would be in time and it rotated past a point where it gave resistance and then gave again but stayed in a solid position.  The engine seemed to be misfiring on that side from what I could hear, so I'm thinking this might not be good.

 

What is the best way to get the timing marks back to the top dead center position?  I took the belt off prematurely and now cannot turn the crank shaft to top dead center.  As I mentioned the lower drivers side cam seemed to be out of position and has me worried.  It ran up until I parked it.  I haven't had the guts to turn the engine over since.  I'm not sure what to do.  I don't really want to take apart the engine.  The head gasket had been done prior to me owning it.  Thinking about selling it for parts if nothing else. 

[pod.rock]

I figured if something as bad as a bent valve had happened that there would have been a very bad bang, followed by a whole slew of other things.  Is there a way I can tell without taking the engine apart?

[idosubaru]

yes - remove and reinstall the belt properly.  that's your test.

 

you won't hear any bang or notice anything if the valves bend.

 

resistance is normal, from cam lobes and compression in the cylinders. cams feel really hard to turn...and them WHOOSH, they pass the crest of the lobe and swing a few degrees hard and fast, i've lost skin numerous times when my hand just clips the cam edge after slipping off.

 

1. turn the crank mark to it's alignment position (use the correct mark, folks often use the wrong mark for some reason on the sprocket).

 

*** what do you mean you can't turn the crank, i think you said?  you may be feeling compression. if you're not sure then you'll have to pull the spark plugs out, with those out the crank turns much easier and encounters no resistance.

 

or - try moving your cam marks to their proper position too?  again - stiff, hard contact is bad - interference possible.  a gradual ramping up of resistance is just the cam lobes.  if you can't go one way with the cam, go the other (start with shortest distance to alignment marks?).