Does Timing Belt brand matter?

[coclimber]

I've heard different things: "timing belts never break, its the other timing components that fail" to "you must buy best timing belt ever"

 

What should I look to spend on a good timing belt and what is a good brand?

[idosubaru]

you personality will dictate the answer:  how do you view reliability, longevity, repairs, finances, risk mitigation, back up vehicles, paying to have it done verses doing it yourself if it does break, how anal are you...lots of variables.

 

in general brand isn't all that concerning. i used Subaru for quite a few years with the advent of interference engines in 1997.  since that time i've drifted towards aftermarket belts now that they have a good track record. i avoid the cheapest stuff and no name brands on ebay/amazon. 

 

there are gates kits for $130 on amazon right now, hard to beat that.

 

a statistically relevant reply would look something like this:  Subaru belts have a 0.00003% failure rate.....the worst aftermarket belts have a 0.00005% failure rate.  if you're the kind of person to sweat and twitch and rock back and forth or get worked up because 2 more failures per hundred thousand instances, then get the Subaru belt.  granted the numbers are made up, but it's something like that.  if you're the kind of person you have a lot to worry about too with all the risks involved in life.

 

then again - belts are cheap - $60 or less, no biggie.  do what you want.

 

statistically speaking the chance of timing belt failure is probably more correlated to how well the job is done, not getting fluids on the belt, properly torquing bolts, retaining the stock bolts, properly compressing the tensioner, etc.

[Bushwick]

If you just mean the "belt" and are talking about the rubber compound, you can't go wrong with Goodyear or other high-end rubber belts. I usually go with them or Gates. It's a wear item regardless and *will* fail at some point unlike metal chains that can easily go twice as long with out breaking, though they'll stretch. Rock auto has plenty to choose from. Can get an entire kit (belt + pulleys) for around $100.

[coclimber]

I am kinda set on Gates after reading a lot about their product.  Now, I have an interesting dilemma about how MUCH to replace....

 

The water pump is bad.  I already bought that.  And, since the water pump is bad that means I have to take all the timing components off anyway...  That said, the timing components were done 45K miles ago.  So, I have these options I guess:

 

Option 1 $35 total (Gates T307 belt only): Just change timing belt but keep rest of the kit at 45K.  These leaves me with a timing belt that can go 105K, but everything else is at 45K already.

Option 2 $136 total (Gates Timing Belt kit): Get a Gates kit and change it all out so that every piece of the puzzle is at the same mileage

 

Do I have timing belt and other components "off" on mileage or do I keep them all the same and replace everything there?

[Bushwick]

What year/engine do you have? Is it DOHC? After a certain year, they became interference engines, and the DOHC setup is a little more of a PITA to change a belt. I have the super easy 2.2L SOHC non-interference setup. It took less than an hour to swap the belt. I repacked my bearings since they weren't *that* bad. Worse case in my situation it throws a belt from a failed pulley. The parts get replaced and back on the road. Though it should get 60k miles w/o issue. Will probably replace all 4 pulleys then. Spin them by hand. They should spin smoothly w/o noises/squeaks. If you can feel the bearings then it's either dry or not enough grease.

 

Basically, it's your call. For piece of mind, spend the $136 and be done with it. I was lucky my pulleys weren't that bad yet, and given how simple the timing belt is and NO interference, I wasn't worried. Save your old pulleys as back ups and you'll be able to compare them with what the new ones will be at 60K+ miles later.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Bushwick

[coclimber]

2.5L SOHC from a 2001 Legacy

[luko]

The 2.5 SOHC are cake to replace.. That 2.5 is a non-interference engine too by the way. But If it was me I would return that water pump and buy a Gates complete timing belt, tensioner, pulley and water pump kit through Rock auto, I think they run about $137 plus shipping 

[luko]

And an easy way of braking that bolt free on the harmonic balance is to use a 1/2 beaker bar, and put the socket on then put it so the beaker bar is against the top of the drive side frame rail and just bump the engine over once and it should break it free.. and make sure you remove the radiator it makes it so much easier (more room), plus you have to drain the coolant system anyways 

[coclimber]

Thanks luko.  Looks like RockAuto's Gate TB kit, after shipping = $170, so its a wash for me buying the Aisin water pump separately. I'll look at Rock Auto in the future though to get a good deal from same place all at once!

[Bushwick]

Yeah, that's interference, but at least it's a SOHC. I'd at least inspect the pulleys and see how well they spin. If they were new with last belt, should still be good but you never know. If you decide to reuse them, mark the mileage down, and when you get to the mileage where the old belt would have been changed, maybe inspect the pulleys. If they ever start getting noisy while running, replace them.

[luko]

Sorry my bad, I forgot only up to 1996 SOHC engines where non interference all after which are interference, good catch!  

[RallyKeith]

In General, I have yet to be disappointed by any Beck/Arnley part. I just bought a Beck/Arnley timing belt for my 2005 and it was a really high quality belt with all the timing marks and even included a windshield sticker to record the mileage. I also bought a Beck Arnley Thermostat and it was pretty beefy, at least matching the build quality of the OEM, and it included the rubber seal.

[Fairtax4me]

Brand isn't such a big deal on an older car with the non- interference engine. (96 and older 2.2L) The old belts have a 60k mile change interval, and the components are fully capable of doing double that. And if the belt ever broke, there wasnt any harm done.

With the interference engines and the longer 105k mile change interval expectations change a bit. If the belt breaks there is almost guaranteed engine damage. More than likely a cheap belt will last the 105k interval just fine, but on that off-chance that it doesn't you're stuck with a much higher repair bill. So if for nothing more than peace of mind its usually best to go with a name-brand belt, though its usually not necessary to use OEM Subaru.

Components will go 105k easy, but will they make it to 210k? Probably not. The components are often what fail and cause the belt to break because people DONT replace them at that 105 interval like they should. Often the belt doesn't even get replaced at 105, usually it gets drawn out to 120k or longer. Then the mechanic says, "ok you're set til 225k miles!". How can we expect already worn idler bearings to last that long?

Edited November 27, 2013 by Fairtax4me

[Olnick]

"Brand isn't such a big deal on an older car with the non-interference engine."

 

I think that's what you meant to say, right?

[Fairtax4me]

"Brand isn't such a big deal on an older car with the non-interference engine."

 

I think that's what you meant to say, right?

Yes! Corrected my earlier post. Thank-you for the catch Olnick!

[naru]

Belts break.Oh yeah.

 

I would not worry about the brand though,

[idosubaru]

Do I have timing belt and other components "off" on mileage or do I keep them all the same and replace everything there?

 

Do you not mind doing the work?  If not - just do the belt now and do the belt and timing components in 50k.  That engine is easy enough to do that's a great option.  Belt and timing components only take 30-45 minutes, they're easy, no cleaning of surfaces like water and oil pumps.

 

There's lots of reasons you may opt to do it all now too, if you don't like working on cars at all then get as much out of this as possible. If the vehicle is questionable in terms of lasting very long then maybe you just do it all now and never think about it again. Or if you are likely to have life situation changes (moving, family, job, large future projects/commitments) - then being done with it for as long as possible may be of value to you.

 

 

Thanks luko.  Looks like RockAuto's Gate TB kit, after shipping = $170,

 

http://www.amazon.com/Gates-TCK304-Timing-Belt-Component/dp/B002R8HMAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385604910&sr=8-1&keywords=subaru+gates+timing+belt+kit

[luko]

http://www.amazon.com/Gates-TCK304-Timing-Belt-Component/dp/B002R8HMAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385604910&sr=8-1&keywords=subaru+gates+timing+belt+kit

 

Only problem with that kit is that it does not come with a water pump, but other than that it's a god deal