Timing Belt, the right way.

[jakebot]

I have been on here and other sites and have gotten a stupid amount of conflicting info.

I have the 1996 OB with the 2.5 with120,000 on it and I think I need:
Timing Belt
Timing Belt Tensioner
Water Pump
Crankshaft Seal
Cam Shafts seals (I assume there's 2 or 4 not sure if this is SOHC or DOHC)
Idler
Pulleys

I don't wonder if throwing a new t-stat and a seal or gasket if I need it wouldn't be a bad idea
I also assume at this time replacing the coolant would be a good idea as it needs to be drained anyway.

There may be more that i'm unaware of as well.
Does anybody have a kit they recommend that has all the stuff you SHOULD do while at it that's high quality parts?
It doesn't have to be OEM just not junk parts.

Thanks in advance.

[heartless]

changing coolant would be a good idea, yes - and check the hoses while you are at it. it is not 100% necessary to drain/change it, timing can be done without draining... just pull the fans for better access, but if you are doing the job, do it all and be good to go for many miles.

Aisin is the OE water pump supplier, and they do offer timing kits, but you need to know which motor you have.
The absolute MOST important part to change, besides the belt, is the cogged idler pulley, which tends to be the one that fails first out of all of them. Cam & crank oil seals are definitely a good idea.. Tensioner, unless it is leaking oil, is not a really a necessity, but good practice if you are unsure.

the plate on the left (drivers side) strut tower will tell you which engine you have, as well as trim & color codes, and tranny info

that is an example of the plate you are looking for.. that particular one is for an EJ253 - it is the first 5 characters of the "Engine type" that you are interested in. (unless your car has had an engine swap, in which case, this info is pointless) there are multiple configurations of the 2.5, so having that 5th character - letter or number - is pretty important in making sure you get the correct parts for your engine.

Thermostat is typically not a necessary change item, unless you are having temp issues - if you do decide to change it, get an OEM one only - aftermarket are junk. (search the forum here for more details)

This is also a good time to replace the accessory belts, since you will have them off anyway to do the timing, fresh oil change & filter is a good idea as well.

you can find a service manual here to help you along with the job: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/

[wtdash]

'96 2.5 = DOHC. Kit should be the same for the '96-'99 EJ25D. 

Yeah...stick with Aisin-based kits. And the Stant or OEM T-stat. 

Might want to add the oil pump, since you're 'right there' when you do the crankshaft seal. There's an o-ring for the oil pump-where it mates to the block- to replace and you'll want to tighten the large Philips head screws on block-side of the pump, too. 

 

Also, loosen the 2 motor mounts (14mm) to lift the engine a bit for access. Makes it easier to replace those NGK (only) platinum spark plugs (every 60K), too.

Lastly, if you have any oil leaks from the back. the rear Separator Plate is likely the cause as Subaru  switched to a plastic cover (switched back to metal in '00?) that's not so great. The replacement kit includes a metal cover and screws/bolts. But this requires pulling the engine (@ least I do) and is a much bigger job than the T-belt. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by wtdash

[Numbchux]

OEM water pumps very rarely fail. Not a chance I would replace it at 120k miles.

 I buy a Mitsuboshi belt, NSK idlers and Aisin tensioner separately. 

 

Anything beyond that would be as-needed.

[idosubaru]

On 4/18/2022 at 12:37 PM, wtdash said:

'96 2.5 = DOHC. Kit should be the same for the '96-'99 EJ25D. 

There are two different tensioners.  1996 has the two piece style, 1997+ has the later one piece style. I don't think AISIN makes a kit for the DOHC EJ25.

There are also 2 different EJ25D valve cover gaskets.

Make a list of all the parts and part numbers - write them down - and go buy them one at a time.  Buy them from Subaru - the online suppliers are discounted 20+% and reasonable.  Sometimes ebay has them too - I've gotten the lower idler (the most common one to fail) many times on ebay for $15 or so. 

Belt, two pulleys, lower idler, tensioner pulley, 4 cam seals, crank seal and oil pump oring and sealant for oil pump.

Tighten the oil pump backing plate screws while you have it apart.

If cost is an issue skip the water pump. They rarely fail and if they do they just start slowly leaking, nothing catastrophic. If yours was already replaced by a lower grade aftermarket then it's more likely to fail. 

I don't see any reason to go with lower grade parts but if you absolutely have to here's a kit:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275271470337?fits=Year%3A1996|Make%3ASubaru&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4017754d01:g:F3YAAOSwamBiWczn&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA8IErHmMC%2BxGnUBa5qjfQVrtcz4QJiZGrzjIYtw1Zd%2B%2BNBDARlBe52BhIHQc7EAfemc4T55faczmGYZB8WlPuNbkyndXeHl3skIaU7qNU%2B197UVoPyVsb9Oc%2FvVQC068t4n%2Fsm8UolyKoj9KVqXgMltCsvMRWTNRdqdkJ0vhYqGZzUpfWX4n780r8BzvZbpQnwfBMnhpELt2vyrJNLk3uCOYtQ9Pw3twYDuIHtlYWuUdRgplgTFYVbFZ%2B5q7YAv2VBSZ7TpSJF2satnSfR9TECZPwU3o%2F0WxqqX2%2BWEyLDRmwDFXvWXXXZ3sEjbA%2BSIoDWQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBM4qyzholg

[jonathan909]

On 4/18/2022 at 8:06 AM, jakebot said:

I have been on here and other sites and have gotten a stupid amount of conflicting info.

Welcome.  That's exactly the process that led me here too, and this is the no-nonsense forum you'll want to stick with.