96 Outback

[3wheeler]

Hi there this is my first post and have a couple questions.

 

One of my family members has a 96 outback with 140,000 miles on it in need of some maintenance.(2.5ltr 4 cylinder) What he needs done is a timing belt, water pump, oil pump and thermostat. I am a heavy duty mechanic so performing the said repairs should be a problem but I have a few questions:

 

1. Dealer told him that the oil pump should be replaced. Do these things wear out on these motors? Should I replace it?

 

2. When doing the timing belt should I change out the tensioner?? Dealer said yes.

 

3. Is the 2.5 and interference motor. (if belt breaks is it going to bend all the valves?)Again dealer said yes.

 

4. The drivers side valve cover is leaking oil so I should change the gasket. But it looks like there is very little room to do it. Is there any tricks to it??

 

5.Same with the plugs.

 

6. Is the thermostat near the lower rad hose? Block side?

 

7. Should I change the camshaft seal while I am in there?

 

8. Is there a manual for the 2.5 online any where?

 

Thanks for any help. Starting to do this thing tomorrow morning.

[theotherskip]

some answers:

 

1. the bigger problem with the oil pumps on this motor is that the o-ring seal between the block and pump fails, causing oil leaks. while you have the timing belt off, you should remove it, change the o-ring and reseal the pump (use permatex 599 ultragrey). at the same time, you can check the clearance of the oil pump rotor and decide if it is out of spec. the screws on the back of the oil pump should be reinstalled with loctite.

 

2. tensioner is a judgement call. i reused mine, will probably replace it next time around. one of my idler pulleys was dry, though, so i replaced it.

 

3. yes, it is an interference motor. valves can collide with valves

 

4. it shouldn't be any trouble to change the valve cover gaskets in the car. the bolts are short, and you should be able to get to it with a low profile rachet (probably use 1/4" drive)

 

5. yeah, the plugs are somewhat difficult to work on, but they can be done. i usually use a 3" extension, but you can also do it with the aid of a univeral adapter...

 

6. the thermostat is on the bottom of the block. follow the lower cooling hose to the bottom of the water pump, and you'll find the thermostat housing

 

7. cam seals - again a judgement call, but cheap and easy to replace while you're in there.

 

8. you can get a subscription to subaru's shop manuals for $20 for 72 hours. very worth it (you can download it - it's about 250mb worth of stuff). there is also a pretty good haynes manual available.

 

i recently did the head gasket on a 2.5 motor, and made a website. i also changed the timing belt and resealed the pump, so there may be some info that can help you. you can visit my site at http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/