Original Timing Belts?! 164,000mi 98 Outback

[abeauch]

Is it possible that timing belts could go 164000 miles without failing? I recently purchased this car and the previous owner hasn't a clue as to whats been done. Oil and filter changes and all the recalls but no record of timing belts. I'll probably just change them to get peace of mind on this interference engine. Any thoughts or comments? Thanks

[kevinsUBARU]

Three thoughts:

 

1) Was this car dealer maintained its whole life? Some people just drop their car off every xxx miles for a service, and they pay whatever the bill is, no questions asked. The previous owner may have been one of these people, and you may be worrying for no good reason

 

2) Enter the VIN number at www.mysubaru.com by starting a free account for your car. It has an online owners manual as well as service history...some cars have more reported services than others; even if all of the service has been completed, it may not show up online.

 

3) Contact the past service provider and see what's up.

 

Kevin

[nipper]

Three thoughts:

 

 

Enter the VIN number at www.mysubaru.com by starting a free account for your car. It has an online owners manual as well as service history...some cars have more reported services than others; even if all of the service has been completed, it may not show up online.

 

.

 

Kevin

 

Unfortunitly you need to know the old owners original address the car was registered too to access this. When i bought my car used the original owners had moved three times. The original addy was on the titel, but i didnt realize that untill i mailed in the title. Thats the one fault with the site, buy a used sooby and do0nt have all the original info you cant log in to get the cars history.

 

If somone knows a way around this please share

 

nipper

[kevinsUBARU]

As per conversation with SOA, you can fax them a copy of your registration and they can get you the "premimum site" or whatever it's called. I did not have to notify them of the previous owners address, and there were a couple of services already listed in the mysubaru.com VIN account for my newly acquired wagon.

 

Another option is running a carfax on it...sometimes service intervals show up there was well, but you won't know what was actually done or where it was done at.

[Rodney7286]

If somone knows a way around this please share

 

nipper

 

i sent in the dealer info card and put my car in my name with subaru, then called a dealer and had them pull up my vin, that's how i found out my headgaskets had been done

[nipper]

i sent in the dealer info card and put my car in my name with subaru, then called a dealer and had them pull up my vin, that's how i found out my headgaskets had been done

 

something else i dont have.

 

nipper

[Scoobaroo]

Even if the belts were changed, they're almost due again anyway by mileage.

 

Change them.

[idosubaru]

at that mileage unless you can verify exactly when they were done you'd want to have it done very soon. whether or not they were done isn't the issue so much as when were they done.

[DerFahrer]

Were they using the 105k mile belts in 98? I'm not sure.

[idosubaru]

Were they using the 105k mile belts in 98? I'm not sure.

not sure either M. at first on paper it showed California spec belts/vehicles as 105,000 mile interval belts and others as shorter. it is a matter of debate whether back then the belts were really any different. for now it doesn't really matter, any new belt you buy from Subaru will be the 105,000 mile spec. belt even if it originally was less.

[WAWalker]

Timing belt replacement interval on ALL 2.5L Subaru engines is 105k.

 

The belt has probably been changed at some point, because the front crank seal would never go 164k without leaking. The belt usually gets changed when the front crank seal is replaced. Chances are the head gaskets have also been done on a 164k mile engine.

[nipper]

Timing belt replacement interval on ALL 2.5L Subaru engines is 105k.

 

The belt has probably been changed at some point, because the front crank seal would never go 164k without leaking. The belt usually gets changed when the front crank seal is replaced. Chances are the head gaskets have also been done on a 164k mile engine.

 

yes and no. i agree with the seals, but only 10-15% of 2.5L have had HG failure, the rest of us are pileing on the miles on the original HG. i'm at 180K on mine, and the majority of us are still running on the originals, just you dont hear from us, well, because we have nothing to complain about.

 

nipper

[idosubaru]

Timing belt replacement interval on ALL 2.5L Subaru engines is 105k.

copy that, i think i was referring to earlier 2.2 specific info.

[WAWalker]

yes and no. i agree with the seals, but only 10-15% of 2.5L have had HG failure, the rest of us are pileing on the miles on the original HG. i'm at 180K on mine, and the majority of us are still running on the originals, just you dont hear from us, well, because we have nothing to complain about.

 

nipper

 

How can any one possibly claim to know the % of 2.5L engines that have or will have HG failure?

 

I have seen them go over 180k before HG failure.

 

Have you owned the car since it was new? If purcased used, do you know for a fact that the head gaskets have not been done?

[WAWalker]

copy that, i think i was referring to earlier 2.2 specific info.

 

If any changes are made to a part the part number also changes. The 60k 2.2L timing belt, part number 13028AA102 has never been superceded as far as I know. Still a prime orderable number.