BigMattyD Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I am in the process of my second Subaru Timing Belt Change. My first was on my 96 Legacy, and I also changed the water pump, oil seals, etc. This time, it's my wife's 2003 Outback SOHC, and I have elected not to change the oil seals unless I saw leakage. Alas, there is no leakage, but in my drunken state I got upset with the crank pulley bolt. I broke a Craftsman 1/2 to 3/8 adapter trying to loosen it, so then I decided to take the advice of the crafty people here and attached a breaker bar to a 1/2 drive impact socket, and carefully braced the bar against the frame rail so I could bump the starter motor to loosen the bolt. After checking twice to make sure I had it on the proper side, I went into the driver's seat and cranked the engine for 1/4 second.... Voila!! I sliced the power steering hose and sprayed fluid all over my garage. Yes, I put the wrench in the wrong position, and watched in fright as the wrench handle swung in a wide arc across the front of my wife's engine bay and wreaked havoc!! I take total responsibility for this act of carnage, and I decided to resort to human strength to remove the crank bolt. Ok, that's all done. Note to self and to anyone reading... No critical procedures while drinking beer. Should be standard practice. The real question is, on the lower idler pulleys, after I removed them and spun them to give a good listen, the toothed idler gives a very noticeable ball-rolling sound. The smooth pulley has a little quieter, but still apparent rolling sound as I spin it. The other idlers are pretty quiet, including the one on the tensioner assembly. Should I replace the two noisy idlers, or can I lubricate them, or are they ok being noisy??? They both rotate freely. By the way, the front of the engine under the timing belt is pristine. The T-belt looked so good, I almost put the cover back on and said F-it, but since I already had the belt, and I had gotten this far, I figure I might as well change it. Any opinions appreciated, Big D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I'd probably get an Ebay kit for the idlers. I'd double check the tensioner bearing - since it roughly costs the same as all the other idlers. For another 20 bucks they can get it from the left coast here in a day usually. I usually stock a splined one but just used it on a friends car so all I have left is used - and you have one of those already(actually I probably have 20 used - haven't thinned the heard lately). And you'll be sober by the time the parts arrive. If not - you've got a whole different problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMattyD Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 Yes, there is no rush to reassemble the car, so I could order the parts and be sober by the time they arrive. My wife is out of town for the next week. That is why I'm having a one-man party with the beer, etc. I was wondering if I could save a few bucks and re-use the idlers, or if they are definitely bad/going bad. Still drinking Genesee beer:banana:, Big D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Search here about the idlers. It's in interference engine. Most of us would rather get the PCI kits with the GMB NEW bearings rather than leave OEM in there that have been there a while. OEM idlers are very pricey. Local parts houses and chains aren't a good value in my opinion. I always do a waterpump (with a Suby gasket) and usually crank & cam seals. I always do new coolant as well - but a lot of folks skip these. Take your time compressing the tensioner. It appears the new ones are easier to ruin than the old ones. I'm single tonight as well and I'm typing rather than cleaning - the GF will be here in the mornong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I would not reuse the pulley's that sounds bad, I had one go bad on me and it cost me a engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 definitely replace the toothed idler and the other noisy pulley. you have an interference motor, if they fail, they take out the timing belt which will cause pistons and valves to collide (that's very bad!). i find myself replacing the toothed idler %80 of the time if not more any time i take a belt off. there are a number of online subaru parts dealers - look them up here and order from them. or ask your local dealer to match their prices. on these 100,000 mile interval motors I always replace all of the pulleys, the tensioner and the water pump. otherwise you're asking all of that to make it to 200,000 miles (100k + 100k til next change). they can make it, but there's a small chance they won't. just depends how you view maintenance, reliability, etc. the newer Subaru EJ water pumps are fairly robust though so i won't say it's "necessary" for everyone. i do it and think it's a good idea but realize that's not a great fit for everyone. the essentials are to replace the belt and any noisy pulley. but it sure would suck for 50,000 miles from now the water pump fails and takes out your timing belt and valves/pistons with it. the ebay kits make this easy, because they are reasonable. for the price of one pulley from Subaru you can buy an entire kit with all the pulleys and tensioner. it's not a bad idea to use a Subaru belt though, they're only $59 or $69. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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