Hello all! First, allow me to apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong section, or if this question has been discussed before. Some of you may have noticed that I'm selling my car. It has around 90,000 miles, and of course, one concern from my most interested buyers revolves around whether it has had its belt changed. Since this is something that needs to be done, I've decided to go ahead and change it and make absolutely sure that it is done right and ready to go. I've been on the fence about selling it, so even if it stays with me, it's just something that needs to get done, regardless. Now for my question: What have you members who have done this found to be the best source for your timing belt parts? I called Turn in Concepts, and they sell their complete kit with a Gates racing belt, pump, tensioner, and the works for $590. On the other hand, there is the Groton kit, which I have heard contains a Conti belt (which is known to be very good) and OEM quality pump and tensioner for around $350: http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-ex...eza+WRX+Timing+Belt+and+Water+Pump+Kit+(02-04) I obviously want to do this thoroughly, and do it right, but there is no point in just throwing money away, either. Is the Turn in concepts kit worth it, or should I go with something more akin to the Groton kit? Is there any known kit out there that is of good quality that I'm missing? Thanks in advance for any input on this issue. I may go ahead and call Topspeed later as well, as it would be nice to give business to a local vendor, but I'm not sure how many local people sell kits like this to DIYers like me.
How much are the parts from Subaru? I have a feeling they are gonna be more than $350, but I personally try to stick with OEM parts when dealing with a timing belt service.
I'm not sure just yet... I'm going to call today and see what it runs. It would be nice to get everything in a nice, neat package deal, and of course going through the dealer requires getting each part separately. A lot of the time when doing jobs like this, you can save money by finding out who supplies the parts to Subaru, and buy them them from an alternative source. That way you can save some, and end up with an OEM quality job. Of course, researching all of that can be a total PIA. I called Topspeed and while they can get the parts, there is no "kit" with everything. If I go through them or a dealer, It will probably be best to go ahead and order the belt, tensioner, and water pump, and check to see what else needs replaced once I'm in there.
There is indeed no "kit" from SUBARU, but I would HIGHLY recommend getting all OE parts from SUBARU. Really you should only need the belt as the pumps will last a long time, but... Belt Tensioner Water Pump Cam/Crank seals is what a typical "full service" timing belt job consists of. The idlers will typically last FOREVER, subject to inspection. Mine are all original at 283,xxx miles. The belt has been changed once, everything else in there is original-stock-factory.
Ok here is your kit I got it all worked up for you ALL OEM PARTS. -Timing belt -Belt Tentioner -Water Pump -Water Pump Gasket -Thermostat -Thermostat Gasket $398.74 If you want to include -Oil Pump o-ring -Cam Seal x 4 -Crank seal $427.65 If any of the bearings or belt idler pulleys are bad you will want to replace those too. As WJM said they are most of the time fine, but recently we have seen a couple that the bearings were shot in for some reason, so just take a look at them. There IS one idler pulley that has an update to it as of about 2 months ago if you want to replace that. Its the one with the red recessed bearing. Let me know if that helps.
That one is the one that typically fails if it does fail. On the 04~06 EJ257/EJ255 engines, the top left small idler after the tensioner (from drivers perspective) is known to be an issue at times, it will be very noisy then come apart. That piece has been re-engineered.
I can back this up 100%. With expert help, I just did t-belt on my '04 @ ~105kmi. Well, I mostly stood there and asked questions The smaller idler had a very crunchy bearing, with belt deposits on its circumference. A ticking time bomb, for sure. It was one of the idlers (2 total) that I had bought to replace. The lower bearing with the red seal was not replaced, but upon inspection, it did have some play. I'll be keeping an eye on that one.
YOU = AWESOME! I appreciate you taking time to speak with me on the phone earlier today, and for replying to this thread. I'm definitely going to have you go ahead and get the parts from the first option, as I know I will need at LEAST those. I should probably go ahead and buck up for the updated pulley as well. As for the seals, I'm a little iffy on that one. Of course, if I open it up and see a leaking cam seal, I should replace it. But on the other hand, it seems like you hear some stories of people opening up a pandora's box when pulling the cam gears... how prone are those seals to go out? I realize it's a cheap price for extra insurance, but I don't want to end up causing more problems by "fixing" something that really should have been left alone. What do you guys think?
Strange... this thing still doesn't show that I updated the thread. Any opinions about those cam seals if they aren't leaking?
Can go either way. My cam/crank seals are original at 283k miles and not leaking. However, last week I had an outback come in with 66k on it and the crank seal was leaking like a MOFO. If you are willing to spend the money, do it. Otherwise, if you are going cheap just to sell the car, timing belt only. *shrug*
I appreciate the input. Eh, I'll probably just go ahead and do them. There's still a good chance I'll keep it, and if I sell it to someone with assurance that everything has been taken car of in that regard, I may as well make sure it is done right. The only thing I absolutely dread is removing those damn cam gears. I've never removed these for fear of all of the horror stories I've heard... it's time I pull my tail from between my legs and just deal with it. I'll compression test it this week to make absolutely sure the motor is worth dropping nearly $500 on, and then go from there. Thanks again for everyone's advice. -Jonathan
Yeah I have first hand experience with this idler. My buddy had this horrible screeching noise and it sounded like it was coming from his AC. I told him to remove the AC belt. So he cuts it since he had new belts anyways. Noise still there. I took a long screwdriver and pin pointed it to the AC compressor area. But it couldn't be the AC it wasn't spinning. SO we tore the front timing covers off. Clunk clunk clunk out fell ball bearings. Looked in and that idler had completely fell apart and the wheel was just bouncing free floating on the bolt :eek3:. We were luckily able to get just that idler and replace it. I'm surprised the car never jumped timing....that tensioner had to be near max. So Will this was on a 2004 WRX WJ205.......is that idler the same as the EJ257/255 engines you mentioned?
I didnt mention it being an issue on the EJ205 as I've only seen one case of it in person and heard of only two, now three, cases in addition to mine. But yes its the same location but the part numbers are different and will not interchange unless you buy the bolt that matches the pulley....depth difference.
I have a tensioner for sale. Practically brand new. Was on the new built motor but when I bought a new timing belt to replace the crappy Gates belt I got a package deal and may as well swap the tensioners anyways....only 2K miles on it and will be 'slowly' compressed and pinned for install. They list at like $150 I think. $75 shipped.
^^^ Well shit. That is something I would have been interested in, but I sat on my ass and didn't check back to see that it was offered. I did, however, notice that it sold in the "For Sale" section. On the other hand, I do have some GOOD news. Before doing a timing belt change, I thought I better run a compression test and make absolutely sure the motor was worth dropping the parts money on. My result on a COLD motor that had not been run in over 24 hours were: Cylinder 1: 150 psi Cylinder 2: 151 psi Cylinder 3: 151 psi Cylinder 4: 150 psi Pretty solid, right? I tried to take reading on a warm motor yesterday, but it was getting dark, colder by the minute, and by the time I got the plugs out, my hands were numb and my compression tester was being a pain in the arse about getting threaded into the first plug hole. I quite and said time for bed. Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and order parts tomorrow. I have very little experience in changing a belt on this particular model... let's hope all goes well. I'm going to try this without the funky little tool that Subaru uses to hold the cams still when removing the belt- hopefully that isn't a mistake.
I hear Chuck Norris holds them with his teeth You will be fine....Just call me if you have any questions while your doing it.
That tool is a POS and is more difficult to use than having an extra set of hands help you out. Get two of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?itemnumber=39569&Submit=Go And once the belt is on the correct position on each of the cam sprockets on the drivers side, use those to hold the belt on and you can let go of the sprockets. That will enable you to install it the rest of the way w/out worrying about the belt/sprockets moving.