Schultz

You asked a question about a 2002 when 99.99% of parties subscribed to this thread own 05-09 LGT's. Different cars with different transmissions and different axles. Your questions are better posed in the 3rd gen specific forum.

 

Good to know. I was just looking at the path which is

Subaru Legacy Forums > Walkthroughs > Basic Operation & Maintenance

 

I didn't know it was specific to GTs. Thanks.

I'll answer my own question.

After reading the manual, though, I'm concerned about something else now. It says to mark the alignment of the bearings (inner boot) before removing them from the green housing. I didn't do that, and they're all already out, cleaned, and ready to be repacked. Will bad things happen since I didn't align those? I really don't see any difference in them, so I don't see any way to go back and correct this.

 

Apparently the answer to this is Yes, it will cause problems. After reinstalling the axle, the steering makes an awful sound.

 

I'm tired of fighting with this stupid axle... I'm just going to bite the bullet and pay a shop to do it. These things are made to sound so simple on these forums, but when you actually start to do it it's just one snag after another.

 

Anyway, it doesn't appear that anybody actually follows this thread anymore, but I figured I'd post my results just in case someone in the future runs into the same thing.

Can the outer joint be disassembled for cleaning?

If not, how do I get it clean before rebooting?

 

I'll answer my own question.

 

I decided to check my service manual. (Usually I find these internet threads much more helpful than the manual, so I hadn't even opened it while doing the job.) The manual says that the outer joint is an unserviceable part. It said to just use solvent and compressed air to clean it out as much as possible. So I've done that, and it is pretty clean now.

 

After reading the manual, though, I'm concerned about something else now. It says to mark the alignment of the bearings (inner boot) before removing them from the green housing. I didn't do that, and they're all already out, cleaned, and ready to be repacked. Will bad things happen since I didn't align those? I really don't see any difference in them, so I don't see any way to go back and correct this.

Sorry if this is already in this thread somewhere -- I searched but didn't see it.

 

Can the outer joint be disassembled for cleaning? I have it off of the axle already, but I don't see any way to take the balls and cage apart. If it is possible, can someone please post a brief explanation?

 

If not, how do I get it clean before rebooting?

 

By the way, this is for a 2002 Legacy L.

Yeah, I had a tough time with the crank pulley also. First I used a homemade removal tool: four bolts through a 2x4. They lined up correctly, but the wood cracked. So I ended up wedging a breaker bar and gently tapping the ignition key. I was a little nervous, but it worked just fine. I think the homemade tool would have worked if it had been metal, but I didn't have available.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. Timing belt change was successful.

I'm not looking to argue about oil filters. Thanks, though.

I put 14 pictures online at Box. You can view them here:

https://app.box.com/s/nieaqmstr5fcodgna8op

 

I don’t see any oil leaking around the cam seals. I didn’t see any oil leaking from the crank seal either, but I replaced it anyway since the cam bolt was already removed. (The old seal is the one shown in the pictures.)

 

At first I was concerned about the substance in picture 02. But I think that is PB Blaster from the removal of the timing belt cover. (I started using it after snapping a screw.) I’m not sure what that is in the top middle of picture 03, but it’s completely dry so I don’t think it’s part of this issue. I think the substance along the bottom of picture 04 is more PB Blaster, but I haven’t ruled out oil. In pictures 05 and 06, I don’t see any oil leaking from the crank seal.

 

Pictures 06 and 07 show a lot of crud under the water pump. Could this be coming from behind the cam seal and belt cover on the other side of the water pump?

 

Pictures 10-14 show how widespread the oil is under the engine.

 

Again, what I’m trying to decide right now is whether anything else can be done about the leak before I put the timing belt and water pump on and get everything back together. I would really like to get it done tomorrow, as I have the day off work. If the leak is somewhere else, I’ll have to take care of that in June after school gets out for the summer.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

If so, would that be something I'd want to repair while the timing belt is still out? Or can it be repaired independently of what I'm currently doing

 

By the way, I'm about to head over to have Easter lunch with friends. I'll post better photos of the oil leak later tonight.

Speaking of trying to diagnose the oil leak...

 

If it is coming from one of the cam seals or the front crank seal, would I see oil inside the timing belt cover? Or does it leak behind it?

 

I'm asking because I plan to replace the crank seal but not the cam seals. I was going to do those, but when I bought the parts (local dealer, reputed to be honest) they told me that they don't typically replace the cam seals unless they are leaking. At the time I wasn't aware of the oil all over the bottom of the oil pan, so it didn't occur to me to ask about such a leak.

 

The area inside the timing belt cover looks clean. But if that isn't enough to rule out leaking cam seals, then I'll take the extra time to go ahead and replace them while I have it all apart. I can post some pics tomorrow if that will help.

Just one? :eek:

 

You lucky dawg!!!

Thanks. I'll take that to mean I'm okay not worrying about it.

 

I'd stop using those crap STP filters and buy Subaru. Just saying.

 

Actually this is the first time I've ever used an STP. I got it in one of those deals at Auto Zone, so I thought I'd give it a try. To be honest, the wide variety of opinions on oil filter brands by guys who obviously know their way around an engine makes be doubt that it's really a big deal what brand is used so long as I change the oil regularly. Not saying some aren't better than others, just that the better only becomes an issue if you go too long between oil changes. (Either that or I've been really lucky for 22 years.)

 

Having said that, I've decided for simplicity's sake to convert to Mobil 1 full synthetic and only changing the oil twice a year. When I do that I'll start using Mobil 1 or Wix filters -- something designed for longer intervals.

 

As you can probably see from the picture, though, I have a pretty bad oil leak somewhere down there. I just noticed it when I crawled under there to do this job. It looks to me like it's leaking where the oil pan meets the engine block, but I don't have any experience diagnosing oil leaks. So I'll sort that out in June when I have time. (I'm a school teacher.)

While taking off the timing belt cover, one of the bolts snapped the plastic -- both front and rear (see pics). The problem is that the local dealer is closed today for the holiday, and I doubt that's a part they would have in stock anyway. So it would probably be the middle of next week before I could get it. My question is, given that there are 11 other bolts holding this cover on, is is critical to replace this part? My main concern would be whether dust/dirt/oil can leak into the timing belt area. But as much as I had to work at getting the cover off even after the bolts were out, it seems to me that it should be fine with 11 out of the 12 bolts. And the break did not get up to the sealing part itself. Opinions?

 

http://www.genuinemomentsphotography.com/photos/i-9CRjkTM/0/L/i-9CRjkTM-L.jpg

 

http://www.genuinemomentsphotography.com/photos/i-MmJvprq/0/L/i-MmJvprq-L.jpg

Let me know if you find it there. I didn't see it on their website but NAPA's always had a a terrible site.

 

It's on their website:

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Antifreeze-Cooling-System-Peak-Global-Extended-Life-Anti-Freeze-1-GAL/_/R-PER00407_0424509944

 

My local store doesn't carry it, but they found a store nearby which does and offered to snag a few gallons from there. So they'll have it for me by Monday, which is fine since I don't plan to get this job done until Easter weekend.

At $23.xx a gallon from Subaru, I don't want to buy more than I have to!

 

Based on Mustang's advice, I did some research on coolant tonight. From what I can tell, Peak Global Lifetime is essentially the same thing as Subaru antifreeze. (not to be confused with other versions of Peak, such as Long Life, etc.) I think it's carried at NAPA for around $16/gallon full strength, so I'm going to check my local NAPA tomorrow.

 

I never realized that my Subaru required special coolant. I just trusted the side of the bottle when it said "will work with any color and for any make and model." I hope I haven't caused excessive corrosion by doing that. I'll be sure to flush it well during the timing belt change and put the good stuff in it this time.

 

Thanks, Mustang, for pointing that out.

Yeah, not worth the frustration and unreliability. Just spend the $30 and sleep easier.

 

Yeah, I've learned that there are times cheaping out costs more in the long run. I just appreciate forums like this where I can learn what's worth spending more on.

 

The crank pulley holder tool would most certainly be less disaster-prone than a screwdriver. Then again, a whole lot of folks use the screwdriver method. I prefer to keep all of the applied torques at the front of the crank instead of going thorough it. That's just me though.

 

I spent a little time looking online and found instructions for how to make my own pulley holder tool, so I think I'll give that a try. Thanks again.

A couple of things.

 

Order the Gates timing belt/roller/tensioner kit from Amazon.

 

Yep, that's the one I plan to get.

 

Buy the water pump, gasket, thermostat and thermostat gasket from Subaru.

 

AutoZone and Advance are for buying shop towels and gojo when they go on sale. And brake cleaner. Can't beat those 2 for 1 deals.

 

Good to know. I had planned to get the water pump and gasket from Subaru, but I didn't realize I needed to also avoid the generic thermostat and seals. I'll move those over to the OEM list.

 

Buy ONLY Subaru antifreeze.

 

Not doubting you, but I'm just curious why. I've always just used whatever antifreeze was on sale.

 

Use ONLY distilled or deionized water with it.

 

Definitely.

 

If you can borrow the cam holder tools and the crank pulley holder tool, do that. The whole job gets a LOT EASIER.

 

The video I found on YouTube said to put a screwdriver in the flywheel inspection slot to remove the crank pulley. I'm not familiar with a pulley holder tool -- is that an easier route to go than the screwdriver?

My ’02 Legacy L wagon has 112K miles on it, so it’s past due for a timing belt. After reading through several threads here and watching a very detailed video on YouTube, I’m pretty sure I can handle this job myself and save $500. I’ve decided to go with the Gates kit without the water pump, and an OEM water pump.

 

From what I can tell, the difference between the two kits (with wp and without) is not only the wp itself, but also the wp gasket and the thermostat o-ring. The gasket I’ll get with the wp. I just want to make sure I’m ordering the right o-ring. Advance Auto shows these two when I search for thermostat gasket:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/victor-reinz-thermostat-o-ring-c32371/10307436-P?searchTerm=thermostat+gasket

and

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/victor-reinz-thermostat-seal-c32213/10307417-P?searchTerm=thermostat+gasket

The first one is actually called an o-ring, so I’m guessing that is the one I want. But having never done this job before, I just want to make sure I have the right part ahead of time. So can someone verify this for me?

 

Also, I can’t tell whether I need to order one or two of these:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/felpro-camshaft-front-seal-set-tcs-46008/15780700-P

I know there are two camshafts. Does each one of them need two seals, or does this come with two seals to take care of both camshafts?

 

 

Thanks.