Hately Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Hi guys, I have a 1996 Subaru legacy GT twin turbo manual and was just wondering when the best time to replace the cambelt would be? The last time it was done was around 105k and its now done 195k Should I start looking at replacing it, or as I am a student is it better to just cut my loses now and try to sell? Cheers, G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vr4 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Personally I'm happiest doing them at 60k miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJay03 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Replacing the belt is not bad the worst part is getting the crank pulley off. See if you can get someone to help who has done the job before if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 i have used a chain wrench with a piece of timing belt under it to get the crank pulley bolt off, its not that difficult. may take an extra hand doing it tho, i did it alone with a bit of ingenuity and a well placed heavy screwdriver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJay03 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Really easy with an impact . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vr4 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Really easy with the starter, a breaker bar, the framerail, and a shallow 22mm. (My impact doesn't fit down there) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 ive used the starter method on cars before, but only in last option situations. even the chain wrench isnt my first choice, but it works fairly well with some care towards the pulley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJay03 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Really easy with the starter, a breaker bar, the framerail, and a shallow 22mm. (My impact doesn't fit down there) Ide take out the radiator if I had to for the impact to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blankdeluxe Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I have done the chain whip and a piece of belt too. Works like a charm. I have done the starter route once as well and it was last resort. Sketchy way to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vr4 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Ide take out the radiator if I had to for the impact to fit. I always take the radiator out. It fits just too close for comfort to the condenser. I've had the trigger fail in my ir 2135 and if that happens at the wrong time it'll destroy the condenser. I'm not a fan of buying customers parts. There are only 2 cars I use the starter method on. Subaru and Nissan vg30/33 trucks. Only because the breaker bar fits perfectly with minimal risk of damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I use the starter method all the time. I don't really see a problem with it. You really don't want to use a strap wrench on the outside of the pulley because you're likely to break the rubber that holds the balancer together. If I'm just doing a timing belt, I just pull the radiator fans off, that gives plenty of clearance to get in there. A right angle air ratchet is awesome for getting the timing cover bolt in/out, but not needed. There's also the hole in the bellhousing you can stick a screwdriver in to lock the flywheel. I'm not talking the timing hole/TQ bolt access hole, there's a different one on the side of the bellhousing. That shows a flexplate, but it works with a flatblade screwdriver on a manual, too. The crappiest part of the job is getting the timing belt crank pulley off to replace the oil pump seal. Sometimes they slide right off, but all too often they're EXTREMELY stuck and require ridiculous measures to remove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 You really don't want to use a strap wrench on the outside of the pulley because you're likely to break the rubber that holds the balancer together. . yup, but my subarus dont have that rubber in them. other cars have had specific tools to remove their pulleys, like 52mm wrenches, or a two prong pin slot wrench. i have a nice collection of those as well for normal use. i also ended up pulling the radiator when i did the subarus, just because the clearance was close enough to make my twitchiness a potential problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I just did a crank seal on mine (leaking 1qt/50 miles...) and I didn't pull the radiator. There's plenty of room to work, IMO. And yes, subarus do have rubber in the balancer. There are a few that don't, but most of them I've seen have rubber. http://i.imgur.com/SGDPGWX.jpg Red arrow points to rubber bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 hmmm, my 95 didnt have the rubber. im gonna look again, i spose i could have missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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