Alrighty…..yeah coding/setting up servers isn’t the only thing I do
Tools you will need
- AISIN Timing Belt Kit
- Gates AC Pulley Install Tool
- Long breaker bar
- 1/2” and 3/8/” or 1/4” Torque Wrench
- 22mm 1/2” Socket for crank pulley bolt (and some old engine oil/lube)
- Subaru Coolant and two bottles of conditioner
- OEM thermostat (optional depending on mileage)
- Socket set
- Hose clamp pliers (optional)
- Right angle impact (when checking timing you need to rotate the engine and the crank bolt can sometimes can stuck and will not come out without impact)
- Company23 Crank Harmonic Balancer Removal Tool (TECHNICALLY optional but helps removing and torquing the crank pulley/balancer)
- Other stuff that I do not remember
I do not have photos for everything…..you will need to look online
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We need to drain the coolant, begin by locating the petcock drain valve on the radiator, near the driver side. Some people also drain the coolant on the two bolts, you can get away with not touching those and just being ready to catch the fluid later on
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Remove the lower radiator hose clamp and disconnect hose from radiator (fluid will come out from hose be ready)
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Remove the upper radiator hose clamps and disconnect from engine and radiator
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Disconnect the negative terminal on your battery and unplug your oxygen sensors
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Remove the bolts and front fan shrouds, unplug the connectors for the fans (be careful)
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Remove the alternator belt, mark or measure the adjuster bolt. Begin by first unscrewing the center bolt, then break loose the bolt to the right, then unscrew the top bolt until you can push the alternator down to remove the belt
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Remove the belt for the AC compressor. Note, this is a stretch belt, and while most will say you need to cut the belt, you don’t actually need to! Here is the trick, grab a 22mm socket and ratchet to put onto the crank pulley bolt, gran a pry bar. Set the middle of the pry bar to use the alternator mount as leverage and push against the belt little by little by rotating the engine clockwise with your ratchet. You can walk the belt off of the pulley.
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Now we can remove the harmonic balancer/pulley, insert the Company23 tool into the holes, grab a long breaker bar, and loosen the bolt. It’s in there pretty tight.
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Now we can start with removing the timing cover, if it is very dirty, you can spray some brake clean/engine degreaser or compressed air
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After removing the timing cover, you need to re-isnert the bolt, and rotate the engine until you see white marks on the belt, and line them up to the marks on the engine
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With everything marked, you can begin by removing the lower passenger side idler pulley, then the upper passenger side idler pulley, you should then be able to remove the belt.
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Remove the toothed idler/sprocket, followed by the hydraulic tensioner
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You can then remove the 10mm water pump bolts, replace with new rubber liner that comes with the kit, gasket, and thermostat if you decided to replace it (probably should if yours has a lot of mileage) make sure you install the thermostat in correct orientation
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If replacing thermostat, torque down the thermostat housing bolts to 8.9 ft lbs or 12Nm. Use the same torque figures when installing the waterpump, torque in a circle starting from the top right bolt and moving your way under to the left and then back around.
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Before installing the new pulleys, get the hydrualic tensioner, remove the pin and bleed tensioner by pushing the piston down a few times using a c clamp or bench vice but the unit needs to remain upright to purge and prevent air coming in.
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Install the upper passenger side pulley, hydraulic tensioner (do not release the pin yet) and torque to 28.8ft lb
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Install the belt, match the white lines on the belt with the marks on the engine/covers as shown above, and then install the toothed/sprocket gear (rotate the gear if it does not want to go on the belt) and then the lower passenger side pulley. You will need to push up against the belt to line it up correctly. Torque all to 28.8 ft lb.
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Pull the pin on the tensioner, rotate the engine two times, the marks should still be aligned.
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If all is good, congratulations you’ve got new timing belt and components.
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Reinstall lower radiator hose
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Remove the crank pulley bolt….if you can with a regular ratchet, that’s why I recommended having a compact right angle impact to get that bolt out.
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Put the valve cover back on, install the harmonic balancer, cover the bolt with oil, torque the balancer/pulley to 34.7ft lbs then to 130 ft lbs
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Reinstall the rest of the components, lastly re-connect the negative terminal on the battery. Before you start the car, you need to turn the key in the ignition only once (accessory mode) and then wait 15 seconds before cranking the engine. Otherwise it won’t crack on the first start, a Subaru/throttle body thing.
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Enjoy!