Legacy does not start. Diagnosis: timing belt.

[ultrasonic]

Drove home from work, car sounded a little irregular as I parked it. A couple hours later it wouldn't start. Checked codes and came up with the following:

13 - cam angle sensor
14 - injector #1
22 - knock sensor
23 - air flow sensor, abnormal voltage
24 - air control valve
49 - air flow sensor, use of improper sensor

Comments, ideas, or suggestions would be appreciated.

[ultrasonic]

A quick peek behind the passenger side timing belt cover tells me that I'll be placing a parts order tomorrow.

So, lets see...

-timing belt
-tensioner
-upper and lower radiator hoses

At 119k miles, is there anything else I should do while I'm in there? Water pump? Oil pump? Thermostat? Blinker fluid? Knutsen valve?

EDIT: Please check out my timing belt overview post later in this thread for a complete parts list and some helpful hints if you are facing the same job...

[Splinter]

front crank seal!!

[gt2.5turbo]

id do as much as you can afford to do just because most of it doesnt take to much extra time since youll already be in there

[tzedek]

cams seals and front main seal. new tensioner is like $100 though you also could get new idler pulleys, but those are like $40 a piece also.

[ultrasonic]

how difficult is it to do the front main seal and the cam seals? does anyone have part numbers? this is my first attempt at a timing belt, although I have assisted a friend on one and he will be helping me.

[kleinkid]

Here is a link to some information that may be helpful

http://endwrench.com/main.php?smPID=PHP ... &RECID=171

[ultrasonic]

Thanks for the Endwrench link.

My local Subaru performance expert has suggested the following:

-STi timing belt
-STi water pump & gaskets
-STi oil pump & gaskets
-timing belt tensioner
-front main seal
-thermostat & gasket

Has anyone ever had, or even heard of, a water pump or an oil pump failure?

[gt2.5turbo]

how many miles are on your car? Cause our older style of tensioners usually last a lot longer than the newer ones. So i dont think you need to replace it. Ive never had an issue with my car. Just remember to compress it slowly take like 5 mins to compress it. If you over load it during compression then your going to have to be back in there very soon and might have to replace a little more than just the tensioner.

I have had the water pump itself, the gasket, and the thermosat all go out on me before so it does happen and is worth changing. You should be fine oil pump wise just replace the little o-ring behind it, check and make sure the screws on the back of the pump havent backed themselves off and re-gasket the pump. I would say its worth the extra time to do.

And you really dont need all the Sti stuff just the oem for your car should be just fine and it will save you a lot of money

[Splinter]

Oh and for the love of christmas, make sure you tighten your crank bolt properly. I didnt and it cost me a whole ton of grief down the road.

120ft-lbs.

[tzedek]

yeah, oil pump and water pump arent necessary but always a good idea. STi timing belt wont work on your car, and its probably $150 anyway.

[Splinter]

Oh, and my water pump failed in February.

Make sure you get the right pump, check to see if your car has an oil cooler, if it does, you need the 91 turbo pump.

[ultrasonic]

Oh, and my water pump failed in February.

Make sure you get the right pump, check to see if your car has an oil cooler, if it does, you need the 91 turbo pump.

WRX and STi Imprezas have the oil/water heat exchanger, too, so the STi pump should work fine.

[Splinter]

Unless of course, he doesnt have the oil cooler, which is most likely the case.

If so, hes going to have an extra nipple on the water pump that leads no where.

[ultrasonic]

Unless of course, he doesnt have the oil cooler, which is most likely the case.

If so, hes going to have an extra nipple on the water pump that leads no where.

91 sport sedan. I do have the oil/water heat exchanger.

[Splinter]

Ok just checking, because my car wasnt supposed to have the oil cooler (92 Turbo), but it did, and I ended up with the wrong pump.

[ultrasonic]

BC turbo Legacy Timing Belt replacement

At about 118k miles my timing belt broke. There were 16 teeth ripped off the belt and sitting in the bottom of the timing belt covers. Here's the run down...

This is not intended to be a step by step description, but a convenient reference for anyone facing the same project.

I decided to replace the water pump, but was unable to find the standard '91 Legacy turbo pump (21111AA026) locally. Since I was in a hurry I decided to buy the pump specified for the Impreza STi as I had reason to believe it would be compatible with my application. It's also a bit cheaper by $10 or so. Any car with the oil/water heat exchanger will require a pump with an extra nipple. It is also a good idea to replace the main crank seal. This requires removing the oil pump, so you should replace the o ring behind the oil pump at the same time. Since the oil and water pumps will be removed or replaced, you will be replacing oil and coolant. I had already replaced my accessory belts a couple thousand miles ago or I would have taken the opportunity to replace those, too. You might consider replacing the upper and lower radiator hoses since you'll be draining the coolant.

Parts List:
Subaru Timing Belt 13028AA102 $50-60
Subaru Timing Belt Tensioner 13068AA051 $90-105
Subaru STi Water Pump 21111AA240 $90-115
Subaru Thermostat Gasket 21236AA010 $3
Subaru Water Pump Gasket 21114AA051 $3
Subaru Front Main Crank Seal 806733030 $7
Subaru Oil Pump Rear O Ring 10991AA001 $3
Subaru Engine Oil Filter 15208AA100 $7
Subaru Oil Drain Plug Gasket 11126AA000 $1
Gates Upper Radiator Hose $11
Gates Lower Radiator Hose $11
Car Quest Thermostat $7
Car Quest Hose Clamps (quantity 4) $4
Prestone 50/50 antifreeze (2 gallons) $12
Castrol 10W-30 oil (5 quart bulk) $10
Permatex Ultra Grey RTV Sealant $6
Permatex Anti-seize $4

Tools:
Metric sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.
Long breaker bar.
PB Blaster.
Gear/pulley puller.
Spring clamps.
Cat litter box for draining radiator.

Resources:
FSM Scans-
http://www.bbs.legacycentral.org/viewto ... =fsm+scans

End Wrench articles-
http://endwrench.com/main.php?smPID=PHP ... &RECID=360
http://endwrench.com/main.php?smPID=PHP ... &RECID=171

-Torque specs:
oil pump bolts 5 ft./lbs
water pump bolts 7 ft./lbs.
idler pulleys 29 ft./lbs.
tensioner bolts 19 ft./lbs.
crank pulley bolt 75 ft./lbs.

Comments:
- The radiator is very easy to remove. Take it out, you'll appreciate the extra working space.
- The large bolt holding the large pulley on the crank is very difficult to break free. I used a long breaker bar resting on the frame just in front of the battery, then I just clicked the starter for a second to break it free.
- Use a gear puller to remove the large crank pulley, and the main crank sprocket. I bought a 4" puller at Harbor Freight for about $6. Be sure to get one small enough to fit between the pulley and the air conditioner condenser.
- Use spring clamps to hold the timing belt on the cam pulleys when installing the belt.
- Count timing belt teeth to make sure you have the proper alignment between the crank and the two cam shafts. 44 teeth between the passenger side cam timing mark and the crankshaft timing mark. 40.5 teeth between the drivers side cam timing mark and the crank timing mark. Then count them again to confirm. Count them a third time to give yourself some peace of mind before you start to reassemble all the parts.
- I took the opportunity to reposition the coolant fill tank while the engine coolant system was drained of fluid as I intend to install an intercooler this summer, I used a variation on the idea in this thread < http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=20468 >, but I added a small aluminum bracket to allow the tank to sit more evenly.

Overall it is a reasonably straight forward project, if a little daunting. This has been my most major solo repair job. I had assisted on one of these before, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting in to, but I personally turned every wrench on this one myself. I will say that my respect for the designers of the EJ series engines has been bolstered. Solid, reliable, and pretty easy to work on. It's a satisfying moment when you put everything back together, turn the key, and it starts right up just like the day before the belt broke.