Hi guys,

I have some oil leaking quite badly from under the timing belt cover which looks like it might also be coming from the sump seal (and maybe elsewhere too!). I thought the best thing to do first would be to take off the front end, take off the cover and swap the two camshaft(?) front seals and the oil pump seal, plus clean up the mess and replace the timing belt then clean and refit all the plastic covers with new seals. Questions though - does this sound like a good idea? Can anyone give me a simple step-by step for this including front end removal? Is this the sort of job I can do without too much stress, experience or cost? Do I need to know torque values or should I just take a flyer on what feels right? How do I swap the shaft seals?

Plus, my big concern - I have never gone near a timing belt in my life. What do I do with it, how do I get it off and back on and how do I check my timing's right so the car doesn't break? Do I buy a timing gun? I have an R reg 98 non-turbo wagon.

Thanks everyone

 

2 most important rules regarding cambelts!

1) Make sure the slack on the belt is all on the tensioner side, so that when you release the tensioner the slack is all taken up.

2) always turn the engine over by hand with a spanner a few times before running it. If it locks up, its not timed properly.

 

Good tips thanks mate I will look out for those! Don't suppose you could add anything else?! Meant to be buying the gear today!

 

to be honest mate, if you have never gone near a timing belt before a quad cam engine is not your best starting point, while they are not hard to do the inexperience will see you possibly making a big mistake which could well cost big money to fix.

 

Thanks for the advice but at £50 an hour for labour in Aberdeen plus parts plus the inconvenience of not having a car for work it's a job I'm willing to give a go over the weekend, as long as I know exactly what I'm doing before I start. I'm a design engineer so I understand the fundamentals, I just need the practical know how from someone who's tackled it before...

 

ill be putting up a front crankshaft seal removal and riffiting guide soon so check it out

 

Great news KC but it will have to be soon if I'm going to have a go! When do you think we can expect it?

Anyone in the meantime able to add anything?

Cheers!

 

I've got a genuine unused front crank seal that I ended up not needing if you want to make me an offer on it Got loads of guides on doing the timing belt as I did mine for the first time recently. It's ok, just read the guides and follow them properly.

http://www.scoobymods.com/my01_rs_ti...lt-t3837.html?
http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/mainte...placement.html
http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t287...ming-belt.html
https://www.scoobynet.com/wales-26/8...elt-diyrs.html
http://www.northursalia.com/modifica.../tbeltwrx.html <-- Most useful for me
https://www.scoobynet.com/general-te...iming-etc.html

 

One thing I've always done when doing timing belts on any car is to mark the old belt and pulleys with tip-ex, as (a) it's usually a lot easier to see than the existing timing marks, and (b) it's the easiest option if the original timing marks have worn off the belt.

With the subaru engine, you will need to line up 5 different timing marks, and the final mark is always tricky since the belt is fairly tight by then. An extra pair of hands will make the job a lot quicker!

When you've lined the marks up, check and double check each one before you pull the pin on the tensioner. And as djandyg says, always turn the engine over a few times by hand, to make sure nothing's interfering, and to even out the belt tension.

The good news is that the subaru engine uses a very simple automatic tensioner, so you don't have to use your judgement in determining how much tension to put on the belt.

While it's off, I'd suggest replacing the idler pullers and tensioner as well as the belt, for peace of mind. If the bearings make any noise while you spin the pulleys round by hand, or if there is any noticeable play, then they need replacing.

I had exactly the same problem as you on mine last year, and I just replaced the oil pump with an uprated one from API, which includes a new crank seal. When I removed the old pump, there was hardly any gasket on it, so I suspect the leak might have been coming from there, as the crank seal looked ok to me. Either way, I had no more oil leaks after that

An uprated pump is a good insurance policy, as the OEM one's are known to fail (from what I've been told, anyway).

 

You should fine everything you need to know here

https://www.scoobynet.com/technical-...d-updated.html courtesy slipstream uk

Being a non turbo it is only twin cam, but little less awkward nonetheless. Perhaps try the sport club for a howto.

Good luck

 

This might help you
http://www.jollygreenmonster.com/cambelt.htm

 

Thanks everyone, I've yet to get through all this info but one thing in particular puzzles me - I don't know much about it but I've read that on old cars you used a timing light to observe the movement of the white belt marks then rotated the distributor until the marks appeared static (I think!). How does this tie in with my scoob? Do people even use timing guns any more or is it somehow all controlled by ECU? In that case, the only thing I have to look out for is making sure the slack goes on the tensioner side.

??????

 

Timing strobes are only needed for, as you say, the old fashioned mechanical dizzys, where they get their drive from a camshaft. As the ignition pulse goes down the HT lead, the strobe attached to it lights up, and when the dizzy is rotated to the precise correct pos, the timing marks line up (can easily be seen as being "static" together due to the way a rapidly pulsing strobe light "tricks" our eyes). When this happens the spark is being delivered at the correct moment in the engine cycle.

As you elude to, modern ECU-equipped cars have electronic cam and crank sensors, and it is these which sense the position of cam and crank - in conjuction with a whole host of other info from all the various other electronic sensors - to let the ECU know when to VERY accurately deliver spark and fuel.

 

Thanks mate for that concise reply! I did think it was the crank sensor as I've been reading a lot of posts lately. Thinking out loud then, as long as the relative positions of all of the pulleys remain the same while you change the belt over, the timing should be ok? If so then hopefully a new belt will have pre-set lines marked on it and the pulleys will have matching marks. Otherwise there's a danger you might be one or two teeth out either side and it will screw everything up. So is this the case then and if so what is the best way to make sure everything lines up and doesn't move while you're working on it?

 

Just checked out the links posted earlier and they are so useful, thanks! Looks like all I have to do is make sure the various pulley lines match up then reset the tensioner. How do I remove and refit the crank shaft oil seal? I've read about people screwing through it and pulling it out but isn't there a danger of marking the metal surface below? Also what torque values would I use to refit the oil pump after swapping the o-ring?

 

Slv, there's been many threads/posts on timing belt removal/refitting (and front oil seals, etc.)... Do a search with appropriate keywords, etc. and you'll soon trawl in a whole host of fab info on what/what not to do, re the above....

 

Sorry mate but I spent a while looking and couldn't find enough info. I've since followed the links above and they are really good so I think I'm happy enough to crack on! Thanks for all your help guys wish me luck!

 

If your struggling - I can help you out once I get back onshore.

Spent many years tuning, servicing and modding Scoobs up here (based near Inverurie) so if it looks too daunting, I can help you out.

£50/hour - SOD THAT! - I normally charge £50 labour to do a timing belt. I can also help with getting cheaper parts prices too.

Wuz

ps - you need to join us on our local forum

Aberdeen Scoobies

 

Sly,

Gotta say WUZ has gotta be one of the busiest and yet most helpful person I have met. If you aren't hundred percent certain how to do it yourself then definitely the man to help you.

I am waiting to hear when he is next back home so I can benefit from his expertise.

Bob