ade_sti

iTrader: (2)

Hi all, just received the kit

Belt good - made in England so good
Tension - NTN - good
The idlers are just stamped with gates - do look very similar to NSK/Koyo - possibly the same
And the toothed bearing made in China!!
Also water pump does not look great - just stamped with Gates
Thermostat made in Israel


Thinking of sending back or just fit?

Thoughts?

JdmSti2006

Dayco kit fitted over 3 years ago.
In a mentime plenty of 8k revs pulls and nothing wrong with kit,just clutch and engine dies😜

nicam49

Hmm.. Keep the old pump if it's original Subaru one.* There's a YouTube vid of an irate American guy ranting about his Gates kit being Chinese made. Not a happy bunny and he told Gates in no uncertain terms!
*I've read somewhere that the original Subaru pumps last and last.

ade_sti

iTrader: (2)

Have decided to send back. Getting a different kit with bearings all made in japan.

My car has an original water pump - so am just changing bearings, tensioner and belt now.

Shame that gates have cost cut. Just the way things are.

Hawkeye D

I've seen this vid on YouTube, he rings them lol.
Flogging Chinese junk!

IdonthaveaScooby

Wow , just today was going to order one these for old Citroen - one of 7 left on the road

Would it really matter if the quality is there


would it be better if Gates went under

JdmSti2006

Thats some myth, never seen news about Subaru water pump infinity or immortality until few months back.
Soon they will say above about 2.5l 🙃

ade_sti

iTrader: (2)

2.5 all day long with 400 Bhp on standard internals!!

stockcar

funny that @JdmSti2006 because we have been 'banging the drum' against the blatant up-selling of Subaru water pumps for near 20years...........

Gates belts are high quality but stick with the correct NSK, NTN, Koyo tensiuoner & parts IMO - I linked to a decent kit in your other thread

nicam49

When I did my cambelt, I didn't buy 'a kit', instead, I bought all the items individually and was able to hand-pick the idlers by make, making sure they were all Jap ones . The tensioner didn't need changing as the pulley bearings on it were the quietest of the lot.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Exactly this. Don't bother with 'kits'. Buy the belt separate. Gate make belts. Good belts at that, they don't make pumps or pulleys they'll all be outsourced and vary from batch to country belt is sold in.

As you say the pumps in these kits are almost always inferior to the factory item, the bearing and pulleys can be ok, sometimes not. And other brands are no different. SKF, INA etc. Regardless of car manufacturer these kits are often the same in terms of quality of included components.

Worst case was a GRAF branded pump that weeped and sucked air though the shaft seal. This caused cavitation which when combined with OAT antifreeze and a cast iron block (5yr old Audi diesel), in 12months turned a clean cooling system into it being plugged up with rusty gunk...plugging up the Heater matrix, Radiators, Charge cooler, Oil cooler, DSG cooler. It made a right mess....all for a "routine belt change", but was told to do the pump as well just in case!