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by Justin Stobb

This comes up a lot both for our Local customers, and we get a lot of questions about this from afar.

The old saying a picture is worth a thousand words, I think a video with a little sound is worth many more.  I did make a mistake about the green aftermarket idlers we see in many of the online kits having double bearings, that is actually not correct, they are just a single bearing idler, which is really not the best choice you can make .  It only costs a few dollars additional to get the updated component.

Thanks for reading and watching

Justin

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12 Responses to “Subaru Repair Seattle: Timing Belt Idlers Explained”

1. Kevin Says:
   March 1st, 2010 at 4:22 pm

   Hello Justin

   Thanks for taking the time to add another excellent and informative video to your collection. I’m planning on pulling the engine on our 2001 Legacy wagon this spring (please open a second shop up here in Juneau). 90,000 mile and an oil leak on the lower left rear side head gasket. What are the odds? Along with your head gasket kit I plan on having you include the timing belt, all idler pulleys, tensioner and bracket as well as the water pump, hoses and accessory belts. Are there any additional parts that you would replace in order to help reduce the chances of my having to break into the the engine over the next 105,000 miles. Also, could you tell me roughly what the weight of the engine is when pulling it out of the engine compartment. Thanks again for all your hard work.

2. Matt Says:
   March 2nd, 2010 at 7:36 pm

   Kevin, the motor is somewhere around 200 lbs. Maybe slightly more but it’s easily picked up by two guys.

   Justin, I’m also curious of what you would recommend for a “timing belt kit” to compliment the head gasket kit.

3. Justin Stobb Says:
   March 11th, 2010 at 3:37 am

   Matt,

   I have never seen a kit online that has all of the right parts in it, we do sell a timing belt kit with what we feel are the best possible parts to use.

   Justin

4. Jimmy Says:
   March 12th, 2010 at 6:43 pm

   Another shop mentioned changing the crank seal, oil pump seal, and cam seal as part of the timing belt repair. Is that a typical set of things to replace/inspect at the same time?

5. Jay Susswein Says:
   March 13th, 2010 at 1:18 am

   Hi Justin,
   I might be interested in purchasing a “timing belt kit” from you. Could you specify exactly what it would include and the price. Thanks, Jay.

6. Justin Stobb Says:
   March 13th, 2010 at 8:58 pm

   Jimmy,

   Its always a good idea to inspect all of the seals, while behind the timing covers.

   I will tell you though that the cam and crank seals used by Subaru right now are some of the best longest lasting seals I have seen.

   Justin

7. Justin Stobb Says:
   March 13th, 2010 at 8:59 pm

   Hello Jay,

   You can fill out the form here and I can send you a detailed quote.

   http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-parts/

   Justin

8. Jack McDaniel Says:
   March 22nd, 2010 at 6:58 pm

   Hello Justin,

   Great website!! I just purchased a 2002 Legacy GT Wagon here in Duluth, MN. 156k on it and the day after the purchase it overheated and I’m told it’s due to a defective head gasket (which according to records were replaced at 92k as well). I have decided to buy an engine (another 2002 2.5l SOHC) with 68k and a 12 month parts warranty on it. The decision I need to make is whether I take my chances and just have the swap done without doing anything to the replacement engine, or take the time (and cash) now to change headgaskets and timing belt parts. I just ordered your head gasket set (in case) but can you quote me a price for a complete timing belt kit (belt, tensioner and idlers)?

   Thanks,
   Jack

9. Bob Kratchet Says:
   May 6th, 2010 at 4:56 pm

   Change the headgasket on the new engine… It’s easy as pie to do while the engine is out as long as you follow the right procedures… Be aware though, to really do it right you should have heads inspected and possibly decked for flatness otherwise you may run in to problems. With that added expense you can just as well fix the old engine if everything else seems good on it.

10. Andy Kosse Says:
    May 30th, 2010 at 12:19 am

    Can potentially worn timeing belt idler pulleys squeal or sing at about 3500 rpm and up? Sound is not as obnoxious as say a water pump, sounds more like an hones belt squeel. I sware it is a two pitched squeel with one kicking in about 3500 and the other kicking in about 4500rpm. Won’t do it in the driveway, engine must be under load. Not the accessory drivebelts or pulleys as I took them off. Whole timing cover now apart. Belt looks great (replaced prev. at 49K mi by dealer) but wondering about these idlers and how to test tensioner. When I rotated crank with socket it sure looked as if timing belt was shifting forward just slightly on the left cam pulley before everything began to turn together. To me T-Belt seemed just a little bit looser than I would have expected based on previous experience w VW and Honda 4 cyls. Idlers do not seem bad (maybe give the worst one a 1/2 skateboard bearing rating) but certainly are not “new” either. Subaru (2001 Outback 2.5 w 97K miles)

11. Justin Stobb Says:
    June 1st, 2010 at 9:08 pm

    Hi Andy,

    It would be wise to remove the timing belt and spin each idler and the tensioner pulley as well.

    Also if it is a 5 speed, there are 2 other things to consider, one is the timing belt guide not gapped correctly over the crank shaft sprocket and the other is a throw out bearing or clutch fork/pivot point issue.

    Hope that helps

    Justin

12. Andy Kosse Says:
    June 2nd, 2010 at 11:34 pm

    Justin, Thanks for the tip. Automatic on this one though. I spun everyone and no obnoxiously loud suspects though all but the tensioner bearing do appear somewhat worn. Can these idler pulleys squeel at high rpm?. Can the belt itself squeel if the tensioner isn’t quite doing it’s job anymore? Can waterpumps squeal even if the pulley feels nice and tight and they are not leaking at weep hole? Found the correct kit if you are interested, though you likely are getting better parts elsewhere price was right at $292 w hydraulic tensioner and the one idler pulley even has the double bearing (nice refernce by the way on that a most kits do not have that). Said the H with it and got it all including water pump so at a minimum all will be done and hopefully (double crossed fingers) no squeal. I must say excellent site you have and used your tip previuously about the foaming power steering fluid after belt change….that was an odd one that would have taken a month to figure out on my own.

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