How to replace a SOHC Subaru 2.5l Timing Belt
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
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How to replace a SOHC Subaru 2.5l Timing Belt. This one is a 2005, but the process is the same for all 2.5L with the single overhead cams (one outside pulley instead of two).
Just wanted to thank you for your Subaru videos. I am a 20-plus year vet of the trade and a shop owner. Customer brought her Subaru with head gasket failure, and having no experience with Subaru, I tried to beg off on the job. She insisted that I could do it and she didn't trust anyone else to do it. Needless to say, I was a bit intimidated. Found your videos and they really gave be a much needed boost of confidence. Reading the procedure in a manual is ok, but watching and hearing an expert is always better. Thank you again!
I have a 2.5L engine and have never changed a timing belt before-myself. It's coming up this year. Thanks for posting this video. I'm going to use it as a reference for doing my first one.
Got my kit on ebay for $83 tensioner and water pump and full bearing kit. Worked great
Thanks for posting. Just watched this for the fourth or fifth time this morning. Its now 2:30 p.m. and after welding some round and square stock together to make a tool to hold the balancer and beating my breaker bar nearly flat, I'm putting the new kit on and looking forward to not being a nervous wreck every time I drive the severely neglected ol girl. 166k miles and the previous owner said he personally changed the belt twice only to pull the cover and see the factory one hanging by a thread. Dodged that one by a hair. Thanks again. Hope all is well.
You are a Saint! There aren’t any shops near me that will work on Subaru, this saves me money and the headache of failing on my own😂
Brian, I love your videos man. whenever I'm looking to work on my car I check your TH-cam page first because I know it'll contain all the information I need to accomplish the task at hand.
btw, I literally just found out you're a skier by watching this video. I'm a p.s.i.a alpine level 3 instructor. If you ever want to have an information exchange...
have to say out of all of the Subaru 2.5 timing belt videos this one was the best. no fluff just good information, ill keep a watch out for more of your videos.
Thanks Brian, I have an 01 Ram and an 01 Subaru, your videos have saved me a ton of headaches before I do anything I looks for your videos. Loyal fan, Michael
Thanks Mike!
I just did my Legacy belts with the help of this video, and I can't thank you enough for your time and effort. I had never done a timing belt before, so I was scared! Thanks so much!
ive done it once already & im still so scared
Taking the tensioner off makes it easier to get that bottom sprocket on without forcing the belt. Get the sprocket on, wrap the belt around it, then put tensioner on. A hell of a lot easier.
Thanx Brian. I am a computer analyst and have never attempted to work on my car (saabaru 9-2x Aero) before, but your videos are very informative. I am now working on swapping out all my struts / springs with H&R springs and Koni Inserts, and watching your vids are very helpful. More Subaru videos!!
I cheated on the crank bolt. I used a pull handle and a pipe cheater bar. With it in place I bumped the starter. I know it is not the recomended way but it works for me on a lot of different engines. Never damaged anything. I enjoyed your vid and your information is great.
Thanks for that, it made the job a lot easier. Didn't have to remove fans. Biggest pain was pulley bolt, had to make locking tool for this. Very easy job despite that! Respect!
Just finished this job on a 2009 Forester, used a GATES kit from NAPA. Worked well and runs great! Dodged bullet on this as the owner put the job off and the old belt 'lost' about 20 teeth! Engine was at idle but no valve damage!!
Congrats to all involved. Way to go!
Tip from an Old Aircraft Mechanic,
Great video, A bit more controlled way to remove and reinstall the vibration damper is to remove the radiator and then use two 3/8 drive 4 inch extensions. Put these extensions in two of the four holes in the damper with about 2 inches sticking out and 2 inches in the damper. use a long breaker bar or a piece of pipe between the two extensions. A helper can hold this leaver or you can let it rest up against the inside fender or frame. You can rotate the engine slightly to accommodate this without having an issue as the timing belt will be in place when you loosen and tighten the damper.
Now use a breaker bar and loosen the center bolt. When you reinstall the damper use a torque wrench and torque it to specs.
Hello briansmobile1, I'm Brazilian, and you're a great help
to us. And here we have to make many adaptations.
But your tips are of great value to us. thank you so much.
hello thank you for your video done timing belt today on 07 outback there are very little of these outback here in Ireland
I'm about to perform this on my 07 2.5i... because hopefully what I'm hearing under the hood is a bad tensioner and not valve-train damage.... FINGERS CROSSED! As with a few other jobs I've undertaken since finding your channel, you've given me the confidence to be my own subaru-tech... kind of.
Thanks, Brian,
Thanks for another great video. Another way to get the balancer bolt out is to remove the plastic plug that covers the window at the back of the motor where you can get to the bolts that hold flex plate to the torque converter. With that cover off you can put a large screwdriver in to hold the flex plate & the balancer pulley comes right out.
Thank you for the posting of this ... wife has a 08 and it is getting time to do the belt. I came from Dodge and have not seen many subaru products so this video is greatly appreciated.
Brian, a huge thank you from a forester owner in nz, with your videos i successfully stripped and rebuilt ej251, six star head gasket, new rings and bearings, complete valve job....drives awesome now....you're a rock star! Cheers, Andy
Doing a an 03 Outback 2.5L (eng code B) tomorrow. You have really a really good tone, ease and simplicity to your instructions, thanks for posting :)
Killer video man! Only wish it showed disassembly (from the beginning).
Looking forward to more videos!
Helped a lot. Thanks heaps. Working on my EJ25 Headgasket replacement here in Australia.
Thanks Brian. Took this video as a guide, and managed to change the timing belt on my Subaru, in under 2 hours, all by myself. Thx again!
Hey, just got the Aising timing belt kit from amazon all made in Japan. Thanks for the video.
Crankshaft Pulley, Loosening or Tightening of , Crankshaft 22mm Bolt. I found if I position two Dowel pins, or Grade 8 Bolts in the holes, of the pulley face. than place a bar of steel between those bolts, I can loosen or tighten the 22mm bolt accurately. No pipe wrench slipping, or missing hammering, just brute force, and torque wrenching. Your video was great. Thanks. Enjoy
I drive a 2012 Forester with the fb25 engine and I believe it has a chain. Love the car
2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i non-turbo wagon
Hi Guys, I recently did my first timing belt job. I thought it went well as I started the car and the engine seemed to run fine. A couple of days later I noticed some issues with the engine and decided to get back under the timing belt cover and check things out. Timing belt itself looks fine. Crankshaft and camshaft markings all line up like they should when camshafts markings are straight up. The problem is in getting the crankshaft sprocket marking straight up. The engine is EXTREMELY resistant to being cranked over. This was not a big deal the first time around. In finishing the timing belt install I hand cranked the engine several times by hand to check the timing between the camshafts and crankshaft sprockets and everything looked good. I didn't have any difficulty doing this.
I bench 250lbs x 5 and deadlift 225lbs for a workout and I am now having MUCH more difficulty getting the crankshaft sprocket straight up. The engine wants to spring back against my clockwise cranking of the engine.
Why I Went Under the Timing Belt Cover Again
As I have been using the car in the past few days I noticed that the engine sounds like it knocks when I start it up, but it starts easily. It also makes an extra clicking sort of sound when it idles. Sometimes as it idles, around 500rpm, the revs drops a bit and the i hear/feel a knocking going on. Could that be my ECM still relearning? For the most part the car is running smoother than normal when the ECM is relearning it's fuel mixture.
I notice more vibration out of the engine than normal. I have seen that before, I believe it is usually tied to a misfire in at least one of my cylinders. I have a known internal oil leak. Lately that engine vibration hasn't been present. It popped up again just after the timing belt job. Other than that the car moves as fine as it did before the timing belt job and has been driving fine.
I'm not entirely sure if the knocking issues are related to my timing belt work. My main concern right now is my inability to crank the engine over by hand.
Please help, I had to call off of work on account of this. I can't make any money while my car is apart or in questionable condition. I am in an emergency situation. Thanks in Advance, -AJFresh
AJFresh As I sat here attempting research, somehow out of nowhere a question popped into my mind. "Did you put the car in gear?" ?!?! Ran outside to check - yes I did. Relieved the tension on the breaker bar I locked under the AC compressor then took the car out of gear. Engine turns over like butter LOL
Now I can turn to the issue that brought me back to the timing belt in the first place
-Why do I have increased engine vibration?
-Why is there some kind of knock/sound/brief vibration on startup?
-Why does idling periodically get rough?
All that comes to mind is that my cylinder heads are out of sync. Maybe I should remove the timing belt, rotate either camshaft around once from having it's timing mark straight up where it is now, and reinstall the belt. Any input would be appreciated
+AJFresh I'm having a problem with my 2000 Subaru Outback I think it jumped time but my timing belt doesn't have any marks on it I just replaced it and I guess they must have wore off I was wondering if there's any way to time it without those marks
They are pretty light. That's one thing that makes them so good in snow/sand/mud.
Tensioner may look good but best to change it anyway.....I did head gaskets at 127k and when I started the car , belt jumped, bent 2 valves, had to do the job again.
THANKS A MILLION FOR THE VIDEOS, A GREAT HELP!!!!
thanks man i did mine last week hottest day of the week out here but i did it thanks to your help. i appreciate you 👍
THANK YOU!, this video helped me with a parts issue I was having with a supplier. It's the most detailed and clearer youtube video I've seen of someone changing a timing belt on a 2.5lt Subaru yet :)
nice video thanks for sharing the technique of removing pulleys instead of stretching the belt
Thanks for pointing out it's safe to turn the camshaft. Mine sprung out of position, that step wasn't included in the installation instructions.
I did it this morning. It wasn’t easy for me.
I spent a lot time to do it.
Thanks!
I didn’t use ur way
Did you watch the video 1st or after?
Thanks for explaining where the piston is during this process. Helped me.
If you look down on the left side on the back of the block where the tourque converter meets the block there is a 1/4 inch hole that allows you to place a Philips head screwdriver or pin punch and then just push or pull on the 22mm wrwnch you will then lock the block and you can loosen or tighten the pulley bolt as needed
Great video Brian, i got a 1999 S forester from my brother 2 months ago and now i was able to get the 2002 S Forester, but am kind of worry about changing the timing belt. But really this video was so helpful. Thanks.
I know what you mean. I've heard that from other tech's I've worked with, but I have this old one that just won't die.
You and me both! lol I've rebuilt them and they're still just kind of odd. It's a miracle they lubricate.
Thanks! I could issue torque specs. I've done this for 24 years now and can tell when things are going to come loose or give out. I use a torque wrench on head bolts and on spindle nuts because you just don't mess around with them being too tight etc. This other stuff is in that range that's just another day at the office.
Very well made DIY tutorial!! I've done many Tbelt jobs but never on a Subaru boxster motor.
Lots of fun. All day in the cold checking things and turning the key I now notice when my crankshaft mark is in line both camshaft markings are out of sink 80 deg to the left. Somehow the toothcount is off even with the marks alligned it rotates out of sink. Most likely bent it dead by this time. Going to have to do some digging on this one. Thanks.
Another way to loosen or tighten the crank bolt is, if its a manual, put it it 5th gear, handbrake up, and get someone to step on the brake.
Super helpful thank you. My timing jumped on freeway. I had to fix this on the interstate !:)
you sir, are legend
I believe it's best TB demo video .
Brian I have to admit I really liked the last part of the video where you describe the merits of a timing belt over a timing chain. I have seen horse power tv episodes where they work on these massive big block racing engines and much to my surprise they use belts instead of chains. I never understood why until I watched your video just now. I have always avoided timing belt vehicles because I am unsure how to change them. I do nearly all of my own repair work from the brakes, to the water pumps, oil changes, power steering pumps even fuel pumps in the gas tank. But I have never done a timing belt before. I don't like the idea of sending the work to be done out to a shop so I stick with what I know. Lately I have been thinking about buying a Volvo V50 wagon. Those come with a belt and so I have been plowing the internet trying to understand how to replace one properly. The belts look completely symmetrical to me so I never really understood why you had to align everything to top dead center. If you remove the belt and make sure the cam shaft sprocket and overhead cam sprockets don't move relative to each other can't you just slip the new belt right over the setup? I have seen some videos where they show markings on the belt themselves. I don't see why this is necessary unless the belts themselves are not completely symmetric. Also let's say you accidentally move the sprockets if you align the TDC markings can you just slip the belt over them in any orientation? Or does the belt have markings that also require they be aligned? Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Juan
Great Video. I'm going out to replace the belt on my 2.5 sohc Subaru motor. It should be a lot easier, well because it's in a sand rail. thanks for the tips with the paper clips.
YESSS.....your Ron Paul poster is on point!
Just did my timing belt last weekend thanks buddy really appreciate your pointers I have a dual overhead cam but still help a lot! You're awesome keep up the good work God bless take care
Howdy, Brian! I used your videos to do an engine replacement in my 2005 Outback at 220,000 miles and it was subsequently (and sadly) totaled in a hail storm. Despite the car's fate, thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. You're empowering people! Now I'm in a 2010 Outback 2.5i and it's overdue for replacement of the timing belt and water pump. I've done the work on an 05, but don't quite know what to expect with my 2010. What differences are you aware of that might make this more of a challenge? I appreciate your help!
I also would like to know
Great tutorial with a little humor inserted.
Nicely done!
And, yes, you are still at the top of Google / TH-cam search.
Rightly so.
Thanks for that!
Love that Ron Paul poster! Keep up the quality content. Subscribed!
There is another way to remove the harmonic balancer using the action of the engine turning over. 1) VERY IMPORTANT: remove the power from the ignition coil. 2) You can take a long breaker bar, resting on the frame next to the battery. 3) For a very brief moment, turn over the car. This will loosen the bolt. From there, the bolt comes right out. When you get everything done, don't forget to connect the power back to the ignition coil.
What about putting it back on? So do I just need an air impact or is there another trick I could use?
Very important to put back crank pulley bolt torched to spec as if too loose crank pulley will eventually loosen causing Woodruff key to shear off in skyway causing crank pulley to spin freely. Some mechanic did this on my 92 luckily just when tranny started to go. Instead of special crank pulley holding tool I just used 2 Sn ap On 1/4 inch short extentions for pins and a long flat bar between them to hold pulley stable while torquing to spec. The cheaper ones bent.
You’re really good at explaining things. I hope you teach.
I replaced the timing belt and tensioner I few years ago. It started making a loud banging noise a few days ago. It was the tensioner. I took it apart and started it to see what would hapoen. The tensioner was bouncing and banging like a rod knock except it went away at slightly higher RPM. I replaced it again and with the help of your video I get the belt on by taking off the the idlers. Makes a HUGE difference. Thanks for your hard work. Now I have another problem. After replacing the belt it won’t start.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
An alternative and really simple way to hold the pulley while breaking the 14mm bolt loose is to remove the 3" black plastic square cover that sits at an angle on top of the engine that exposes a large hole. (It's under the throttle body just to the passenger side) Rotate the crank until a large hole appears and you can drop a screw driver in that holds the pulley from spinning.
Only have a hole if it's a automatic transmission, flywheels don't have holes, only flex plates do. Just use a breaker bar and bump the starter
thank you you just saved my life..the factory manual gets you far sometimes seeing is believing...:)
If it's scored then yes. Be sure to get it machined first and then you'll know what oversized rod bearings to buy.
Hey Brian! First I really appreciate your videos and humor! Both have helped me with my frustrating subaru repairs. My 17 yr old daughter recently bought an ‘04 SOHC Outback. We wanted to replace the timing belt and other components because the prior owner didn’t know when that had been done last. I had her watch your video and let her take charge of this repair. She had just taken off the condenser and alternator covers when she set her wrench on the alternator and body and was briefly electrocuted. Now the car won’t start and only the dash lights come on. Help!
Did you disconnect the battery?
you can use the alternator belt an alternator to remove the crank Bolt. that saves me big wrenches on your harmonic balancer. it is done by having the belt go around the alternator and the harmonic balancer and then using the belt to pinch itself on that harmonic balancer preventing it from spinning while loosening the bolt
Wish I could like this twice. Its that good. Thanks for posting this video for the knowledge and the humor.
On the 2.2 you're OK. They don't suffer the interference issues the 2.5 does. Also the pistons are centered in stroke at both "marks on" and out 180. This means you can rotate your cams to mark. And then rotate your crank to mark.
Thanks for always helping me with my Subaru Brian!
just did my timing belt today. thanks for the video. it helped out a lot.
after watching a few of your video's, I like your guy/girl dynamic. I don't see really any women mechanics. I like that keep up the great work!
Never mind answering my last question I see your other video about bleed the tensioner thanks for doing it I will watch it
Brian, maybe also do a video on heli coils, as when you replace the timing belt and pulleys more than a few times, you will be putting heli-coils in. STEEL Bolts, aluminum block. its only a matter of time. PS: mine is a 2.2L with the separate piston with the tensioner on an eccentric Great videos
Thus is life. That's why the best thing a sales guy can ask are "what are your priorities?" "What is this to be used for?"
Nice video, my 2005 subaru legacy timing belt jumped and bent the valves, how do you change the valves? By the way Subaru Ambassador here
Levi Mendonca remove the heads, compress the valve springs and the retainers will fall out, decompress the springs and the valves can be pushed out. replace valve seals while your at it, they are most likely destroyed as well.
Yes. They come with a valve cover gasket set.
the video was very helpful. I wish you had gone into more instructions on tightening the crankshaft bolt. when I tighten it just turns the whole engine. I'm looking for a "cheater" way to hold it in place! thanks again for the good video
briansmobile1 Thank you for all these Subaru videos! I have an Impreza, and these vids are such a huge help! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
An Allen wrench also works really well to hold the tensioner in place. That way you have a bent piece to pull on, and you don't have to ruin a drill bit!
You're supposed to use a special tool for that ( I have) but I don't always use it. Just make sure you have the crank mark lined up.
Yes. They're pretty common in fact. Most of the Turbo one's and Outback's are DOHC.
I just found your videos (I clicked like) but did I miss you taking the belt off (or part 1)?
I been looking thru your other videos, and I didn't see it. I have a 2008 Legacy 2.5i (non-turbo'd)
Keep up the great work.
Awesome video Brian, I love Subarus too and love any Subaru videos you can put out. It's interesting too that Subaru has always used timing belts on the 4 cylinders (not the 6 cylinders), but the new 2.0 and 2.5 engines have switched to timing chains. Seems like people want the maintenance free chain over a belt which makes sense but the advantages of a belt also make sense. Trade-offs are involved just like anything else.
Great video!! I forgot all about the drill bits and using that this time around for the tensioner. I got robbed on the passenger side as my plastic composite camshaft sprocket broke in 8 pieces and just noticed this engine has a metal one for both sides of the engine. Dumb setup using plastic camshaft sprockets as I’m unsure if my engine is junk.
Could be. Except for the fun ones like Corvette's, Mustangs, Comaro's, and Vipers.... those are pretty fun, but sadly Sti's spank them in real world driving scenarios.
great video bro. you can break the balance bolt with a socket on a breaker bar with a cheater pipe against floor
as long as engine turns clock wise and hit starter a walow bolt broke ,im an old timer 64 ive done it many times before
all the fancy tools came out the starter will put about 3 pounds of torque on bolt its safe with short socket ,,on breaker bar,,,
You're still the man!! Nice video and always full of extra information.
I love the poster you have in the background and all of your videos are great. thank you for all you do. :)
This video was very informative, thank you. I was looking for a video explaining how to remove a timing belt but happened here and learned a little.
Thanks and you're welcome!
I know Toyota and Honda just switched back over to chains, but I'm pretty sure there are enough differences that it's no longer a fair comparison. Timing chains also have a heavier metal- oil retaining cover which adds weight too.
I don't have a vid of taking the belt off. I can can video that on the 18th though. You just take off the small smooth idler on the passenger bottom side. Then take off the geared idler pulley by the water pump. Then the belt will come off for you. The pin goes in while the tensioner is in the vice after you SLOWLY compress it.
Oh man you should call this putting the timing belt on the easy way. Cause I was taught to do the tensioner last and its a paint in the keister. Thanks again
Hey Brian great video
I just did this to my subie but now if I try to accelerate hard my car chokes is this something to do with the tensioner failing I believe the belt could be tighter
Thanks for making this video my guy! It's going to make tomorrow so much easier
Hey Brian, EricTheCarGuy has put a link to this video on his latest video for doing the Timing Belt on his Subaru he had!
Hey Brian we lined everything up car still won’t crank. Do we have to put the car completely back together before cranking
another way to take the crank shaft bolt off is on the passenger side of the engine back where the crank gear is located there is a small hole in the engine block where you can stick a screw driver in and it will stop the crank shaft from turning and you can loosen the bolt
where exactly is this hole, would it work for tightening the bolt as well?
where exactly is this hole, would it work for tightening the bolt as well?
I will have to take a picture of it but it's at the very back of the engine block about half way up it may have a cover it may not. My car didn't have a cover. And it's kind of behind the wires on the passenger side.
Yes it will work for tightening the crankshaft bolt as well
Just remember to remove the screw driver before you try starting the car or you will probably ruin the teeth on the crank gear wheel.
Thanks for the Vid Brian. I swore to never work on a Subaru. But it looks like the Scion FR-S is going to force my hand.
Thankyou..... I'm about to do mine and you've made it look too easy .
Brian, thanks for video. I just did timing belt, water pump, thermostat, pulleys and tensioner. Pulled pin put everything back drive a mile and the tensioner seems to be slapping (making knocking noise). Could it have failed and could i have had belt to tight prior to pulling pin.
compared to other cars i heard it was super easy to do the timing on these
I like the power of the 2.5.
I use a long touque wrenck or breaker bar set on the drivers side frame and do a crank to remove the pully bolt.
That works too! If anything goes wrong though, it's tough to detect and react in time. That's the trouble with recommending it online. Liabillity.
To remove the harmonic balancer you can stick a flathead screwdriver on the flywheel (or flex plate if you are dealing with automatic transmission car)
to stop the crank from turning and then you can remove the bolt normally