Hello Subaru friends just the other day a person who was putting tires on my new addition to my family a 1988 Subaru Gl with a 135k informed me that putting a timing belt on my car is very labor intensive and expensive. I have no idea of the history of this car so I dont know if the belt or belts have been replace. I was planning on haveing it done but from hearing this info I am thinking about putting those plans on the backburner since I am a poor man. Was this guy shooting straight with me or is he full of it.
I you have a 2.2 litre with one cam on each side, it is a "non interference" engine. (if a belt breaks, the valves and pistons won't collide and break)
If 2 cams on each side, replace belts like gospel at required mileage.
Yes, replacement is a pain. Mainly getting other stuff out of the way so you can get at the belt covers, then the belts.
(if your '88 isn't the same as my '90, then nevermind)
zero
ps, thank you a.a.s. deja/google searching this group has helped me immensely.
Last ones I had done was about 200 bucks, 50 for belts and 150 labor. Not too bad, and yes change them every 60k. Had one break on me last winter so no doing it myself, and even had it been summer, for the amount of work required, it was 200 bucks well spent.
Indeed, I would treat timing belt replacement with deadly seriousness. You need to have the timing belt inspected. If you're at 135,000 miles, the car is 15 years old, and the timing belt has never been replaced, you need to have it replaced immediately. I don't know whether you have a 60,000 or 105,000 mile belt replacement interval on your engine, but either way, you're way past due. The cost is not that bad -- $319 at my dealer. That's nothin' compared to the repair costs of a broken timing belt on an interference engine (not to mention the towing, rental car and other costs when it breaks and leaves you stranded on the side of the road).
If you're a bit of a wrench, and have the time, it's extensive, but not too expensive! Allow yourself a full weekend the first time, and you'll be down to just a few hours after you learn the drill. And since the history of your car is unknown, you need to establish a "baseline" for future maintenance. At 135k, you're at the end of the second scheduled maintenance period, generally 60k miles for your year.
Regardless of who does the work, insist on Subaru OEM belts, since some aftermarket belts are of questionable quality. The extra bucks are worth the peace of mind. I had a MAJOR name brand belt let go at about 50k, stranding me beside the road for a couple of hours at 108 deg F one summer, and the $30 or so I'd saved by not going OEM was starting to look pretty silly by the time the tow truck got there! Others report similar stories...
While you're in there, you might plan on redoing all the seals, and maybe doing the waterpump, too. Mainly cuz the labor's about the same regardless of which parts you replace or leave. If you're "poor" (are any of us "rich?") you will save money in the long run doing these as one job.
You can do a google on the NG for suggestions of what seals, etc.
It does take some time but is very simple and straightforward so you can save a lot of money by shopping around for the parts and doing the labor yourself. TG
The EA82 is *not* an interference engine, so no panic over that. But - yes - they do tend to break at the worst possible moment - like when you're on the way to an interview for a once-in-a-lifetime job and it's pouring down rain. 8^)
No belts would have made it to 135k miles, but you are right, they are probably overdue even if replaced once.
Replacement interval for the EA82 t-belts is 60k miles - earlier if unkown brand of belts were used last time.
Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")
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