Wrenching help - Subaru Outback EJ25

>past week or two
>doing head gasket and replacing timing belt
>158,xxx
>can tell belt has already been changed, along w water pump
>remove head and take to resurface
>reassemble with mls head gaskets and torque heads to spec
>re-do timing belt, kinda shaky with this procedure
>assemble engine and fix bent engine bolt

>today
>put engine back in car
>re-assemble the rest of the car
>turn on
>rough as fuck idle
>no knocking or banging of any kind as far as mechanical
>most likely just the timing belt off time
>remove parts on front to get to belt cover
>redo timing belt using more secure way
>put EVERYTHIng back together
>engine runs noticeably smother idling, revving to reverse, etc
>pull out of road, also revved it maybe a bit too harsh for recent surgery
>engine hesitates to go up rev range
>soon engine is running poorly, has to stay at 4-kish to have torque
>pull back into home
>feel expressed to write this post

Could valves be out of place?

3 options:

first and most likely, something on the timing belt is out of place, culprits include cams, crank, or tension pulley.

second is bent valves, while less common on single cam motors, still can be an issue. especially likely since you did head work.

third option is that something is up with the head gasket work that was done. this could be quite possibly hundreds of things.

start troubleshooting at the top, check cams. check crank and check all your pulleys.

personally, i really think its valves, hopefully not though.

are you throwing any codes? if so what are they?

>>17646608
I wouldn't rule out a sensor problem. I guess this would be MAP rather than MAF, so probably less likely to be the failure point. But you might check for any kind of potential vacuum leaks just to be sure.

If it's being erratic depending on how you push it then that could be an ECU thing rather than a mechanical thing.

>>17646665
How would I test for that?

>>17646719
will be redoing the timing belt once I get a chance, most likely untill saturday. I think I may have just jumped a tooth on the crank. I revved it idle to about 5k after running it for 10min and right as it came down, it it almost stalled from miss firing and jumpy timing, eventually got back at stable-ish idle before getting on road

>>17646748
haven't tried tightening the intake bolts, so I will do that before doing other work.

This would be the first time I'm doing any serious engine work so it's possible I missed something. I did come out with two extra bolts.

>>17646778
I also checked that nothing was hitting by turning the crank a few revolutions. I could feel one solid point of compression second time I did it every few strokes and nothing hitting.

>>17646778
Definitely double-check the timing marks. It's been a while, but IIRC that's a non-interference design, in which case you wouldn't have things banging in to each other if it's off a tooth somewhere.

Be sure the tensioner is newish and in good shape because that can let the belt slip if it's starting to give out.

If you can do a compression test easily, that might be insightful.

>>17646778
As anon said the EJ25 isn't an interference engine, so at least even if it has skipped it would do no significant damage.

Test the compression if you can, check if the belt is where it is supposed to be first.

I just realized how much of a dumbass I might be.

Putting the tensioner back on the first time, wasn't using my torque wrench, bolt jumped. and I may have cross threaded i putting the new one back in.

Did this thing just rotate out of tension and fuck up my timing when the going got rouggh?

>>17646841
>EJ25 isn't interference
Only 1989-95 EJ series engines weren't interference. Everything else since then has been, and the first Outback was introduced in 1995, so OPs is definitely interference.

>>17646841
>tfw EJ22
>bulletproof when maintained but interference
>tfw give it another 6mo before a new tensioner and a new belt because reasons
>tensioner gives out on the highway
put p-put put
>huh?
put put put put p-put put
>u wot
putta pu-putta pu-putta
>gas pedal I choose you!
prub-prub-prub-prub-prub-prub
>fug

And that was the last time the engine ever ran under its own power :(

>starter can I chose you?
crchunk-cksh-crchunk-chsh-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cshhhhhsh

The sounds of hopeless shame.

>>17646874
Well, shit. Mah bad.

File: 41c9b97d0d-1487135241074.jpg (202KB, 907x680px) Image search: [Google]

202KB, 907x680px

I know the timing can be off by a at least one mark to either side. Will look into testing for compression.

Engine was running well when I did this, but the driver side hg looked pretty toast but not leaking yet. Actually not oem hgs, also timing belt and water pump had been done.


I'm going to research how to repair this tensioner cross thread if it's even possible and do that next saturday...

>any tips on doing that?
I'm gonna worry about other things now. Thank you anons

>>17646920
As for cross-threading the tensioner you might just start with retapping the threads to get something in quick and cheap. But depending on how fucked up the threads are I might think of searching out a helicoil.

Your choice. That's a personal choice.

Somewhat on topic but is there any advice you guys have when dealing with EJ22 cam seals? I think I've narrowed down a leak from the front but I have no prior wrenching experience.
Hell, I'm looking to make this kind of an intro to wrenching since it also needs a new timing belt.

>>17647033
Considering your EJ22 is pretty old by this point, you might as well do everything you can while you have the timing belt off.

I've never done the front seals, but I'm told they're pretty easy to pick out and push back in. Do all the idler gears. For sure the water and oil pumps. 100% the timing belt tensioner.

>>17647067
Well shit, looks like I'm going to take a while to do this repair then.
thanks for the insight anon

>>17647128
EJ22 is pretty easy to take apart and put back together. The main point is if you still have an EJ22 in this day and age you might as well just replace most of the wear parts if you want it to go another 10-20 years or whatever it's destined for.

You have the Factory Service Manuals, yes?