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Subaru Legacy/Outback Wagons Maintenance & Repair

8644 messages,  Last post on May 22, 2013 at 4:04 PM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Wagon

Messages Page 844 of 865

#8425 of 8644 Timing Belt by gjksn

Feb 02, 2011 (10:22 am)

I just got this email from my dealership: Did you know that Subaru recommends that the timing belt on your 2003 LEGACY be changed every 7 years or up to 105,000 miles? Our records indicate that your vehicle is due for this service. I've heard a lot about the importance of replacing the thing at 105,000 miles but never the part about 105,000 miles OR SEVEN YEARS. My 2003 Legacy wagon (purchased 9/11/2002) has 57,500 miles on it. Does Subaru really recommend that I change the timing belt, and if not, should I do it anyway?

#8426 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [gjksn] by xwesx

Feb 02, 2011 (10:36 am)

Replying to: gjksn (Feb 02, 2011 10:22 am)
I have not heard the time limit before, but rubber belts do suffer the effects of age as well as use. I certainly would not let the belt go over ten years, just because it is much less expense and effort to replace the belt periodically than to ruin the engine should it break.
 
I replaced my '96 Outback's belt at: 83,500 miles (4.5 years old), 144,000 miles (3 years old), 192,000 miles (2.5 years old - I also replaced the pulleys this time). Every time it was replaced, it looked perfect aside from the timing marks, etc., on the back side of the belt being extremely faded.
 
I did the initial replacement because I had just purchased the car and it was closing in on the 105,000 mark, but the other replacements were simply due to having the engine apart for other reasons.

#8427 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [gjksn] by ateixeira

Feb 02, 2011 (11:37 am)

Replying to: gjksn (Feb 02, 2011 10:22 am)
That assumes you drive more than 15k miles per year, which is crazy.
 
So no, I doubt the 7 years thing.

#8428 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [ateixeira] by robr2

Feb 02, 2011 (11:46 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 02, 2011 11:37 am)
That assumes you drive more than 15k miles per year, which is crazy.
  
So no, I doubt the 7 years thing.
 
15K a year isn't unusual nowadays.
 
As for 2003 Subaru - here is the schedule:
 
http://www.subaru.com/content/downloads/pdf/maintsched/2003SchedFed.pdf
 
They recommend 105K miles or 105 months.

#8429 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [robr2] by ateixeira

Feb 02, 2011 (12:15 pm)

Replying to: robr2 (Feb 02, 2011 11:46 am)
Yeah, but they would likely go with 12k miles/year. Like the warranty - 3 years/36k, 5/60k.

#8430 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [ateixeira] by robr2

Feb 02, 2011 (12:36 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 02, 2011 12:15 pm)
According to the DOT, the average is closer to 14K miles per year:
 
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm
 
3/36, 5/60 are just easy to remember.

#8431 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [robr2] by ateixeira

Feb 02, 2011 (1:12 pm)

Replying to: robr2 (Feb 02, 2011 12:36 pm)
But aren't the service intervals 30,000 miles or 3 years? That's just 10k per year.
 
I doubt a timing belt is done at 7 years. The belts on my Miata started getting noisy at more like 11+ years. It was also very low miles.

#8432 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [ateixeira] by robr2

Feb 02, 2011 (4:23 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 02, 2011 1:12 pm)
But aren't the service intervals 30,000 miles or 3 years? That's just 10k per year.
 
Read closer - it says 30K or 30 months, whichever comes first.
 
Honda says 7 years or 105K. My VW should have it done at 90K. According to Miata.net, the timing belt on your Miata should be changed at 60K miles.
 
It's not just noise, it's also wear from stretching and oil. On an interference engine (ie Honda), breaking a timing belt can be an expensive repair.

#8433 of 8644 Re: Timing Belt [robr2] by ateixeira

Feb 03, 2011 (8:08 am)

Replying to: robr2 (Feb 02, 2011 4:23 pm)
I stand corrected. So a 12k/year pace, then. Still not 15k plus.
 
I wasn't worried on the Miata because it's non-interference, but I changed it and the water pump anyway, since I had some cooling issues.
 
EJ engines are interference I believe, so more of a concern.

#8434 of 8644 Timing Belt Thank You by gjksn

Feb 03, 2011 (8:54 am)

Thank you guys for your responses. I knew I'd get good information in answer to my question. It sounds like I should probably replace it. My mechanical skills are non-existent, so I tend to over-maintain cars. Both my all season tires and my Blizzaks were replaced after seven years even though they still had enough tread for more miles. I drive no more than 10-15 miles on city surface streets most days, but I love long distance road trips and don't react well when cars break down. That hasn't happened since the early 80s when my 77 VW Rabbit stopped in the middle of the Squirrel Hill tunnel during rush hour while I was in law school at U Pitt. It was rush hour, and traffic was backed up from Squirrel Hill all the way onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike (several miles, if I recall correctly). I've bought Japanese cars ever since then, maintained them well, and have not had a major car problem since 77. Though I only have 57,500 miles after 8.5 years, my 2003 Legacy has been from Minneapolis to Montana 4 times, back and forth to D.C. 3 times, back and forth to Boston once, and back and forth to Philly (where I had many spectacular break downs in VWs during the 70s as an undergrad) once. Sorry for rambling, but I really do appreciate the information, and as an over-maintainer, I'll probably go ahead and do what they tell me. This is a fairly expensive repair isn't it?

Messages Page 844 of 865

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