Timing Belt Idlers Surface Rust

Blackhawk_wrx · 05-16-2022, 03:32 PM

Well i’m in a bit of a pickle here. I have a 2006 WRX that I had taken to a mechanic back in January to have a cam seal replaced after a suspected oil leak from that area. Long story short, it wasn’t the cam seal but instead a cracked hose causing excess blow-by to drip down the block onto my headers. The mechanic who initially tore down the engine has since quit.

Here’s the conundrum:

The car has sat outside until now (4 months) with timing belt exposed and TGVs exposed (no cover besides the hood with intake mani removed). There’s an abundance of surface rust on all the idlers and i’m worried about putting it back together in this condition, not to mention any moisture that could have gone into the TGVs.

What is the best option in this scenario? Replace all parts with noticeable rust? Do a full timing belt kit? Try and remove the surface rust and hope the bearings are still good? Will moisture that got into the engine be an issue?

I just need some advice on how to proceed from here. The motor has 170k miles and I was hoping to get at least another couple years out of it. All maintenance has been kept up until this point with timing belt, turbo, headgaskets, valve cover gaskets, and hoses having been replaced around 150k miles.

Any advice is appreciated.

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Max Capacity · 05-17-2022, 01:52 PM

Seeing how it's been a day, and no reply, I'd reach out to this guy, https://www.subaruoutback.org/members/cardoc.46618/

rtv900 · 05-17-2022, 02:37 PM

if this isn't some spectacular car and you just want some more use out of it then just clean it up with light oil as best you can and run the thing

Obviously you can replace all that stuff, but you just need to decide what you feel like doing/spending.
Cars are a lot more resilient than people give them credit for.

as far as the engine, once it's running it will clear out moisture and just do an oil change early on

big_krish · 05-26-2022, 11:46 PM

Personally wouldn't recommend rusted idlers even if it's minor, but I don't think it's going to be a big issue. If the timing is in such a position that the valves were left open for all that time, some moisture/particulate could have gotten into cylinder(s) but likely will not be an issue once you've gotten the car running again.

05-16-2022, 03:32 PM	#1
Blackhawk_wrx Scooby Newbie Member#: 492008 Join Date: Sep 2018	Timing Belt Idlers Surface Rust Well i’m in a bit of a pickle here. I have a 2006 WRX that I had taken to a mechanic back in January to have a cam seal replaced after a suspected oil leak from that area. Long story short, it wasn’t the cam seal but instead a cracked hose causing excess blow-by to drip down the block onto my headers. The mechanic who initially tore down the engine has since quit. Here’s the conundrum: The car has sat outside until now (4 months) with timing belt exposed and TGVs exposed (no cover besides the hood with intake mani removed). There’s an abundance of surface rust on all the idlers and i’m worried about putting it back together in this condition, not to mention any moisture that could have gone into the TGVs. What is the best option in this scenario? Replace all parts with noticeable rust? Do a full timing belt kit? Try and remove the surface rust and hope the bearings are still good? Will moisture that got into the engine be an issue? I just need some advice on how to proceed from here. The motor has 170k miles and I was hoping to get at least another couple years out of it. All maintenance has been kept up until this point with timing belt, turbo, headgaskets, valve cover gaskets, and hoses having been replaced around 150k miles. Any advice is appreciated. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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05-17-2022, 01:52 PM	#2
Max Capacity Scooby Specialist Member#: 149347 Join Date: May 2007 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: Tolland, CT Vehicle: 05 LGT ,09 SpecB Black/silver	Seeing how it's been a day, and no reply, I'd reach out to this guy, https://www.subaruoutback.org/members/cardoc.46618/

05-17-2022, 02:37 PM	#3
rtv900 Scooby Guru Member#: 428511 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: philadelphia Vehicle: 2016 STI	if this isn't some spectacular car and you just want some more use out of it then just clean it up with light oil as best you can and run the thing Obviously you can replace all that stuff, but you just need to decide what you feel like doing/spending. Cars are a lot more resilient than people give them credit for. as far as the engine, once it's running it will clear out moisture and just do an oil change early on

05-26-2022, 11:46 PM	#4
big_krish Scooby Newbie Member#: 530206 Join Date: May 2022	Personally wouldn't recommend rusted idlers even if it's minor, but I don't think it's going to be a big issue. If the timing is in such a position that the valves were left open for all that time, some moisture/particulate could have gotten into cylinder(s) but likely will not be an issue once you've gotten the car running again.