changing the timing belt, change bearings or whole idler wheels/pulleys?

[NicEJ25]

We are changing the timing belt on my 2,5 sohc and the idler wheels bearings show some wear. Is is easy to change only the bearings or I need to get the whole wheels/pulleys? the lowest wheels really need to be changed, the two others ones has some freeplay but nothing dramatics. Can I source these parts somewhere else than at the dealer?

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[NWstiLTD]

Go to a local parts house (quality first...napa or something) and ask for a timing belt kit with tensioners and such...should be everything u need

[BrickNick]

I wouldnt take a chance at all personally.......it is ur timing belt... if there is an issues with one component out side the motor that is the last part u want it to be.......if u have a oz of doubt in changing something i would change it to be on the safe side........i myself have done that job a few times....that is my opinon as for idler pullies coming in a timing kit they wont.....u will have to order them seperately......u will get the tensioner and the timing belt in the kit usually that is about it

[NWstiLTD]

correct idlers dont ususlly come in a kit, but its a starting place

[NicEJ25]

there is two thing that can worn on the timing belt ass'y, the tensioner, and the pulley's bearing. if the kit doesn't come with pulley then it's useless for me.

second things, when you know that the tensionner need to be compressed back over a period of at least 5 min from fully extented to fully compressed, and you compressed it that way, it usually don't break. ¸

The oem pulleys has SKF bearings inside of them. the part number is probably written on it too, so having the exact same bearing should not be a problem, and won't make the pulley more or less reliable. It's not because a part is not bolted that it is not replacable...

look like i'm gonna do a 1½h drive to look at the bearings parts #

[Aaron'z 2.5RS]

Here is a list of parts i got from Mr.Tim sanderson (thank you SIR)
I just did this job and all things considered, it wasn't that hard....

Do yourself a favor and REPLACE EVERYTHING including the waterpump (canm/crank seals arent a bad idea while your there).. i first did the belt only, then the toothed idler seised on me (without any dammage) then another idler started going south... I ended up paying for the job 2 times and did the complete job myself the 3rd... was about 325$ in parst from Subaruparts.com

Here is the list

cam seals
806732150 (need 2)

front crank seal
806733030

belt tensioner
13033aa042

smooth idlers
upper
13073aa190
lower
13073aa142

toothed idler
13085aa080

water pump
21111aa007
gasket
21114aa051

head gaskets
11044aa632(need two)

www.subaruparts.com
www.subarugenuineparts.com
www.1stsubaruparts.com

[NicEJ25]

so, job done...

the upper idler wheel has a incrusted bearing; the pulley is the outer cage. The lower smooth one has one replacable bearing, and the toothed one has two replacable bearing. We took them out easily. I'm gonna shop for the bearings next week, and will probably be gentle enough to give part number and price so subee enthusiast can save 200$ worth of pulley.

while applying the "do not fix what's not broken" rule, I replaced nothing except the bearings and the belt itself. The tensioneer is fine (compressed the right way), no seals are leakings, the water pump is still running strong. those engine are so easy to work on that it's no worth IMO to replaced hundreds $$$ of parts of you can do the job yourself

[mrbigisbudgood]

Originally Posted by Aaron'z 2.5RS

smooth idlers
upper
13073aa190
lower
13073aa142

Bump of an old thread.

13073aa142 is the correct number for the idler that sits next to the tensioner? Mine is starting to whine.

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by NicEJ25

so, job done...

the upper idler wheel has a incrusted bearing; the pulley is the outer cage. The lower smooth one has one replacable bearing, and the toothed one has two replacable bearing. We took them out easily. I'm gonna shop for the bearings next week, and will probably be gentle enough to give part number and price so subee enthusiast can save 200$ worth of pulley.

I don't know if you'll see this, but did you ever figure out the bearing part numbers for the idler pulleys? It does seem a little silly to spend real money for an entire pulley when one could probably get the bearings for much less.

Pat Olsen

[avk]

With the smooth idler pulleys, the latest part number is same for both upper
and lower and they do not contain a replaceable bearing. The pulley itself is a double-row ball bearing.
And the tensioner pulley, both old and new style, has always been that way, so the only one with a
pressed-in bearing is the cogged roller.
Not sure if it's worth the effort. You can get exact same pulleys in the aftermarket pretty cheap.

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by avk

With the smooth idler pulleys, the latest part number is same for both upper and lower and they do not contain a replaceable bearing. The pulley itself is a double-row ball bearing.

Yeah, I noticed the matching part numbers when I looked up the parts on subaruparts.com - they show #1 and #2 idler both having the AA142 part number. You can still plug in the old AA190 part number and it doesn't come up as superceded, though. And it's a little more than 1/2 the price of the AA142 for some reason.

Originally Posted by avk

And the tensioner pulley, both old and new style, has always been that way, so the only one with a pressed-in bearing is the cogged roller.

I'm assuming the "old style" is what I have - the dler pulley and tensioner are two completely separate parts (pulley with offset mount - 13069AA063, tensioner - 13068AA051), as opposed to the tensioner on my sister's WRX, which has the pulley integrated with the tensioner (13033AA042). Searching on subaruparts.com I don't see a separately listed tensioner pulley, it appears there's just a listing for the tensioner itself. Has Subaru gone away from supporting the separate tensioner setup? And if so, should I convert to the newer style tensioner or just stick with what's been working just fine for 192,000 miles?

Originally Posted by avk

Not sure if it's worth the effort. You can get exact same pulleys in the aftermarket pretty cheap.

Hmmm, right you are. Thru rockauto.com I can get all 4 pulleys - tensioner, toothed, and 2 smooth - for $187 + shipping. Looks like the 4 pulleys would run $226 thru subaruparts.com, so that's almost 20% off.

[avk]

Patrick, by old vs. new I mean what you say and a new-style pulley isn't available separately.
The old style long adjuster actually seems more reliable. Phase I engines can be
"upgraded" from new to old by changing the bracket between the tensioner and the engine block.

[Patrick Olsen]

Yeah, I'm just gonna stick with the old style tensioner since I've got 3 of them sitting here.

[chebapi]

btw, did yous use the pulley tool to remove the pulley? When a buddy replaced his car's pulley, he used a torque wrench with extension, with the tranny stuck on 4th or 5th gear, and that wasn't pretty. I was told I may be able to get the tool from Kent Moore (the dealer wouldn't sell it to you).

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by Patrick Olsen

Hmmm, right you are. Thru rockauto.com I can get all 4 pulleys - tensioner, toothed, and 2 smooth - for $187 + shipping. Looks like the 4 pulleys would run $226 thru subaruparts.com, so that's almost 20% off.

Got the parts from rockauto.com yesterday. The pulleys might as well be the OEM parts - same bearings and everything - but they come in a Dayco box. MSRP is probably in the $275-300 range at the dealer, so the $187 Dayco deal is pretty nice.

Originally Posted by chebapi

btw, did yous use the pulley tool to remove the pulley? When a buddy replaced his car's pulley, he used a torque wrench with extension, with the tranny stuck on 4th or 5th gear, and that wasn't pretty. I was told I may be able to get the tool from Kent Moore (the dealer wouldn't sell it to you).

I've pulled the pulley off a few times as a result of doing engine swaps and timing belt changes. I have a 24" breaker bar that's just long enough to brace on the driver side frame rail and then I real quick jog the starter. Works every time.

Just a note for your buddy, using a torque wrench for something like that is horrible for the torque wrench. Lord only knows how far off the calibration is on it now. Breaker bars are cheap, get one.

[Splinter]

Bumping a 3 year old thread, I know.

Just thought I'd mention that I've just replaced bearings in some old idlers I had laying around and it was a snap. You can do it with a bench vise, but a press is ideal.

Doing it this way costs about 1/3 of buying new idlers, and with a bit of sleeve retaining compound on the bearings, I really don't see them going anywhere.

This only works for the sprocket idler and the idler on the tensioner, the 2 smooth idlers are an integrated bearing.