Timing belt idler catastrophic failure!!1!1! Awesome!!!
 

So I've been hearing a bearing catch on and off for a few weeks in the Legacy, wasn't sure if it was an accessory or a timing belt component. Figured it would show itself eventually......I found out today just 20sec from the front gate while driving home. The toothed timing belt idler (SOHC 2.2L) next to the water pump is toast (at least that's what the mildly-melted timing cover indicates).

Given how inexpensive this car was, and that I've gotten 20k miles out of it, and that it has 208k on it presently, it was the perfect candidate for a "let's see what happens" scenario.

At least it wasn't like the time a friend and I broke a valve in a Piper Cherokee Arrow 40mi south of Yuma at 5am...

Enjoy the pictures.

Khail is going to be able to source the bearings, fortunately. I'll probably do two idlers, the belt, and leave the water pump.....the tensioner idler has questionable play, but I think it should be OK for the life of the engine/transmission. That weird Allen bolt attached to the oil pump was loose when I got in there, but I was able to tighten it up. No idea what its function is, though.

Took it apart this afternoon after work.....

Nice pics. lol

IIRC, that allen bolt is literally just a plug. It does have oil pressure behind it tho, so it needs to be tight!


I may be thinking about the wrong bolt tho... can't recall... need coffee...

Was hoping as much. I was able to get it tight again --- as long as there wasn't any critical tolerance part tied to it on the inside.....