timing belt experiences

[frank]

manual says change at 105,000 on my 98 forester. anyone have any problems
before that number is reached? how long after that have some of you gone?

 

[Jim Stewart]

manual says change at 105,000 on my 98 forester. anyone have any problems
before that number is reached? how long after that have some of you gone?

Mine looked new at 86k miles when I changed
it because I had to fix the front oil seal.
I think 105k is a reasonable figure.

 

[ismlv]

Mine looked new at 86k miles when I changed
it because I had to fix the front oil seal.
I think 105k is a reasonable figure.

I'm almost at 99K on my 99 SUS Ltd and will get it changed per the manual at 105K. I hoping to get another 100K out of the car (Based on the
history myself and my parents have with Subarus - my parents just bought number 9 between us - I don't see this as a stretch) so I'm very
picky about my maintenance schedule and sticking to it.

 

[Rick Courtright]

manual says change at 105,000 on my 98 forester. anyone have any problems
before that number is reached? how long after that have some of you gone?

Hi,

Judging by experience w/ earlier Subies, as long as one uses OEM belts,
the standard service interval should be fine, and your belt may still
look "good to excellent" at that mileage. OTOH, aftermarket belts have
been known to fail before the book intervals, even when they were only
60k (I had one--well known name brand, even--let go at barely over 50k
miles.) Considering the work involved in swapping out belts, I'd suggest
OEM only!

Good luck,

Rick

 

[l.lichtman]

The timing belt on my '99 Outback was just changed, at 113k (at the
time I bought the car.) The mechanic showed me a garbage can full of
broken belts. All of them looked perfect except for the point where
they were torn apart. His point was that a belt does not deteriorate
gradually, in such a way that the appearance can be used as a guide.
He also showed me several bent valves which resulted from broken timing
belts--it's pretty risky to push the limit if you have an interference
engine.