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Timing belt kit question

7K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  1 Lucky Texan 
#1 ·
I'm gearing to swap the timing belt on my 2001 OBS 2.2l. 8ve had a heck of a time finding an Aisin kit. In fact, I think they may only make the tensioner and no kit. I found this on Amazon. Has anyone purchased this before? Am i better off going to the dealer?

TBK Timing Belt Kit Subaru Impreza 2.2L 1999 to 2001 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003AO6QGA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QTJQCbTB6J1K0
 
#2 ·
Aisin timing belt here: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...timing+belt,+water+pump+&+component+kit,16088

Rockauto is a forum sponsor and I think they're offering a 5% discount to forum members in their subforum.

Edit: sorry. I may have ignored the outback sport of your post thinking you meant outback sedan. I went off what your profile says you had for a car and ignored what you were actually looking for. I don't think above is what you're looking for.
 
#5 ·
I had a look at the description of the T/B kit you linked to at amazon...

Timing Belt Kit Subaru Impreza 2.2L 1999-2001. Includes: timing belt, water pump with gasket, timing belt tensioner assembly, right timing belt idler (smooth), left lower timing belt idler (smooth), cogged timing belt idler, two accessory drive belts, front crankshaft seal, two front camshaft seal kits, thermostat, thermostat gasket.This kit has original equipment manufactured parts, identical brands that originally came with the vehicle. The timing belt is Mitsuboshi or Bando brand. The water pump is NPW or Aisin of Japan. The thermostat is Kuzeh of Japan. All idler and tensioner bearings are double rowed and made in Japan by Koyo and NSK. The hydraulic tensioner assembly brand is NTN of Japan. The drive belts are Bando and the seal brand is Stone of Japan. Subaru recommends replacement every 105,000 miles or 105 months, whichever occurs first. This kit includes everything that should be replaced when doing a timing belt replacement. This kit will service Subaru Impreza's with 2.2L engines with a year range of 1999-2001. services years: 1999, 2000, 2001.
Looks like good quality parts are in that kit. Japanese bearings. Water pumps are good brands. I don't know about the "bando" brand though.

Looks quality, even though it's expensive.

I had a look at AISIN's website and you're right--they make no kit for your car.
 
#8 ·
I had a look at the description of the T/B kit you linked to at amazon...

Timing Belt Kit Subaru Impreza 2.2L 1999-2001. Includes: timing belt, water pump with gasket, timing belt tensioner assembly, right timing belt idler (smooth), left lower timing belt idler (smooth), cogged timing belt idler, two accessory drive belts, front crankshaft seal, two front camshaft seal kits, thermostat, thermostat gasket.This kit has original equipment manufactured parts, identical brands that originally came with the vehicle. The timing belt is Mitsuboshi or Bando brand. The water pump is NPW or Aisin of Japan. The thermostat is Kuzeh of Japan. All idler and tensioner bearings are double rowed and made in Japan by Koyo and NSK. The hydraulic tensioner assembly brand is NTN of Japan. The drive belts are Bando and the seal brand is Stone of Japan. Subaru recommends replacement every 105,000 miles or 105 months, whichever occurs first. This kit includes everything that should be replaced when doing a timing belt replacement. This kit will service Subaru Impreza's with 2.2L engines with a year range of 1999-2001. services years: 1999, 2000, 2001.
Looks like good quality parts are in that kit. Japanese bearings. Water pumps are good brands. I don't know about the "bando" brand though.

Looks quality, even though it's expensive.

I had a look at AISIN's website and you're right--they make no kit for your car.
I had a look at that too which is basically the only reason I even considered it. Maybe I can message the seller and ask that they at least make sure the Mitsuboshi timing belt is included and the Aisin water pump. Not sure how far that would get me though


it seems they don't make them for the 2.2, save the tensioner adjuster and the waterpump.



Aisin waterpump is only $35 on rockauto.

So for the rest of the timing set: I would be buying subaru OEM stuff. (and therefore getting no JUNK)
I agree. I may go this route.

Thanks @Lucky Texan! I sent them a PM.
 
#6 ·
it seems they don't make them for the 2.2, save the tensioner adjuster and the waterpump.



Aisin waterpump is only $35 on rockauto.

So for the rest of the timing set: I would be buying subaru OEM stuff. (and therefore getting no JUNK)
 
#9 ·
My garage quoted me a Contitech timing kit (including w/pump) for my wife's 2010 Forester 2.5X limited. I looked at the breakdown of the TB304LK4 Conti-tech kit (incl. water pump) and it looks like they're all OEM quality level parts:

-Timing belt (ContiTech)
-Water pump w/ metal impeller impeller (Aisin)
-Idler gear pulley (GMB)
-Two idler pulleys (GMB & Koyo)
-Hydraulic tensioner (NTN)

My question is, Is there any difference between the Aisin kit (TFK-006) & Contitech kit (TB304LK4) reliability -wise? Seems like the difference is in the timing belt itself is made by Mitsuboshi on the Aisin kit vs Conti-tech in the Conti-Tech kit

Thanks for the opinions; I want to make sure my wife's got OEM quality level parts and both seem like they do...
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the opinions; I want to make sure my wife's got OEM quality level parts and both seem like they do...
Then use Subaru or AISIN. Aftermarkets are known to have issues. Just as important they also are a moving target. What was true last year, might not be true this year.

If you're okay with a 1% increase in risk (or whatever it is), then go for the conti-tech, no one is saying they fail all the time or are total trash. They have a higher failure rate, but it's still a low failure rate. For me, the belt isn't worth it for a few dollars considering the potential stranding and engine damage. But with free labor that's easy for me to say.

If this is important to you - get the Subaru or AISIN kit.

If it's not and you secretly enjoy Texas Hold'em from time to time - get the conti-tech.
 
#11 ·
That 2001 2.2 timing belt is the same part number and pulleys and water pump and tensioner as the 2.5 engine. so just get an EJ25 timing kit. if they're listed properly theyll be listed for both 2.2's and 2.5's.

Or get it from the dealer.
 
#14 ·
Thanks a ton for all of the replies! I may just go with the one from Amazon I listed. It appears that Bando has been around a long time and supplies OEM or better belts.

It costs more but has all of the parts for a proper refresh. I actually just got her home this last Saturday. It required a jump to start every time. I got some new battery connectors on it and charged the battery to full. It's been starting every time since Sunday morning.

The fob on this thing sucks. I swapped the battery before finally getting it to work. It looks aftermarket for sure but I'll be posting a seperate thread for advice there.

Thanks again! I may do a build thread to document my work on this one.


T
 

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#15 ·
that kit looks to imply it's going to be OEM.

i'd probably ditch the seals. color doesn't verify materials, but the newer brown Subaru seals are far better than the older black seals. i don't know what they're using in that kit and for $5 I could go either way - toss them or give them a ride.

in the 90's/early 2000's it was normal (for shops too) to replace seals during belt changes because they leaked often enough to warrant it. that's not true any more with the newer brown Subaru OEM seals.
 
#17 ·
I've gotten fobs both from ebay and from the classifieds on the Forum.

mine eventually got to where I had to pinch/squeeze then in the center with one hand while button-pushing with the other - try that to get a few weeks more use from them.
 
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