leave the water pump alone, they are good for 200k.
When you hit 200k you will install new t-belt and water pump.
at 105k you install t-belt kit, with idlers pulleys and tensioner.

 

OEM Subaru is a better built one than the one that comes from Gates.

Aisin is also a frequently recommended brand, and may be the OEM supplier.

 

So what is wrong with the Gates. I was comparing them side by side, they look exactly the same, the casting and blade gauge. I bought the racing kit. I believe it is all the same as the regular kit except the belt.

 

OEM for sure. Not much more expensive and worth the peace of mind.

 

For everyday commuter use, the Gates falls short of the OEM. For your intended use Dog, your choice will be different. That's when aftermarket would be the choice (maybe!) Different internals for different uses. The OP should go OEM, IMHO.

 

So, replacing the OEM @ 89K with the Gates R kit...is "six-in-one"? My car is never going to "primary" daily driver again...unless life really goes sideways. Probably no more 10K a year.

It too late to get the old pump from the scrap yard. Probably should have kept it. Every 1/2 decade or so when I have to move, I always have tons of "1/2 good parts". Short sighted now I guess.

 

For your purposes, you'll need MANY aftermarket parts because the OEM ones will not stand up to your intended purposes! I know what you're gonna do to whatever car you put your head under the hood, and some of your parts will even be custom specific built, (AVO!!). But your average Joe or Jane driver should stick to OEM unless they intend to put a blower on their daily driver to pick the kiddies up from school!!

 

OEM or Gates water pump are both fine. There's no real difference as far as I can tell. Both last a long time. Box's suggestion is just why mess with something that works if there isn't a big price difference. I say do what's easiest.

I am also in the camp that there is no reason to change the water pump at 105k, wait until the next time. If you are DIYing, it's a fair amount more work, and easy to f-up creating leaks from the seal to the block, tear a hose getting it off (they are WELDED on it seems like - this is what happened to me) or strip one of those tiny screws that have a really poor feel when going to such a light torque with a gasket and some hitack in there to hold it together.

Get the OEM T-stat though.

 

whatever you do - use a Subaru water pump gasket. the aftermarkets are flimsy cardboard junk not the robust metal stamped ones like Subaru.

i generally lean towards Subaru on the pumps, not having spent any time looking up OEM supplier/brand/sources.

you can google Subaru water pump failure and see what you come up with. I'm thinking there are some aftermarket pump failures...but i can't recall brand. I like to look for Gloyale on USMB and others who are replacing dozens of water pumps a week - they have much more than anecdotal experiences.

tear a hose getting it off (they are WELDED on

they are magical in that ability. nuts.

 

Thanks everyone .......... I think ...........
Looks like more leaning towards OEM pump.
I can't imagine not changing it at 105K mi after getting everything stripped down that far for the timing belt. Seen too many water pumps fail on other cars at 150k mi.
Crank and Cam seals maybe too ?

 

From what I read, don't mess with crank and cam seals unless you see a leak.

I put in a new OEM water pump at 110k miles. For what its worth, the old one looked brand new inside with absolutely no play in any components. I also heard that it takes a while for these to fail and could last 200k. I did not take the chance.

My situation was a bit different as my radiator was cracked (you should check yours too, common failure at the plastic part near the top hose), so since I was draining the coolant anyway it really added little hassle. However lining up that metal crush gasket perfectly when installing the new pump was a giant pain. I don't think striping would be a problem here as long as you use clean bolts and watch the torque every carefully. You are threading straight into the block so just be super careful.

The coolant hoses on the pump were a HUGE pain to remove and an even more pain to re-install. It was almost as hard as keeping the dumb camshafts from rotating to match the belt teeth. In the end I used a hair dryer to heat up my hoses and that saved the day.

As others said, replace Tstat with OEM for sure. Again my old one looked fine but those do fail easily so why not. The Tstat lines up in a non-obvious way, make sure that little tab lines up perfectly and read the directions.

Also, if you are changing out the belt go get a new crank shaft bolt and watch that torque spec.

 

like gg - I have read of aftermarket wp failure.

I would use OEM or Aisin.

I didn't know the bolts are easily stripped - kinda glad I didn't swap mine.

 

I tied the gasket in place with dental floss on the top bolts. Then I started 2 of the lower ones. Then cut the floss. Easy. Otherwise PITA.

 

Genius! I used the "fumble around until it works" method.

 

I think newer engines have a coupla studs to hang the gasket on.

 

You could always buy your own studs to screw in to the block and replace once you have a few screws in. I can't remember the thread size...

 

That'd be nice.

 

Like the dental floss idea ...... I saw a YouTube where a guy used zip-ties for that and it looked slick. Yea - definitely a new OEM thermostat and pump if I do that.
Ok, thanks - now y'all got me wavering on changing the water pump .... uhhhh .....
and the seals .........

 

I assume you are doing this yourself? Have you looked at a tool to remove the cams and drive the seals? You will have to make something or buy something.

 

A couple of dowel sticks, temporarily placed into the threaded holes to hang the gasket on, can also do the job.

 

Just to toss it out there- when I did my timing set, I went along with the tide of advice from this board and installed an OEM pump bought at the local Subaru dealer.

It failed within 200 miles- the inner seal started venting coolant out through the weep hole.

Never seen that happen before, or since. We put in another Subaru OE pump and it's been fine for the past 3+ years.

 

As they say in the electronics world, 'infant mortality.' Most 'workmanship' problems show up really quick. After that it's design and materials. Based on the low number of failed water pump reports (Can't think of one), I would say design and material is excellent.

 

I tend to agree - if it doesn't fail quickly, it will probably last a long time. Subaru and the aftermarket suppliers are just loving the fact that we're all replacing our water pumps at 100k. They're laughing all the way to the bank: "ha ha ha haaaa, those things are designed to last the lifetime of the car suckers!!"

Oh well, it's always fun to pull stuff apart and replace it, so at least we get that enjoyment out of it.

 

imo...just get a Gate's timing kit with waterpump.
I'd splurge on an OEM thermostat.

 

Well, guess it's personal choice or piece of mind with the pump change.
Years ago I was an auto mechanic for 15 years and saw a lot of pumps fail between 100-150K mi ........ but in those days people never touched their antifreeze until something went bad.
I'm still gonna do the pump and the seals - heck I'm right there with everything stripped to the block anyway. I sometimes drill a small hole into the seals and put a screw into them to pry them out with.
Are the cam sprockets easy to take off and re-torque ?

 

but in those days people never touched their antifreeze until something went bad.

This is a good point - not having to replace the water pump assumes every 30k coolant change and subaru coolant conditioner was used.

Are the cam sprockets easy to take off and re-torque ?

No. They are a pain to break loose and hold. Either get the special tool or make your own. This is why I say don't touch it if you don't see a leak.

 

One more thing, the local dealer here (USA's largest Subby dealer) told me that they do not replace water pumps with timing belts unless they are specifically asked to do so. They told me it is not necessary.

Maybe they wanted me to come back at 150K miles.

 

Thanks for all the input gentlemen........ I think I'll do an OEM pump with the timing belt kit and forget the seals for now. The water pump is way more likely to fail than the seals up to 200k mi.
Who's got the real story on whether or not to use the coolant conditioner for this 2011 2.5i Outback ??
Two dealers asked their mechanics and said they don't use it on this model - but my owners manual states it does use conditioner .........
Conditioner or No Conditioner ???

 

The conditioner is hotly debated. My personal take, it is considered a must-use for the old models with head gasket problems. Otherwise I think optional and not sure how much it helps. That being said I use it in my 05 and I would personally use it in any EJ engine like yours.

After all, it is RADweld by Holts Auto. Some love it, some hate it.

 

If your owner's manual says it, it must be true

I go by the rule - if it has green coolant, then use the conditioner, if it has blue, then no.