Dunno if timing chains get worn or what, but it seems peppier. You might think ‘racket’, replacing a still functional timing chain, but over the years, I’ve come to believe Subaru when they say at x0,000 miles you should replace x. The car has always run better afterward. Brakes are nice. Real nice thing to have. New wiper blades: I figure the rubber is the same age in all 3. Heavy hit on the credit card, but the car’s now fit for another 38,000 miles. It already has 112,000. It’s not unusual to see Subarus up here going 200,000 miles and more. You pay more upfront, but they last.
Got the Subaru back and it runs like new.
by CJ | Oct 16, 2010 | Journal | 17 comments
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A new timing chain will likely not make the engine run much better, but if the mechanic did any other tune-up related items, that could definitely make the car run better. On the other hand timing chains do wear out, and a broken one can completely grenade an engine. So it is a good idea to replace them when they are due.
Best vehicle I have ever had was a Ford Ranger pickup. It was a company vehicle, then my daughter had it, and now my stepson. Close to 270,000 miles, more or less, on the original engine.
Thanks for that info. I’m sure they’ll have given it the go-over. And they said it was a danger to the engine if it broke, so a good thing to replace, eh? This car is doing very nicely at its mileage, and since we drive long distances at high speeds, I like to run it in for its appointed checkovers—I don’t like the idea of anything mechanical failing at 75 mph on mountain roads. It just limits the heck out of your options.
It’s a silver 2004 Forester, and it still looks good, especially when we take the shopping bags out of the rear and the spare coat out of the footwell. Nice thing about Foresters, they look a lot a like year to year, so you don’t start feeling like last year’s model too soon. If this one can go for a few more years and let us establish a ‘replace the car’ fund, into which we can put the equivalent of car payments, then ultimately, when we have to, we can get another like it, or one of the hybrids. A 2004 Forester gets 19 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway (with care), and that’s not the best, but it’s far from the worst. So if we keep it going for 3 more years and salt away a car payment, we’re going to be in good shape.
Chain or belt?
My last Subaru was a 98 Outback and it had a belt IIRC. Belts definitely have to be changed before breaking to prevent serious damage potential while chains will usually give you some warning signs and slip a bit before giving out completely.
Amazingly enough, since the timing belt does control the, wait for it, timing, a worn belt can cause some error in timing that can result in less than optimal performance.
Your mileage is certainly almost up there with our Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It’s not fair to compare it to anything that doesn’t have 4WD or AWD anyway.
So congrats on getting some decent mileage and here’s to the next 100,000 miles !
– S
I think they said chain…
But here’s to high mileage!
Carolyn, my 2009 Forester (the redesign) is a turbo. Turbo mileage is less than the regular engine (like yours) but even so, I’m consistently getting 21+ city/23+ highway.
My 1994 Saturn SL2 had a timing chain, it was about 2″ across, looked lie a bunch of bicycle or motorcycle chains welded together to form a band. Saturn said it should never need to be changed. I put around 140,000 on her before I sold her. I was getting in the low 30s for mileage. Now my Civic gets around 38 or so. I couldn’t tell you what my city or highway mileage is, since I do so much mixed driving. I’ve had the car just over 5 years now, and I’ve got over 93,000 on it now. All those trips to Toronto, Lexington (KY), and other places, especially for kendo.
Several years ago I threw the timing chain on the RedRabbit (1990 4Runner) . Fortunately I stopped as soon as I realized something was wrong so I didn’t completely destroy the engine. I had the work done at the local dealer,who was terrific…good work, gave a rental for practically nothing. I think they were hoping to sell me a new car; no such luck. However, there was some work that was needed that was ignored oar not considered important. I’ve since found a shop with some terrific guys. They immediately spotted that all my belts needed to be tightened. Milage and general feel of the car is 10 yrs. younger. Milage is pretty good, 18 local, 25 long distance. As I long as I am doing so little driving I am going to keep RedRabbit. I drive 50-100 mi. a week so it seems silly to do anything else. As I live in an area with snow and ice I will *not* be without 4 wheel drive.
Timing gears, belts & chains are extremely important as they control both the ignition and valve timing. On at least some cars they also drive the oil pump. Stretching will put at least the valves out of synch with the pistons; and a complete failure, especially at higher RPMs, will leave you at best with a very expensive (think one thousand+) major overhaul which may include replacing bent valves, pistons, cylinder sleeves, reboring cylinders, reworking valve guides, and worst case, regrinding cams or crankshafts. If one hears a funny noise near the timing cover, run, do not walk, to a mechanic that you trust. Get someone who knows cars well to recommend a good shop to suit your price & quality requirements.
Lol! I’m glad I took the mechanics’ advice!
Sandor’s right—I checked the bill. It’s a timing BELT. Ergo perhaps it did make a difference to change it.
I think Appleway Subaru repair guys hung the moon. I’ve dealt with many mechanics shops in my life, and there’s one independent in Oklahoma City on the NW Expressway—Jane knows the name; and there’s Appleway here, and one other independent downtown in Spokane that worked on Jane’s 88 Firenze. These guys are all honest, and amazingly good.
Hey, if you’re in a town and need a mechanic, maybe somebody else on Wave happens to know a good one. Ask in this thread; you might receive.
The car guys, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, have all sorts of helpful info. One of the best things is a list of customer recommended auto services. It’s down at the bottom of the page on the right.
Don’t know why the site did not register, try again cartalk
I love my blue Subaru – it’s my personal ride – a 2006 Forester. I’ve got just over 50K on it after 4.5 years and it still gets 27 – 29 on the highway. City driving is a lot less – 17 to 21 depending on who knows what. It replaced a 1994 Pontiac – which is still running good at 215K miles (it taught two teens to drive, and we sold it for $300, including a full set of good snow tires), although with a LOT of repairs/replacements over the years. Treat a car as if you like it, and it will run well over 100K-200K: that means regular maintenance and scheduled replacements as recommended. Thanks for the reminder about that maintenance schedule by the way – I’m pretty sure I have something important to look forward to sometime in the next 12 months or so!
I bought a Subaru not long ago for this very reason. It’s not the greatest car on mileage, but they’re supposed to be very durable, and they drive very smoothly and intuitively compared to other cars. It’s an expensive-car experience for half the price.
It’s a car you ‘wear’ as much as drive. And it’s a car that isn’t afraid to get dirty. I will be very unhappy if they don’t get busy and develop a hybrid within the next several years.
Timing belt/chain wear is an issue with regard to good running of the motor. But the primary issue is that they are prone to suddenly break, after a certain period of use, with catastrophic results for the motor, when pistons and valves unexpectedly, collide. Nasty 🙂
Catastrophic, true, if you have an interference rather than free-running engine. Here’s a link to one timing belt vendor’s page which can tell you whether you have one or not.
http://www.gates.com/part_locator/index.cfm?location_id=3598&go=Interference
Wondering if you are going to have a belt failure which destroys your engine is not fun. So I agree, changing the timing belt at regular intervals is good preventive maintenance. Quite a few manufacturers have gone back to timing chains, because they usually last a long as the engine, and are little if any noisier than belts.