Now here’s a job that looks a lot easier on a flat-four, ‘boxer’ engine when it’s out of the car: replacing the cambelt and setting the timing.
It’s got to that stage now with the 2-litre EJ20 engine in Hagerty’s Subaru Impreza WRX – a car that went from rough runner, to rusty shell, to a collection of engine parts, and now back to a nearly-complete engine over the last few months.
In this episode of the WRX Redline Rebuild, host Davin gets to work attaching the cam pulleys, water pump, and tensioners on the front of the Subaru engine – though it’s not all plain sailing.
While all the parts are fresh, we’re still working with essentially the same block that came out of a rather tired car, and attaching the new water pump, one of the threads finally gives up the ghost as Davin torques the nut to spec.
It’s dealt with quickly and easily with a helicoil, but it’s a good example of the risks of working with old cars.
After that, it’s time for the timing belt – a job that, as you can tell from the title, needs another pair of hands – or a bunch of clamps, which turns out to be the real solution to the problem.
It all goes smoothly enough though, and just before the end, the covers – painted in an appropriate shade of blue – are bolted back onto the engine. It’s looking rather good, isn’t it?
You can catch up with other Redline Rebuild videos at this link, or subscribe to Hagerty’s YouTube channel for more like this, plus reviews of cars both old and new, Barn Find Hunter videos and more.
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