Ignition Timing on ’97 Subaru Legacy Outback?

[Fuzzy]

I have a ’97 Subaru Legacy Outback that won’t start after replacing
the head gaskets. A check of the ignition timing shows cyl 1 firing
at ~90 deg before top dead center (it’s supposed to be about 15 deg).
Any ideas on how I could fix this?

I checked cam timing a few dozen times, and made sure the crankshaft
pulley hadn’t slipped on its hub.

Thanks!

 

[johninky]

I have a ’97 Subaru Legacy Outback that won’t start after replacing
the head gaskets. A check of the ignition timing shows cyl 1 firing
at ~90 deg before top dead center (it’s supposed to be about 15 deg).
Any ideas on how I could fix this?

I checked cam timing a few dozen times, and made sure the crankshaft
pulley hadn’t slipped on its hub.

Thanks!

If this is the first time you installed the timing belt then the
problem is most likely you used the wrong marks. Everyone makes this
mistake the first time.

 

[Karl and Carol Ann Moxley]

If this is the first time you installed the timing belt then the
problem is most likely you used the wrong marks.  Everyone makes this
mistake the first time.

Thanks for the reply.
No, it's about the 6th time I re-installed the new timing belt. I
verified the marks by counting the belt teeth.

I hope I can come up with something, because it looks like I need to
swap the engine out just because the timing is too far advanced. It
would be nice if there was a distributor to adjust...

 

[Bob Noble]

If this is the first time you installed the timing belt then the
problem is most likely you used the wrong marks. Everyone makes this
mistake the first time.

Thanks for the reply.
No, it's about the 6th time I re-installed the new timing belt. I
verified the marks by counting the belt teeth.

I hope I can come up with something, because it looks like I need to
swap the engine out just because the timing is too far advanced. It
would be nice if there was a distributor to adjust...
<<<<<<<<<<<

You did rotate the engine before putting on the second belt. Right?

 

[Fuzzy]

Thanks for the suggestions!

With the help of a local excellent Subaru mechanic I found that I was
using the wrong mark on the crank sprocket. I mistakenly used the
arrow at the front of the sprocket with the woodruff key to the right,
instead of the marked tooth at the rear with the woodruff key at the
bottom. Fortunately, there was no apparent damage to the valves. It
tapped for a minute or two after starting initially, but I haven’t
heard knocking since

 

[Andy]

I have a ’97 Subaru Legacy Outback that won’t start after replacing
the head gaskets.  A check of the ignition timing shows cyl 1 firing
at ~90 deg before top dead center (it’s supposed to be about 15 deg).
Any ideas on how I could fix this?

I checked cam timing a few dozen times, and made sure the crankshaft
pulley hadn’t slipped on its hub.

Thanks!

Hey Nathan,

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[Todd H.]

Hey Nathan,

I had a similar concern with my 2006 Subaru Legacy Outback and I
subscribed to ALLDATAdiy.com and it has been very useful. I am handy
and like to do things myself and this subscription gives me diagnosis,
repair, TBSs, recalls and labor times. I hope you find it useful -
it's pretty cheap considering the information comes directly from the
manufacturer.

Check it out - I copied the link below for you.

http://traffic.alldatadiy.com/cgi-bin/redir?pd_link=i1-a44690-o4010-c66365

Andy Deil

If you want to appear casual about it, posting the same link 4 times
in one day sorta raises red flags.

You're a shill for alldata collecting revenue on your specific
affiliate link until proven otherwise. Please quit spamming the
newsgroup with this faux helpfulness.


Andy apparently is an affliate of this program:
http://affiliate.alldatadiy.com/