Hey guys, time for the old girl ('04 STi) to get a new clutch and timing belt. 130K miles on both :shock: so I figure it's way past time. Since I'm gonna be doing all the seals involved with the timing belt/water pump etc would it make sense to just pull the motor and do it all while the engine is out and not have to break my aging back bending over the engine bay, or would you still do the timing belt while engine is in the car and then drop the trans for the clutch? I figured the engine removal would probably be best and bought a new 2 ton hoist/engine crane just because I didn't have one, plus I thought it could be helpful in the garage anyways or to pull old tree roots/stumps out :lol: Whats your thoughts on doing both clutch and timing belt, drop trans or pull engine out? Thanks!
Time for a new clutch and timing belt kit, pull motor or trans?
- Thread starter carcus
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Alin
Diehard Car Enthusiast!
I recommend the Gates timing belt/water pump kit!
What clutch are you going with?
Please post pictures of the OEM timing belt when the time comes. I'm curious how it looks after 130k miles!
As far as pulling engine or doing it in the bay, that will have to be a decision you make. I can't chime in, but wait for the others to respond. :tup:
What clutch are you going with?
Please post pictures of the OEM timing belt when the time comes. I'm curious how it looks after 130k miles!
As far as pulling engine or doing it in the bay, that will have to be a decision you make. I can't chime in, but wait for the others to respond. :tup:
I was going to buy the gates kit, however I ran into a great deal on an oem belt, bearings, water pump, seals etc. so I bought two of the kits! One for the STi and one for the wife?s FXT. I bought a factory oem clutch kit for the STi (clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing etc). I?ll be going to the Chitown Big Meet this weekend in Chicago, after that event I?ll be taking her off the road while the timing belt and clutch gets installed.
My thought is by pulling the engine out I can detail and touch up the engine bay and stuff, make her a little cleaner, plus have easier access to the timing belt/water pump. I keep seeing videos of guys doing all this work with the engine in the car and makes me wonder if I?m doing this the right way
I?ll definitely post pics of the old parts, I?ve peeked at the belt periodically and it appears ok and not dry or any noticeable issues. The clutch is what I?m most curious to see. Ps Alin it?s good to hear from ya, it?s been a while. The AirCooled VW life has taken me in a different direction the last year while restoring the bus, but I?ll never part with my subies or subie family 
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My thought is by pulling the engine out I can detail and touch up the engine bay and stuff, make her a little cleaner, plus have easier access to the timing belt/water pump. I keep seeing videos of guys doing all this work with the engine in the car and makes me wonder if I?m doing this the right way
I?ll definitely post pics of the old parts, I?ve peeked at the belt periodically and it appears ok and not dry or any noticeable issues. The clutch is what I?m most curious to see. Ps Alin it?s good to hear from ya, it?s been a while. The AirCooled VW life has taken me in a different direction the last year while restoring the bus, but I?ll never part with my subies or subie family 
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Alin
Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Can't beat two for one deals! How much did the factory OEM clutch kit cost?
If it's a big meet, then link us some pictures once they're up!
I had to look at your other posts for recollection... It's hard to accept that two years have already passed just like that! *Snaps fingers* Did you do any other crazy cross country driving after your last one?
Post some updates on the bus!
Oh, and did you ever figure out what caused your suspension to squeak?
If it's a big meet, then link us some pictures once they're up!
I had to look at your other posts for recollection... It's hard to accept that two years have already passed just like that! *Snaps fingers* Did you do any other crazy cross country driving after your last one?
Post some updates on the bus!
Oh, and did you ever figure out what caused your suspension to squeak?
The clutch kit is the exedy oem kit and I paid about $200 for it, the timing belt/water pump kit was $250 each. Suspension still squeaking to this day 
We did take the STi on 2 more cross country trips out to the west coast since the last time I posted here, wow 2 years have gone by already! She did perfectly for both trips.
Still have the bus, she?s changed quite a bit. I?ll post a few pics in the ?other cars you?ve loved/owned thread?. I actually bought another one too last year, except it?s a little older and it?s a pickup truck crew cab VW bus. It?s sweet as it gets too. Plans are for a mild suspension drop, BRM wheels and leave the original paint patina on it. I?ll post pics of it. It?s still in AZ and plans are to tow it back home with the STi.....ya I know crazy
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We did take the STi on 2 more cross country trips out to the west coast since the last time I posted here, wow 2 years have gone by already! She did perfectly for both trips.
Still have the bus, she?s changed quite a bit. I?ll post a few pics in the ?other cars you?ve loved/owned thread?. I actually bought another one too last year, except it?s a little older and it?s a pickup truck crew cab VW bus. It?s sweet as it gets too. Plans are for a mild suspension drop, BRM wheels and leave the original paint patina on it. I?ll post pics of it. It?s still in AZ and plans are to tow it back home with the STi.....ya I know crazy
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Usually, I would say to replace the timing belt with the engine still in the car. But it seems like it isn't your daily driver and you're fairly experienced. That said, pulling the engine would give you a great opportunity (like you said) to clean up the engine bay, do some corrosion abatement, inspect everything, etc. If you didn't have to change the clutch, I'd definitely say to leave the engine in the car. Speaking of clutch replacement... you might just want to pull the engine and leave the trans in place.
Batmobile_Engage--thanks for the input, I was kinda thinking along the same lines....would be nice to clean up the engine bay etc and tinker around with rust prevention (POR15). She is actually my daily driver, however I do have my trusty old '64 VW to get me around while the STi is down so no biggie if it's down for a while, as long as the bus keeps running good ~
Alin--Ya I was surprised at how cheap the clutch kit was, got it from Rallysportdirect.com. The timing belt kit I got from Rockauto, it's the Japanese Aisin OEM kit (Jap bearings, tensioner, idlers etc). I did check fuel mileage periodically during our trips, on average we could get about 300 miles out of a full tank, and about 23-25 mpg. Of course there were times in the Rocky Mountains going thru the twisties the fuel economy was highly compromised and the last trip just a few months ago I had a roof rack on the STi with the full size basket that was packed with gold prospecting equipment, that hindered the fuel economy to 20mpg at best. The STi makes an awesome touring car, so much fun to take on long trips.
~ Alin--Ya I was surprised at how cheap the clutch kit was, got it from Rallysportdirect.com. The timing belt kit I got from Rockauto, it's the Japanese Aisin OEM kit (Jap bearings, tensioner, idlers etc). I did check fuel mileage periodically during our trips, on average we could get about 300 miles out of a full tank, and about 23-25 mpg. Of course there were times in the Rocky Mountains going thru the twisties the fuel economy was highly compromised
and the last trip just a few months ago I had a roof rack on the STi with the full size basket that was packed with gold prospecting equipment, that hindered the fuel economy to 20mpg at best. The STi makes an awesome touring car, so much fun to take on long trips.
Eagleye
Tinkerer
I agree on pulling the motor. It just isn't that difficult and makes life a lot easier afterward. Take note of any hoses or clamps that are showing significant wear and replace them. Easy for leaks to appear after disturbing 130k mile old lines and clamps. Heat gun will help to get them off if they need some persuasion. Good luck.
Ok I haven?t been around lately just due to busy schedule, but I?m here now and figured I give an update. Did the timing belt, water pump and all the idlers and such for the timing belt. It went super easy, and used the Aisin Japanese kit. The old original timing belt with 130k miles looked fantastic, I?ll put some pics up of it tonight. The idlers however were definitely in poor shape, the bearings in all of them were ?loose? and noisy, got them replaced just in time before a major catastrophe.
After I did my ?04 STi I tackled the wife?s daily driver (?05 FXT) and again the job went super easy EXCEPT for the damn crank pulley bolt....the car is an automatic! Uggh. So I got creative and used my breaker bar and a quick hit of the starter to break it free. Then to tighten it back down after the job was done I had to remove the TMIC and find the access hole to the flex plate, jammed it with a big screwdriver. The timing belt (original) again looked great, and the bearings/idlers were in OK shape but not great.
All in all both jobs were super easy and no issues to speak of. I gotta say the factory oem timing belts were in better shape than I anticipated. I did both jobs back to back and only took about 3-4 hrs for each, taking my time to ensure no mistakes etc. Next on the list is the clutch in the STi and I still plan to just yank the motor anyways because I have cleanup in the engine bay and on the engine I?d like to do.
I should also add the STi has been retired to garage queen status now, no longer my daily driver. I recently bought another vw bus that is now my daily. It?s a newer one (?85 Westfalia) and really enjoying it so far. It?s not as ?collectible? as my other cars and the STi so may as well rack the miles on it instead. Keeping the STi in its nice shape and also keeping the mileage off it is a good thing I think.
Thanks again for your guys input and advice!
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After I did my ?04 STi I tackled the wife?s daily driver (?05 FXT) and again the job went super easy EXCEPT for the damn crank pulley bolt....the car is an automatic! Uggh. So I got creative and used my breaker bar and a quick hit of the starter to break it free. Then to tighten it back down after the job was done I had to remove the TMIC and find the access hole to the flex plate, jammed it with a big screwdriver. The timing belt (original) again looked great, and the bearings/idlers were in OK shape but not great.
All in all both jobs were super easy and no issues to speak of. I gotta say the factory oem timing belts were in better shape than I anticipated. I did both jobs back to back and only took about 3-4 hrs for each, taking my time to ensure no mistakes etc. Next on the list is the clutch in the STi and I still plan to just yank the motor anyways because I have cleanup in the engine bay and on the engine I?d like to do.
I should also add the STi has been retired to garage queen status now, no longer my daily driver. I recently bought another vw bus
that is now my daily. It?s a newer one (?85 Westfalia) and really enjoying it so far. It?s not as ?collectible? as my other cars and the STi so may as well rack the miles on it instead. Keeping the STi in its nice shape and also keeping the mileage off it is a good thing I think. Thanks again for your guys input and advice!
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Heck yeah man. Sounds good! :tup:
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