2014 Subaru Forester 2.5I Premium Timing Belt

surgarshack

I am being told by my local Subaru Dealer that I need a timing belt change on my 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5I. I was under the impression that this model has a timing chain so does it have a chain or a belt? Does it need to be changed out at 120,000 miles?

texases

I agree, I'm 99.9% sure you have a chain, not a belt, and the chain needs no replacement. This is true for 2011 on, I'm surprised they don't know it. Ask them to show you where a belt replacement is specified in the owner's manual.

cmhj2000

Some dealers still make me scratch my and make thankful I can work on most of this stuff

thecardoc3

According to Mitchell On Demand, the 2014 2.5l still uses a timing belt. The 2015 uses a chain.

texases

It's wrong. The Forester got the FB25 engine in 2011:
"An entirely new generation of boxer engine announced on 23 September 2010.[8] By increasing piston stroke and decreasing piston bore, Subaru aimed to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy, while increasing and broadening torque output over the previous generation engine.

The FB has an all new block and head featuring dual overhead cams with intake and exhaust variable valve timing (AVCS - Active Valve Control System), and a timing chain that replaced the timing belt. Moving to chain-driven cams is said to allow the valves to be placed at a more narrow angle to each other and shrink the bore of cylinder from 99.5 mm to 94. It results in less unburned fuel during cold start, thereby reducing emissions. Subaru is able to maintain the exterior dimension substantially unchanged by asymmetrical connecting rods like those in EZ36. The FB is only marginally heavier. Car and Driver is told direct injection will be added soon."

No timing belt is listed by Gates or by Rockauto for the 2014, but is for the 2010.

thecardoc3

Isn't this fun? The information Mitchell provides is directly from Subaru, and that could explain why a service advisor recommended a belt replacement.

texases

Now it makes some sense. I've been following the 2.5l Subaru engine for years. We have a 2007 Forester, which I hoped was past the head gasket problem era. So far so good. Once they changed the engine in 2011 I've been thinking about a newer one.

surgarshack

I really appreciate all the feedback on this issue. It is crazy to me that a Subaru Dealer is not 100% up to date on some of these issues. The only unfortunate thing with my 2014 Forester is the excessive oil useage and the knocking in the engine due to this oil issue. I did find out from several disussions that switching to 5W-20 instead of 0W-20 helps a lot with the knocking issue due to excessive oil comsumption. What do you experts think on that subject?

cmhj2000

surgarshack said:

I did find out from several disussions that switching to 5W-20 instead of 0W-20 helps a lot with the knocking issue

Since the main difference with these mixtures is the cold start capabilities I find this to be very unlikely.

texases

How much oil do you use? How many miles between adding a quart?

stever

Gates always said my Quest V6 had an interference engine. They were wrong, and I have the busted timing belt with no engine damage to prove it.

My sister has had good luck; she's on her second Subaru now. I never really trusted our '97 Outback but we dodged the head gasket problem. Mine only occasionally used a bit of oil.

dcm61

thecardoc3 said:

According to Mitchell On Demand, the 2014 2.5l still uses a timing belt. The 2015 uses a chain.

They are confusing models.

2014 Legacy/Outback = EJ25 (timing belt), 2015+ = FB25 (timing chain).

As previously mentioned, 2011+ Forester = FB25 (timing chain).

And to continue ...

2014+ Forester XT = FA20T
2012+ Impreza = FB20
BRZ = FA20

surgarshack

On the oil consumption issue i am adding a quart every 1,200 - 1,500 miles. So needless to say i am very vigilant about checking the oil level.