Amazing videos Brian! Very helpful, but I do have a note. When adjusting valve lash you do in fact want to use the arrows to set the lash, as stated in the manual. The tic marks are for installing the timing belt, when your tic marks are at 12 o'clock your pistons are mid stroke so there is no chance of damage due to your cam pulleys moving during belt removal and installation. If you look at the cam sprocket, there is a small arrow as well 90* from the timing tic. When the arrows are all at 12, piston one will be at the TDC of its compression stroke which is when you want to set your lash for that piston. If you set your lash to the timing tics, you will have advanced the optimal timing of your lash 45* in advance of the pistons TDC. Clearly many people use the tics and do not experience failure, though I set my timing to the tics 2 years ago and just recently removed my heads to find my pistons caked with nearly 3mm of deposits. Could be from many causes though poor timing can certainly cause increased sludge build up. I just recently got a manual for my 2009 Impreza 2.5i and it specifically states to not use the timing tics but pulley arrows for valve adjustment for all EJ25 blocks from 1999-2011. Thanks again though for taking the time to video these processes, invaluable resource!

Thanks Brian... totally cleared it up for me. I am about to do a 105K service and I wanted to adjust my valves. A good tip for those doing this as part of preventative maitenance is that while you have the valve cover off, you might as well replace the gasket set including the cover grommets and spark plug tube seals.

Don't beat yourself up about the camera work, this was a brilliant video. Informative, concise and to the point. Now I feel like I could go out and take care of mine without intimidation. Awesome job man!!

13 years later and it’s still relevant info! Someday I need to give back to KZfaq lol.

Thank you finally somebody that knows what they're talking about when it comes to Subaru

I appreciate the info you're putting out. You've saved me a lot of money with the "training" you're providing. Thanks and keep up the good work.

The videos are excellent ,straightforward direction ,with out re-inventing the wheel .Purchased 2002 forester it due for its major service ,rear wheel brakes ,timing belt and idlers water pump half shafts and rear wheel bearings,but with less 100 k,you"re tutorials ,i have less than $4000 in car and drive it anywhere,thank you

Love your videos, dude! Thanks for being awesome! Your channel is my go-to when I need to see how something is done before I do it!

Good shit man. Posting from 2018. Your videos are still helping people

Thank you for the values! Everbody talks abut how to set them, but nobody talks about the engine specific valve play.

Thank ypu for posting these vids. You are better and more precise than any other. Thanks again!

Good and thorough, briansmobile1. Love your videos. I made one when I did my EJ253 as well!

Excellent! I'm a Subaru geek and your videos are very helpful.

good job! you have helped me keep my subaru going

all your videos have been very informative. and I thank you very much

You're welcome- thanks for being a part of this channel!

Don't have a Subaru but video extremely helpful video. A + Rating.

@Tadow001 YES. You have to have the heads on in order to adjust the valves. I only have the motor out because I was re doing the heads completely. You should adjust them in the car. You'll have to do some of it from below, but it's not that bad. If you have a wratcheting box wrench (gearwrench) it makes life easier getting the valve covers off.

I'm glad I could contribute! Thanks for the thanks Steve!

thanks for the lesson. quick and informative! good stuff!

hey brian thanks alot for your videos you make a guy have the guts to do this stuff!!! keep up the great work!!!

@DDC5IntegraR You're welcome- glad it worked out for you!

You wouldn’t guess it but you my friend have saved me so much money.

when adjusting valves on ej251 at TDC do i do both intake and exhaust on #1 cyclinder then 90 degree clock wise #3 both intake and exhaust and so forth?

@briansmobile1 From one wrench to another you did an excellent demo you taught me something. Thanks Steve

Welcome- glad I could help!

Hello, I have Subaru forester 2.0 l sohc. What gauge thickness should i use to set the right valve clearance? Is there a difference between 2.5l sohc and 2.0 l sohc engine valve clearance?

Thanks for the video brian.i have a 2001 forester I used the .008 intake and .013 for exhaust and everything is back together but now after reading around it seems like the exhaust is supposed to be closer to .010-.011 . is that going to make any difference? Should I go back and redo the exhaust before I fill up with oil?

Briansmobile1, You are using the INCORRECT mark to find TDC. Those hash marks are for timing belt lay-in only. You are supposed to use the Black molded in ARROW further inboard on the Cam pulley to find TDC. You are lucky that the timing belt hash marks are only about 80deg of crank rotation off the correct Arrow marks. So the piston is on it way down the hole on the power stroke, but the EX valve is likely not on its opening ramp yet. Also your EX valve clearance is incorrect. It's .010"+ .001. ( I'm not showing MM specs as this just confuses people). Never go minus on the EX spec regardless. You can be at .010-.013" and be good. Looser is better on exhaust lash on most engines. It will produce a but more bottom end torque and midrange pull - but with a tiny bit more clatter. Have fun mit der wasserboxer, and thank you for posting this video! - Sandy

Absolutely!

I have a 2011 Subaru forester and just took it in and had the new intake valves put in and the heads re serviced now when I start it I can hear a rattling like the valves are loss and after it warms up it starts to tick would thus be from the valves need to be adjusted.

Dear Brian, does this valve adjustment also work for EJ 2.0 turbo engine on a 2004 forester? I hear what sounds like a valve tick on the driver side of the engine.

My machine shop didnt mark the cams of my 2.5L EJ25 SOHC. One has a R9 stamping and the other has a RC stamping. Would you know how to tell which is 1-3(Pass) or 2-4(drivers)? Thanks and great videos

@ejmagras I believe that. It just doesn't happen often. I'm on an island by myself here most of the time.

Thanks for a great simple video !

hi brian, I have checked the gap twice , still have valve noise , could i be a tooth off on the gear? had the heads rebuilt thanx will

@goldtinium Valves have to a lot of contact at speed on both the top and also at the valve seat. This causes wear. On wear parts the require precise tolerances some adjustment becomes necessary. The consequence is a noisy valve train and less performance.

@GDMAZ I've done several that turned out to be totally fine. At worst you'll have to pull a head and replace some valves. I have vids on that and I do them all the time for head gaskets.

I have a question: If the Right cam sprocket sets all 4 pistons to top dead center, what does the Left cam sprocket do?

Hey Brian, I watched a couple of your videos, they have been pretty helpful in giving me the general idea of things with the subi I've been dealt. I see you used .008 and .013 for the exhaust valves. I was looking through the service manual for my 03' forester and it gives some specs showing Intake Valves at ".0079+-.008" and Exhaust Valves at ".0098+-.008". Not sure how to read that exactly.But I was thinking .008 was the ideal for both sets? Does it vary between 2.5 engines?

I'm about to attempt this time full Collision technician and I've done mechanical work for a while but I've never really done too much to Subaru and also I've only done one adjustment like this before and it was on a 6 cylinder Chevy so I'm assuming it's a bit different does that line on the pulley for the timing belt come on the vehicle or do I have to figure out where it should go and then put it on the timing belt pulley I should be able to know once I pull it apart but I'd like a little pre-warning so I can figure all of that out

That was a lot of help for me . Thanks.

Possible on Forester 00' without removing engine? I beat yes but maybe you would recomend to remove it for reasons?

@DDC5IntegraR You can swap injectors and see if it moves the code. this makes sure it's the injector without spending any money on a new one.

Can you adjust valves clearance before putting on the heads my engine is still in the car. Swapping out old heads with remanufactured set.

hey brian, tnx for the videos first of all... quick question. how do you tell if you've got bent valves. and can you straiten them without pulling the engine off?

Hey Brian.... in the research I have been doing on the 2.5 sohc engine, autozone says to set the intake at .007 and the exhaust at .009, where did you get the specs you use?

hey brian thanx for the great videos. quick ? i need to replace the valve cover gaskets and spark-plug tube seals. can i adjust the valve then? or is it best done with the engine out? thanks alot man

Hey Brian, I adjusted my redecked heads to a new short block and have misfires on cylinders 1,2, and 3. Checked coil and new wires and plugs. Resistance on cam and crank sensors seem ok. Only thing left is vvt valve or something I fouled up with valve adjustment. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks

Helpful video, thanks. Aren't the specs for exhaust .009 - .011 though?

@elfman47 It sounds like predetination due to a timing problem to me.

Brian, how do you secure that cam gear in order to Marquette bolt to spec? I k ow the driver side has a spoked gear that can be seen urged with the subaru special tool. but those black passenger side gears have me baffled...

@nuccireyo7 "crankshaft" can be rotated with a 22 mm socket. The Cams take a big one. I just turn the crank or cams by the center bolt. I don't own the giant socket that fits the cams.

@DDC5IntegraR P0301 means that cylinder #1 is misfiring. It could be the plug, wire, injector, coil, or a timing/compression issue. Usually it's something in then ignition family.

Video helped! Thanks Brian!

this was really helpful thank you!!

How do you tell when your valves need adjustment? Do you start to hear more noise or anything under the hood?

Can you do a video on adjusting valves on subaru dohc engines with the bucket type shims? Thanks!

Hello Brian, If the motor is in the car can I use the driver side cam the same as the other side?

can this valve adjustment be performed with the engine in place? I am replacing the gaskets, and thought I might do this as well. Thanks, Winston

i think it should say +/- (plus or minus) 0.0008 on the manual instead of 0.008 this gives you the range suitable for the valve spacing. so ur intake should sit between 0.0071 to 0.0087 (use 0.008 feeler gauge) and your exhaust should sit between 0.0090 to 0.0106 (use 0.01 feeler gauge)

What he is pointing to is cylinder TDC (top dead center - piston all the way up) he marked the arrow green on the cam pulley to note which piston is TDC. Intake valves were on top, you will see them go in when turning the crank thus opening the intake valves (intake stroke). There are 2 valves per cylinder on this motor. Thanks for the vid Brian.

not quite ready to do a valve job on my 2.5 L ts wagon, but what's the name of the song in the background? Thanks!

Hello there I just watched your video about adjusting the valves is the 2006 valves the same.

It'll still work fine.

On at EJ25 SOHC is there any reason why you wouldn’t be able to do this while the heads are off the engine for head gaskets?

nice job on this video!! very helpful!!!!

our valves make a small noise . do they often stick or should I rip it down and do this . I'm a collision tech and don't rip into engines often but I can if I have to

I got a P0365 code on my 2004 Forester 2.0 Turbo. I tried replacing the camshaft sensor and the problem persists. Check engine light comes on when the car decelarates. Car has lost a lot of power and torque. Would you please point me in the right direction? I am thinking the timing is off.

Hey thx for posting these diy vids!I'm working on a 05 legacy 2.5 and my arms on the cams attached to the valves/springs assembly have some free play side to side what does this mean? Bad cam bearings on these little arms? Or is this normal? other arms don't do that, will tightening this arms get rid of the light knocking sound? I don't see any cracking in the block or defective springs/valves. But the car shows evidence of over heating and intake plenum has carbon build up w/ 109k miles.

Can I do this with the engine still mounted ?

What are your thoughts on valve adjustment vs misfires? I just moved to ported heads with larger valves and am picking up misfires on #4, especially when the motor is cold. Slightly larger cams, upgraded supertech valve springs... think the valves are too tight? I don't really hear any of the usual subaru valvetrain noise when the motor is running. Thanks!

Hello very interesting eric your videoes. It wanted to do a question to you, I have a subaru legacy gt 2.0 sw year 2002 to which it changes the oil of the automatic gearbox and I did adjustment of valves to him.

how often you should adjust a valves as a routine maintenance?

@DDC5IntegraR They're pretty easy. Just make sure to lube up the O-rings with windex or spray silicone before re-installing them. They usually never fail, but it can happen. I would rule them out with a swap before spending money on one.

Hey brian, not sure what engine yours is or if mine is different, but on my 01 forester the cam sprockets have the lines and the arrows. The lines are timing marks and the arrows are TDC markers, with up being cyl 1 TDC. I did my valve adjustment with the driver's side cam arrow as my marker. Is there a difference between engines?

Can you explain a valve adjustment for a ej25 2.5L DOHC?

Hello, first off thanks for posting the vídeos, great job. I have a 98 forester that has been acting up intermittently where it will loose power and run rough all of the sudden and then die and have a hard time restarting. Then after a minute or two otwill fire fine and run without trouble for an uncertain lenght of time. Fuel pressure is good filter replaced. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Hello, i have a 2000 subaru outback and need to adjust the valves i was wondering in the video you have the left pulley as your guide for each cylinder. Is the right pulley the same firing pattern as the left pulley? Just trying to not have to pull off the the timing belt cover. The right pulley is already marked with with a line i don't know if it was marked for the timing belt replacement or to line up for each cylinder. If you can help me out i would appreciate it. thanks for the videos.

You're welcome!

Hi Brian great video. When I turn it. Cylinder 1 on the top seems a bit stiff. It turn just not as easy as the others. Is by valve bent?

Ej25 2005 match rker cover ej22e?

What is the book you are using ?

i think I need a valve job.... cylinder 3 is misfiring I have spark fuel coil is good plug an wires are good. any ideas? forester 2.5ltr 278 kms

If the valves haven't been adjusted, will the valves leak oil since they are not closing completely?

hey jeff here i have a 2.5 rs that ticks under power but at idle its quite . im guessing valves need adjusting ? other then the soft ticking she runs great ! and were i here it the most is on the passenger side .

Brian, I did head gaskets on this 2.5 subaru forester L as per your instruction. Great instruction by the way. The heads were decked and valve job at machine shop. I got it all back together and it ran poorly. Hard to start and when running had a lot of ticking coming from the right bank. I watched your valve adjustment video and did that. Now it won't start at all. Do you have any pointers as to what may have happened or what I should do now?

@ejmagras No many of those are the bucket type valves that have shims in them. They are more like the CRF450 valve adjustment video on my channel

Brian, my engie makes tapping noise at idle and it ow rpms between 1-1.5 k. Only tapping at idle or low rpms, otherwise drives well. 05 Impreza RS with 288k km. do you think I should adjust valves or it could be smtg else. If noise is due to valves, can I leave it as is and keep driving or should be looking into adjusting valves? Thanks!

Only 8 years later! But do you know if these specs are the same for an 06 2.5i with AVLS? Also, I noticed a lot of people say to use the arrow not the hash mark, I'm assuming you disagree? Thanks for a a quality video!

Thanks Brian for this video...been chasing a cylinder #2 misfire on my brothers 07 Outback. The entire time I was looking at cylinder 3 thinking it was like my second gen legacy; when it was on the opposite side of the flipping engine. We have essentially made his ignition system new and had the injectors rebuilt. It never occurred to me to adjust the valves since it's a misfire when warm...Feel so stupid now...Grrr

@Tadow001 You only need to remove one timing cover/cam cover and you can rotate the crank bolt with a 22mm socket and a ratchet. Good luck.

@otasty Good call

Hey Brian, I was wondering if this is what is causing my engine to click at startup or is it piston slap?

Hi B1 impreza2005 ej22e rocker cover gasket fit ej25?

Question ,why alldata show it has to be following the ⬆️ on the sprocket and not on the timing mark ?

hi brian is the procedure the same for a 1997 outback 2.5?

Check your connections and grounds starting with the ones around the battery posts.

I thought TDC for cylinder 1 was when the arrow (rather than the timing mark) on the left cam sprocket was pointed up, and then rotate crank 180 degrees for each through the firing order? The timing mark on the right cam sprocket would be the same position as the timing mark on the left, so that wouldn't be the same position as the arrow, so... what am I missing?

What year is the engine?