[Nuvolari-]

I was replacing the crankshaft pulley on my '13 FB 2.5X with timing chain and turned the crankshaft counterclockwise (maybe 2 turns) before I realized what I was doing.
I turned it back, then loosened the bolt using the old belt trick, then finished the job without thinking anything else of it.
After that I went to turn her over and the engine cut out almost immediately.
Went back to the front and saw that the pulley bolt came loose so I re-tightened and now the car won't start.
It turns over and I can see the crankshaft turning but it just won't start and doesn't sound right.
It got too late to check spark, air, fuel, compression, etc so I plan to do that tomorrow.
Just trying to set myself (and my wallet) up for what I could be facing here.
With the FB25 obviously being an interference engine is it possible that I skipped teeth on the timing chain when I turning it CCW and then introduced the valves to the piston head when I tried starting it?
I've used the search bar and haven't found another idiot who did this.

 

[wotdsm]

I would start by hooking up an OBD 2 reader to see if there is a trouble code for a crank position sensor fault. Perhaps it got damaged when you were installing the pulley or when the bolt came loose? I really don't think you did any damage by rotating the engine backwards but I'm not entirely sure. Always good to start with checking the small things before panicking

 

[Nuvolari-]

Thanks for the input, I'm borrowing an OBD 2 reader later today to look at the codes. So i know on the old EJ motors, the crankshaft position sensor was right near the pulley, so it could be physically damaged from the belt coming off or pulley coming loose. Based on the parts diagram, on the FB it appears to be at the back of the block near the flywheel. What exactly is the sensors function? Is it designed to fail and turn the engine off in order to prevent damage to the crankshaft (i.e. when it notices excessive vibration)?

 

[wotdsm]

Ah I was unaware Subaru moved it to the back of the engine. I still think the first thing you should do is pull the codes to see if there are any trouble codes stored in the ECU that might point you in the right direction.

The crank position sensor works with the cam position sensors and they send a signal to the ECU telling it when to spark the spark plug. If either sensor is damaged or faulty you will not have spark. If the ECU has no fault codes stored in it you should check the following, is there fuel flowing to the fuel rails? Are the spark plugs sparking? Finally, check compression. If your car isn't starting one of those three is guaranteed to be lacking.

 

[Nuvolari-]

Update: I couldn't get a scanner today so I decided to go back through my steps and make sure I didn't miss anything.
As i was turning the crankshaft by hand I noticed a loud clicking sound with every turn:

Any idea what could be causing this? Chain tensioner?

 

[Nuvolari-]

Update: I know this is a few months late but I'm finally getting around to it. I took my car to an indy shop that specializes in Subarus - shout out to Grizzly Garage if you're in the Cleveland, OH area. As it turns out you CAN jump enough teeth and cause significant damage by turning the crank counterclockwise. Compression test showed that one cylinder in particular was getting extremely low compression so definitely bent a valve there. Either way I needed a new engine. As my old one was in the VIN range with the oil consumption issue I decided to go with 2014 Legacy motor which dropped in with almost no modifications. Thanks to Patrick over at grassrootsmotorsports.com I found a thread that really helped me out with swap. All in all it cost a little over $1k to get the car back on the road.

 

[boureesub]

Interesting update. Thanks.

I'm writing more about the shout out to Grizzly Garage. It's a little far for me (Cleveland west sider), but I've begun to compile a list of local independent Subaru garages for when that time comes (not any time soon). Any others?

 

[Nuvolari-]

I've only lived in the region for about 4 years so I don't have that much experience with shops around here.
I can only personally speak to my experience with Grizzly, he was super professional and quick with the work and reasonable with the pricing.
I live about 45 min from his shop and I would rather take my Subaru to him than to Ganley or one of the other Subaru dealers in the area.
Also, for any exhaust/suspension I've taken my other cars to All Star Muffler on the west side. If I remember correctly they did a catalytic replacements for just over $100, muffler replacement for under $100 and custom pipe welding/replacements for like $75.

 

[adc]

Glad its taken care of.

 

[boureesub]

Also, for any exhaust/suspension I've taken my other cars to All Star Muffler on the west side. If I remember correctly they did a catalytic replacements for just over $100, muffler replacement for under $100 and custom pipe welding/replacements for like $75.

Thanks

Mufflers For Less on Pearl Rd. is good for budget muffler work as well.