pginter96 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Hey everyone I've known about my oil leak for a while, I've had it since I bought the car last November. (Especially noticeable since it drips on my UEL headers) Just doing an oil change today and noticed something else though. There's a rubber gasket or seal between the block and timing belt cover that just plain doesn't fit. It's where the leak is coming from. The leak is almost directly below the crankshaft, so I'm wondering if it's a crank seal or one of the nearby idlers/tensioners. Question is- should this seal fit perfectly and could it be the cause of the leak? I've been known to jump to overly serious conclusions, such as a bad crank seal. I'm hoping it's a simple cheap fix... I just hit 80k so I'll either have a timing belt done or do it myself if I'm feeling ambitious soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pginter96 Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 That rubber is just the dust seal for the timing belts. The leak is coming from behind that cover.......Likely the Front crank seal, and maybe the cam seals too. Time to pull the timing covers and do a reseal....put a new belt on too while your in there and good idea to do the water pump and all idlers too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Carb Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I know the oil pump is in there too, that also may need a re-seal. When cam seals go, it drips out at the ends of the timing covers, I know from experience :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 subie Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 have a 94 legacy with the 2.2 ... 94 K original . I am second owner got it with oil leak same place and was told same fix ..... since I don't want to get into it that far a trusted shop said it would be 950 to 1000 to replace everything inside cover and water pump along with seals etc. It leaks just a little and I just watch the fresh oil change for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 a complete Gates timing kit is $115 on amazon. seals are like $5 each - so $150 or less in parts. should be able to find someone to do it for $500 or so, half that price. it can be done in 1-3 hours, not a big deal. water pumps rarely fail if you're looking to save a buck don't replace it. best to monitor the oil leaks - how much per thousand or oil change is it leaking? it may never get worse but seal leaks can progress quickly too - so keep an eye on oil level and pull over with any signs of issues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 the old man's 98 forester is doing this now, 205,000 mi. i had removed the outer covers and this rubber seal. I am anticitpating the front crank shaft seal, which part of the oip pump assembly. It's pretty easy once you get the belts off. As stated, replace thebelt and all the tensioners if due, or at least the belt if it has oil contamination.. pull out theat rubber seal in the mantime so the oil can drip out instead of contaminating the belt. That swollen seal wont go back together anyway unless you trim some out of the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pginter96 Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 (edited) Yep, mine turned out to be a crank seal. Tricky, since the oil pump is right behind it so it gets worse when RPMs go up. I don't have the tools or confidence to touch anything timing related, so I brought it to the dealer. With my employee discount it was $223 and change, so that would probably be ~$450. 5 hours of labor for a $6 part... I had them reuse the timing belt as there was no oil contamination. It sounds sick, but since I'm building a 2.2 I just need this engine to last until she chews up her head gaskets. Another 20k I'm figuring, it's at 83k now Edited October 7, 2014 by pginter96 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grimaceNMike Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Its a pretty easy project, miles fox has a video on the oil pump o ring, crank seal and cam seals on YouTube. I did it last week without assistance and it went well. Just be careful not to break the timing belt covers they cost about $40 a piece and are super fragile plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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