'98 Forester - crank seal Question

[Guest lothar34]

'98 Forester L, 77,000mi

 

Got a quote from a local repair shop of $355 to replace a leaking front crank seal. I was just wondering if this sounds about right.

 

He said the timing belt looks fine, and they still have to check the idlers and tensioners and may have to replace the belt (another $120) if there's a problem with any of them.

 

Thanks.

[Chip Hedrick]

I have a '98 OBW with the Phase I EJ25, which should be the same engine as in your Forester.

 

Back in January I paid $540.00 to have an independent Subaru tech (25yrs experience w/Subarus) replace the timing belt, the tensioner, all 4 cam seals, the front crank seal and oil pump o-ring, and a few other odds and ends.

 

Parts came to $319, labor $205 ($25 of which was for the cam seals), and $16 in sales tax.

 

The parts for the front crank seal were: $5.45 for the crank seal, $2.58 for the oil pump o-ring, and $15.90 for oil change parts and materials = $23.93.

 

So, labor for the crank seal should be about $180.00 and parts should be about $24.00 for a total of $204.00, but that's based on the labor rate charged by an independent Subaru specialist in southern/central Maine.

[Chip Hedrick]

A couple of other things:

 

First, the major Subaru dealers around here send out coupons for $250.00 timing belt changes, including the belt. That's far less than the $355 you were quoted for the crank seal replacement, and the parts are less for the job you need while the amount of labor should be about the same.

 

Second, the shop you're dealing with quoted you $120 for a t-belt. The independent I went to (who doesn't sell parts for cheap) charged me $80 for an OEM t-belt.

It sounds like the shop you're dealing with is on the pricy side.

[NOMAD327]

I had an oil leak on my 99 outback wagon DOHC 2.5 and mid 60,000 miles. It had a very steady oil drip from the front. What was found was no problems with anything other than the actual lip seal, A couple dollar item. The OEM seal's rubber lip was rock hard, to the point it would crack if you tried to bend it. It is common knowledge on this board that an oil leak will normally be treated with removal of the oil pump which is almost no additional effort, to seal it’s back side. There is a rear plate held to the main oil pump body by a few small screws. They are to be loctited and tightened. On mine, there was only one that was slightly loose. Removing the pump exposes a small inexpensive o-ring that is also suspected of causing leakage problems. The oil pump is more or less glued to the front of the engine block with an RTV sealant. This is also a potential leak path. Some people have had problems with cam seals leaking oil. Mine were all dry, and my mechanic has said he has not seen any leaking in his experience. I would not reinstall a used timing belt myself, but some people do. I replaced my timing belt, water pump and thermostat in hopes that the motor will now go well beyond the 105,000 mile point at which it would have to come apart for the normal timing belt interval. I would expect you can lower your labor cost by at least $100 if you shop around, the trick is to find a shop you can trust to do the work

 

[hohieu]

I just purchased a 1999 Forester S with the sohc engine (so only two cam shafts), and am planning on replacing/resealing the following when I change the timing belt:

cam shaft seals

front crank shaft seal

water pump

oil pump

 

Is all this advisable? I plan to keep this car until it dies

 

 

 

I was wondering if the seal installer tools are necessary for the job. I've looked at the manual, and these seals do not require a press for installation.

 

Also, is it possible to clean and reseal the oil pump without dropping the engine. What exactly does this involve. I would also appreciate any advice you might have on Permatex gasket sealants needed for the water and oil pump.

 

Thanks,

hohieu

[Guest lothar34]

I was wondering if the seal installer tools are necessary for the job. I've looked at the manual, and these seals do not require a press for installation.

Manual? What manual?

[cookie]

about 90,000. I needed the new clutch kit and the head gaskets were weeping so I had the whole bloody thing done.

Lets see now, plastic oil slinger replaced with steel.New exhaust pipe.

On the front of the engine, water pump, oil pump resealed, new tensioner, cam seals, crank seal, and timing belt.

This has made me fairly happy with the engine for the last couple of years as the only other problem has been the usual clutch slave problem that also took a master cyl on my car.

I've done the usual struts and brakes and except for the tranny whine when slowing she seems ready to go for some time.

I would pretty much agree with the folks who say do all the front seals and the timing belt at the same time as it is nearly the same labor to get in there.

[hohieu]

Manual? What manual?

The Factory Service Manual shows seal guide and installer tools? Are they really necessary? What are the alternatives? I know that I can get the crank pully off using a part of the old T-Belt and chain vise-grip.

[JaapH]

You don't need any seal installer tools. Just a small drop of engine oil on the seal and tap it in with a plastic hammer. Make sure you drive it in slowly and even around the edge of the seal so it doesn't twist.

Also be carefull when you put the seal over the cranck.

 

If you drop the oil pump any way, do it when its out.

Why change the oil pump? Most of the time its just the seals (cranck & O-ring) that need replacement.

[Guest lothar34]

The Factory Service Manual shows...

Ah... I thought there was a Chilton's or Hayne's out for the Forester that I didn't know about.

[hohieu]

If you drop the oil pump any way, do it when its out.

Why change the oil pump? Most of the time its just the seals (cranck & O-ring) that need replacement.

Right, "replace/reseal" in my original message so I am just resealing the oil pump.

I can do this job w/o removing the engine? Thanks

[hohieu]

Ah... I thought there was a Chilton's or Hayne's out for the Forester that I didn't know about.

You know that you can get them on CD-ROM on Ebay for about $15-20, right?

[Guest lothar34]

Yeah, I know about the CDs. When you said "Factory service manual" though, I thought you were talking about the huge ones that cost $600.

 

Anyway, here's the damage:

$0 labor for rotating the tires

$108 labor for resurfacing the rotors, cleaning & lubing pins, slides & hardware

$31 labor for finding the oil leak and inspecting timing belt

$308 labor for replacing crank seal & timing belt; reset cam & ignition timing

$129 for parts ($8 seal, $120 timing belt)

$15 labor for checking the clutch operation

 

I think their labor rates are a bit high, but they're within walking distance of my apartment and they got two good reviews on cartalk.com.