DiscoStu Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I have a small oil leak from the valve covers on my 99 OBW. Just had the timing belt, cam and crank seals replaced. How difficult is this? Something I can do at home? I replaced the spark plugs a while back and it took a few hours. The spark plugs go right thru the valve cover right? So I must first remove the plugs. Do the covers come off from the top or do I need to crawl underneath? Is there a handy guide somewhere to explain the whole process to me? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I've always done them out of the car. On a 2.2 I believe they would be easy to do. The 2.5 has less room. I use fel-pro kits but some recomment Suby only. Too bad all that other work was just done. Would have been a good time to yank the engine, do the baffle plate, valve covers, spark plugs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Gte the kit from subaru. The valve cover gaskets from Felpro are fine, but your also going to replace the spark plug bucket gromits at the same time (thats not an option here, you will do it ), and aftermarket for those have been lousy, they do not last. You can easily do it in your driveway. Thaink about chaning the plug wires and plugs as long as you are there too. Make sure no one under 16 is within earshot. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Make sure no one under 16 is within earshot. nipper :lol::lol: awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 :lol::lol: awesome! heheh Gross, i found one HUGE plus to the liftkit, sparkplugs are EASY! nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 oh no kidding, it gave more clearance? that is awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 oh no kidding, it gave more clearance? that is awesome! Plug #3 is still a pg-13 (as opposed to X ) rated plug, but all the other ones are simple. The engine drops below the frame rails with the lift kit. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 The spark plugs go right thru the valve cover right? So I must first remove the plugs. Do the covers come off from the top or do I need to crawl underneath? No need to remove the plugs, just the plug wires. Don't even attemot this job unitl you have gone and bought a 10mm ratcheting gear wrench. I would consider waiting until some other type of service that requires engine removal though(clutch, headgasket). That is if the leaks aren't bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 replace the PCV valve first, maybe that will reduce your leaks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Undo the motor mount nuts and jack the motor up and slide it over the the other side while doing each cover. Takes 5 min and will save you an hour of fighting to get the vc bolts out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStu Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 Got a quote of $220-$250 for the shop to do this. Does that seem reasonable? Local Subaru dealership ballparked me at $500. A quick google search for the gaskets, grommets, and plug seals looks like it costs about $80. I would probably take me 8 hours to do it and it would still leak. Anyone know of a detailed set of instructions on how to do this? Anyone got a favorite mechanic in West Michigan to recommend? Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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