koybern

It turned out to be the valve covers leaking only when the engine was cooled down....i never saw leaks out of the rear seal after the second repair but I just assumed it to be the causitive factor.....turns out it wasn't...all is fixed now and just for the record...the felpro aftermarket seal is working fine.

definately not same configuration for that year as 1997....control module is on pump for this 1997....this much i am sure of....bosch 5.3i was not available in 1995....

After completing several serches on abs trouble shooting, I noticed that there is no mention of exact relay location for this Bosch 5.3i product. From what I can discern from schematics, there are 2 relays, one for the motor, and one for the valves both of which are located in the control module. So what i have concluded, is that these relays are not servicable unless the control module is shipped out to a rebuild service. There are two ways to rule out motor failure from what i can tell, the easiest being to just jump the motor wires to 12v. the other would be to ground terminals on the diagnostic terminal. This code 52 that i am throwing has me concluded that something has gone wrong in the control module circuitry because every other possibility of harness and ground issues have been ruled out. It seems to me that Audi and several other forums are big on module repair, yet little is discussed among Subaru people. Just want to know why little is discussed in this regard about control module rebuilding. The module is very easy to remove, so I would think it would be an active topic, but maybe i am missing something.

I pulled the engine for last time and realized that the after market seal did hold up after all. I discovered that the valve covers were leaking only after engine was not running and cooled down. I never saw one drop of oil coming out of these valve covers during operation. I think i just got over-anxious becuase of all the concerns raised about installing these rear seals. I would suggest for the do it yourself crowd that this rear seal is not as difficult as some would suggest. The key is to go slow and make sure goes in straight. As far as the valve cover gasket, I found this aftermarket gasket to not work well. I had to put washers on the valve cover bolts in order to snug it down further. It is totally sealing now and I thank you for your help.

I stand corrected after viewing the post, the variance is greater than 1 thousandth. This is purely a hobby for me but i would like to point out a correlation to my pharmacy practice. In pharmacy, generic manufacturers are allowed up to 7 percent variance from FDA approved brand name for the majority of drugs. I would think this variance in seal sizes would not be significant..... hopefully an engineer from one of these seal manufacturers will read this and explain in greater detail.

ok....i will go to dealer pick up oem and install. I am feeling better about this. I had no problems with aftermarket seals on the rest of this engine. From what i have read, this rear main seal is a bit tricky. I need to know at least the part is going to be reliable and in this case, oem seems to be the answer. By the way, the part is within a few dollars of aftermarket. Its a no brainer. Thanks for the advice. Will let you know how it comes out.

I attempted two times to replace rear main seal on my 1997 subary legacy 2.5. First attempt was to seat flush and second attempt was to set in a little hoping it would find less worn shaft to ride on. I am about to attempt 3rd try as I want to get this right. I have noticed the aftermarket seals offers actually slight differences in seal size that contacts the shaft area, albeit less than 1 thousandth difference. Want to know if anyone has noticed this size variance and wether one size is more suitable than the other. I would think smaller would be better with my problem. The oem size is not something i could locate. The other option would be just to use a speedi sleeve but i am just wondering if maybe this difference in seal size is causing the problem. Separator plate is not leaking.

tc in my opinion not seated...pull it out and start over. the tc should not be touching the flexplate with the bell housing seated. If it is you must start over.

just finished replacing the oil separator plate in my 97 legacy. to be honest if the leak is not steady, say a few drops when parked, i would not touch it. I did mine in one day, in and out. But there are so many areas prone to leaking on this vehicle that i would delay until its bad, then get all major oil seal prone areas replaced. Doing all the work in one shot will give you more leverage on pricing because the engine removal will be a once and done deal. By the way, the best deal i found on the improved separator plate made out of steel is on ebay. just google it. i just bought mine this week and he still has them as a kit with bolts included. This plate is an absolute must....do not reseal the plastic original one.....they either warp or crack and resealing is a waste of time...leaks will pervade.

if you do a one time engine pull yourself, its very much worth fixing this vechicle...the upside of subarus are they are almost bullet proof in some aspects of engineering. Subaru enthusiasts will provide absolutely every step by step procedure to total repair of this vehicle. The information here is very comprehensive, and its just a matter of locating it. There is one you tube expert that shows engine removal which i found very helpful: I am a purely a hobbyist and successfully rebuilt my engine with the help of this website. I work as a pharmacist which shows that it does not necessarily take special training.....just a alot of patience and attention to detail.

do not pay anyone to fix this vechicle....they are a money pit....i do all my own work from top down and would not pay anyone because most of the work involves engine removal..... and this can be quite expensive.