Thanks for suggestion! I did a lot of research before working on my 97 Subaru Impreza which has 157,000. I needed to replace my Front Crank Seal and O-ring. I too had an oil leak problem but put it off when I found out it was going to cost me $600+++ to fix it... so I decieded to do the work myself and when a mechanic made me mad when he installed my spark plugs incorrectly (Was not seated correctly which caused it to sputter at low RPMS). First, I purchased the Service Manual online (Which is a shame they only let you download a few at a time... boo Subaru!). The service manual is a must because if I didn't have that I would not have done the work myself. Next, I found this wonderful site which talked me out of purchasing the special tool from Subaru (which would have cost over $250) by using the Chain vise grip suggested by one of the members using a old belt that I cut to the exact size of the crank pulley(thanks user!). I held the chain wrench (under the car), attached to the crank pulley, and my friend, using his torch wrench, broke the bolt loose up on top. There was no damage to the pulley at all with the belt wrapped around it. We probably would not have gotten the crank pulley off without "Pulley Pullers"... a common tool you can get at any automotive shop. The job took a couple of people who never worked on cars before other than changing their oil about 12 hours (basically because I didn't have the chain wrench at that time which had to go out to get, eat dinner, and learn as we go). And to boot, the Subaru dealership sent me the wrong Timing belt (I ordered the right one... they just sent me the wrong one). Do you feel my pain? MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TIMING BELT BEFORE DOING THIS JOB. IF you know how much work it takes to get to it, you will understand. Since this was my first "Shade tree" job and if you are considering doing a similar Oil leak job, here are some suggestions.
We almost messed-up the engine seriously. Make sure you are lining up the markings on the Cam pulleys and the crank. All must be lined up with factory markings. I had the cam pulleys at "top dead center" but forgot about the crank (Does the Crank need to be lined up like the cams? I thought it did). Luckly, I caught the mistake before putting the car together. Pay very close attention to details.
2 absolutly necessary tools are: Chain wrench large enough to grab the Crank pulley (we used the Vise Grip Chain Wrench R20) and a Pulley puller for the crank pulley. You may not need the Pulley puller but why wait.
Of course... the Service manuel.
I wanted to thank everyone who posted info regarding their oil leak. A job that was going to cost me $600 ended up costing me $200 and the satisfaction of doing a job right. As it turned out, my Crank seal was not bad (even though I replaced it). Oh, I didn't need the "special oil seal installer" either. A Combination lock from Masterlock worked Great! The O-ring was the worst! It fell apart in my hand. In fact, it didn't look like an O-ring it looked like pieces of black rubber band (The O-ring is apart of the Oil pump).
Thanks for everyones help! Oh, and If you need a 97 subaru impreza service manuel, let me know... I will send you the whole thing instead of parts like Subaru (that is just poor Stewardship...Subaru. Let people download the whole service manuel, or I will.)
Sincerely,
Kirk
