first two times the front crank seal was replaced under warranty...

 

'09 Forester XT

 

not exactly thrilled...

Id be pissed. What is it this time same front crank seal?

Virtually all of the seals I've seen installed outside my shop were done wrong. Most tech's don't really know what they are doing.

 

Sounds like there may be a nick in the shaft, etc. Check it out yourself this time.

 

GD

That's awful! 3x in a year! .......feel for ya Maybe fourth time's the charm?

Good luck.

Wondering what my DIY chances are, if techs are having issues.:-\

.......Guess I'll find out soon.

 

 

GD, do you have any tips / techniques for cam / crank seal replacement you wish to share in addition to what I've been able to find trolling? Namely:

 

Quality seals

Pristine surfaces

Light lube

Correct depth

Drive square

 

I bought the eBay t-belt kit with the 4 cam and 1 crank seal(s) included. No half-assery, doing it all, including idlers, WP, cam and oil pump o-rings etc..

 

Any info, much appreciated!

Edited May 27, 201213 yr by sosubeme
info request / questions

Just my 2, but before I'd fix it myself or pay for someone

to do it, I'd for sure contact Subaru hdqtrs and complain

my assess off that they ought to fix. Since it was obviously

done incorrectly or insufficiently two times under warranty

with so few miles, maybe faulty crank originally?

Somethin's up.

probly leaking from where the pump bolts up the oring likes to cave in on self and leak

GD, do you have any tips / techniques for cam / crank seal replacement you wish to share in addition to what I've been able to find trolling? Namely:

 

Quality seals

Pristine surfaces

Light lube

Correct depth

Drive square

 

I bought the eBay t-belt kit with the 4 cam and 1 crank seal(s) included. No half-assery, doing it all, including idlers, WP, cam and oil pump o-rings etc..

 

Any info, much appreciated!

 

That's pretty much the gist of it. Seals must be driven in precisely perpendicular to the shaft axis. As they are installed over the shaft you need to rotate the seal to prevent rolling the lip.

 

I'm sure you will be fine if you are careful and take your time. The fact that you are here asking how to do it is a sure sign you will take your time and do it properly.

 

The problem comes from people working too fast and not realizing how critical the precise installation of a seal really is. 9 out of 10 engines I tear into have something wrong with one or more of the front seals. I should start taking pictures but I see it so often that it's hardly worth the mention around my shop.

 

GD

That's pretty much the gist of it. Seals must be driven in precisely perpendicular to the shaft axis. As they are installed over the shaft you need to rotate the seal to prevent rolling the lip.

 

Just turn seal by hand on shaft during install?

 

I'm sure you will be fine if you are careful and take your time. The fact that you are here asking how to do it is a sure sign you will take your time and do it properly.

 

Thanks GD! ...a fan of doing it right,....not doing it over.

 

The problem comes from people working too fast and not realizing how critical the precise installation of a seal really is. 9 out of 10 engines I tear into have something wrong with one or more of the front seals. I should start taking pictures but I see it so often that it's hardly worth the mention around my shop.

 

I should be OK there, as I'm more like "painal" slow (to a fault) when it comes to precision of any sort.

 

Whole reason the party got started, right side cam seal was urinating oil, removed without leveraging seal puller, hooked it... and it came free. Could have done it with my fingernails.

 

GD

 

 

Thanks again!

 

Apologies for jacking your thread McBrat

If the last repair was done in the last 1 year or 12,000 miles its still covered.

If the last repair was done in the last 1 year or 12,000 miles its still covered.

 

Not even worth the hassle if it's been done wrong the last two times. For the three hours or so it takes to do it yourself... I say don't let the dealer touch it again. Do it yourself and fix it right.

 

GD

i find it better to install seal with pump on bench it tends to need to be resealed anyway

i find it better to install seal with pump on bench it tends to need to be resealed anyway

 

Yep - that's how I do them if I'm pulling the pump. Which is most of the time.

 

GD

That's pretty much the gist of it. Seals must be driven in precisely perpendicular to the shaft axis. As they are installed over the shaft you need to rotate the seal to prevent rolling the lip.

 

I'm sure you will be fine if you are careful and take your time. The fact that you are here asking how to do it is a sure sign you will take your time and do it properly.

 

The problem comes from people working too fast and not realizing how critical the precise installation of a seal really is. 9 out of 10 engines I tear into have something wrong with one or more of the front seals. I should start taking pictures but I see it so often that it's hardly worth the mention around my shop.

 

GD

This one is on the Legacy sitting in my driveway right now.

The top edge is flush with the face of the head, bottom edge is about 1/8" in. This seal was installed by a shop that did a timing belt change on this engine about 1000 miles before the transmission bit the dust.

gross that seals a dud before it was ever installed brown seals only .

Was the pump itself. The screws holding the back plate on had backed out and loosened the plate up enough so the pump was creating too much pressure at the seal. It now has an sti pump in it....

subscribing this post.

that's the first time i've ever heard of the loose pump

plate blowing out the seals.

thanks.

(and i concur on the brown seals.

i used that imports/ebay

black seals on my 97 last time, but this time

i used real sube brown ones, and they were much nicer.)

Edited June 9, 201213 yr by 1997reduxe

in the last year have rebiult 40 engines of those 15 had at least two loose screws on oil pump plate the top 3 screws dosent seem to matter 2.2 2.5 year or milage its like they where missed at factory theese are all engines that oilpump had never been off even with as low as 90000kms loose screws i however could not see thiss causing a leak non of theese engines where leaking from pump unless had a black seal that was cracked

I've seen this a time or two also. Shame on the dealer for not pulling the pump off and checking things out. A leaking seal from old age looks and feels a lot different than a seals that's blown out due to incorrect pump operation. That's just plain ignoranace that they did not question why it was leaking at such low mileage.

 

GD

I did not replace myself, but took it to the shop (Bud's Auto Service) in the town where I live. the main mechanic there has a Forester too. We were heading out of town for vacation, so we ended up taking the Baja instead of the Forester, and left it with them.

 

I sourced the pump, seals and FujiBond from RetroRoo.

 

On the flip side, taking the Baja on vacation was a great choice. with the SnugLid and tailgate, it was great for hauling luggage and loading/unloading stuff, and using as a seat when cleaning up stuff when leaving the beach...

Plus, I could actually straighten my right leg all the way out occasionally so I didn't feel light my knee was going to explode...

 

No issues at all with it... I thought I had a suspension problem, but it turns out the rattling was from the jack popping loose when I hit some rougher roads..

Was the pump itself. The screws holding the back plate on had backed out and loosened the plate up enough so the pump was creating too much pressure at the seal. It now has an sti pump in it....

 

Seems kind of strange, but I can see how the design of the housing would allow that with just enough of a gap. Hopefully the pressure wasn't low at idle and causing any bearing damage.

 

What's the difference in the STi pump?

FujiBond?

I swear I learn something new every day on this site.

So you used the grey I'm assuming?

Jus wondrin...

the sti pump just has a 1mm larger bore for a bit more flow.

 

the FujiBond is the Subaru name for their silicone sealant recommended for the oil pump

the FujiBond is the Subaru name for their silicone sealant recommended for the oil pump

 

It's just a rebrand of ThreeBond:

 

http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/Threebond/engine/Sealants/RTV_Gasket/16805

 

Personally I prefer anaerobic over the various forms of RTV regardless of brand. It's much more shop friendly - infinite shelf life, won't cure so you don't have to cap the tube, easier clean up, and doesn't permanently adhere to clothing, rags, etc.

 

RTV has it's place - but as a gasket replacement technology it has been surpassed by the anaerobic flange sealants IMO. I think you will see less of it in the future as the OEM's move to better products that are well suited to the machined and die-cast aluminium of modern components.

 

GD

Edited June 10, 201213 yr by GeneralDisorder