Hi! This is Veronica, and I'm the owner of a 1998 Subaru Forester with almost 200,000 miles.  How I got it is a long story, but now that I have it, I need to work on it, so I'm hoping the folks on this forum will be helping me along while I replace a left front exhaust cam seal...I have visited other Subaru forums but this one promises to be the best, so I am hopeful.

 

Will wander off to look at the appropriate forums.

 

G'day

 

V.

welcome aboard.  this is about the most technically astute Subaru, with the least fluff and BS, on the internet. 

 

You probably mean the cam seal:

 

Timing belt has to come off to replace that.  Ideally the timing belt and idlers are all replaced with an Aisin timing kit (it includes the belt, pulleys, and tensioner). The belt and pulleys can, and do fail, and that's an interference engine so they usually end up with bent valves$$$$ if that happens. 

 

Remove drive belts

Remove crank pulley

Remove timing covers

Remove timing belt

Remove drivers side and passengers side cam sprockets

Replace cam seals

 

Reassemble - preferrably with new timing belt and pulleys and tensioner.