As some may recall, I have a 94 Legacy Alpine Wagon that received a newer engine. There has been a nice oil leak at the back of the engine. I pulled the engine out today expecting to find a leaky rear main seal, figuring I had screwed it up when I installed it a couple of months back. Well, the RMS was nice and dry, and it looks like the oil is coming from the plate to the right (passenger side) of the crankshaft. I have a few questions:

 

1. What is that plate called?

 

2. Does it take a gasket, or will silicon handle the job?

 

3. Since I thought I would be doing the RMS I didn't drain the oil. Can I fix this leak without draining the oil?

 

When I was prepping the engine a couple of months back, I had intended to change the oil pan gasket, but I could not get the oil pan off. It wouldn't budge at all. It looks like they used the same factory sealant on the plastic plate thingy, and anticipate breaking the it trying to get it off.

The plate is called an "oil separator cover". Yours is probably plastic, and all of the plastic ones leak. New ones from Subaru are metal, and do not leak. The fix is to get a new one from the Subaru dealer or one of the discount Subaru parts sources online.

 

The below is from subarupartsforyou.com, your cost would be $19.

 

11831AA210 800406140X5 800406150X1 Legacy

1990-2007 Engine Parts, Oil Seals COVER OIL SEPERATOR KIT with bolts FOR 1990-2007 LEGACYS $23 $19