Rear Main Seal Reaplacement Cost?

[fly1747]

Well I believe I have a bad rear main seal. Car is a 1996 Legacy
Outback with the 2.2L engine. Oil is dripping onto the exhaust, so
every time I come to a stop I smell burning oil.

Does anyone have an idea on an estimate for this job? It is too big
for me to tackle in the garage.


Thanks for the help.


Matt

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Well I believe I have a bad rear main seal. Car is a 1996 Legacy
Outback with the 2.2L engine. Oil is dripping onto the exhaust, so
every time I come to a stop I smell burning oil.

Does anyone have an idea on an estimate for this job? It is too big
for me to tackle in the garage.


Thanks for the help.


Matt

Hmmm, conventional wisdom seems to be that rear main seals are very
rugged - though soobs have plenty of places they are known to leak from.
Maybe clean off the engine/undercarriage at the car wash and try to
confirm where the oil is coming from.

Carl

 

[Stephen H]

Hmmm, conventional wisdom seems to be that rear main seals are very
rugged - though soobs have plenty of places they are known to leak from.
Maybe clean off the engine/undercarriage at the car wash and try to
confirm where the oil is coming from.

Carl

Also from the rear seal area is a plate that is prone to leaking, when doing
the rear main seal do it also.
Many times recommended is looking over the engine and removing it to do the
rear seal is to do the valve covers, timing belt cam/crank seals. Cylinder
heads if thought to be needed.
I don't know what the cost is, but if you have the ability to pull the
engine (both in tools and knowledge), then you could do it at home.
(transmission pull is feasible too but I don't know what one is easier)

 

[Peter Berbee]

Well I believe I have a bad rear main seal. Car is a 1996 Legacy
Outback with the 2.2L engine. Oil is dripping onto the exhaust, so
every time I come to a stop I smell burning oil.

Does anyone have an idea on an estimate for this job? It is too big
for me to tackle in the garage.


Thanks for the help.


Matt

I wouldn't suspect a rear seal leak unless the front and sides of the engine
were complete free of oil film. The 2.2 is more likely to leek from the
front and cam support seals. All this oil gets blown back when driving, so
it ends up dripping on the exhaust from the back of the engine.

Of course, you could have a rear seal leek too. My leaks have all been
the front and sides, so, I don't know how much it would cost to fix the
rear. If you do have you engine pulled, take it somewhere that know about
Subaru oil leeks and have them reseal the whole engine. Is it time for a
timing belt too? Several problem seals are under the belt.

Peter

 

[johninKY]

I would first replace the valve cover gaskmets and PCV valve before I
started to pull an engine.

 

[Stephen H]

I would first replace the valve cover gaskmets and PCV valve before I
started to pull an engine.

Valve cover gaskets are a easy diag on a Subaru; but a lead Subaru tech told
me last week he has seen one PCV valve go bad in 20 years- not likely on
them. Subies like to leak the front cam and crank seals, Valve cover
gaskets, rear main seal and "Baffle Plate" I asked a tech and he said trans
pull is acceptable if only doing the rear main seal and baffle plate.

 

[Jim Stewart]

Hmmm, conventional wisdom seems to be that rear main seals are very
rugged - though soobs have plenty of places they are known to leak from.
Maybe clean off the engine/undercarriage at the car wash and try to
confirm where the oil is coming from.

What Carl said. Any oil leak in the front
will definitely look like a rear oil leak
until you clean it all off and watch it for
a few days.

 

[AS]

If your 96 engine is anything like my 95 was, there is a plastic
separator plate, that separates the oil from the blow thru vapors. This
plate in my case, cracked around the screw holes and began leaking. The
oil did drop on the exhaust and smelled foul.

What you need to do to get to it is to remove the transmission. To do
so you need to disconnect AT radiator lines, electrical connections,
front drive shafts (by removing the lower ball joints), remove exhaust
pipes, rear propeller shaft, AT shifter cable, remove transmission
support chassis member while supporting the engine, separate torque
converter from drive plate, remove drive plate, roll the transmission
back, etc. etc.

In the difficulty scale I would give it a 7/10, 10 being bad. In the
pain in the ass scale pretty close to 10. Time to do it at a relaxed
pace 2 days.

If you are in south east FL and you have a garage or flat working area,
I can give you a hand.

I did replace that cover when my AT failed and I decided to overhaul it.

Once you have the drive plate out, replacing the rear seal is a breeze.

Good luck

AS

 

[newbie2]

If you change the valve cover gaskets, you also need to change out the
spark plug tube gaskets (since you have to pull the valve covers to
get to them).

===============================================

 

[Stephen H]

It's done all the time at the shop ( a Subie dealership) Don't know the in's
and outs for each specific engine, but it is done. I think the hardest bolts
is on the drivers sire bottom rear- not imposable at all.



--
Stephen W. Hansen
ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
ASE Automobile Advanced Engine Performance
ASE Undercar Specialist

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/bl_obd_main.htm
http://www.troublecodes.net/technical/
http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm

 

[Stephen H]

Subie has a aluminum replacement plate for it


--
Stephen W. Hansen
ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
ASE Automobile Advanced Engine Performance
ASE Undercar Specialist

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/bl_obd_main.htm
http://www.troublecodes.net/technical/
http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm

 

[Jim Stewart]

Valve cover gaskets are a easy diag on a Subaru; but a lead Subaru tech told
me last week he has seen one PCV valve go bad in 20 years- not likely on
them. Subies like to leak the front cam and crank seals, Valve cover
gaskets, rear main seal and "Baffle Plate" I asked a tech and he said trans
pull is acceptable if only doing the rear main seal and baffle plate.

Does anyone know whether or not the valve covers
can be removed on the 2.2 DOHC engine without
removing the rear timing belt cover? The driver's
side looks ok, but the passenger side appears
to key into the timing belt cover.

I need to change my cover gaskets, but don't
relish the idea of pulling everything off the
front to get the rear timing belt cover off.

 

[Jim Stewart]

Does anyone know whether or not the valve covers
can be removed on the 2.2 DOHC engine without
removing the rear timing belt cover? The driver's
side looks ok, but the passenger side appears
to key into the timing belt cover.

Sorry, meant to say 2.5 DOHC. I just finished
working on my daughter's Imprezza and got the
two mixed up.

 

[AS]

Yes, the one I put in was aluminum, and I was not happy about having a
plastic one in the first place, reminded me of plastic manifolds, Teflon
piston rings in AC compressors (Ford's black death), polycarbonate
headlamp lenses etc.

 

[Jim Stewart]

It's done all the time at the shop ( a Subie dealership) Don't know the in's
and outs for each specific engine, but it is done. I think the hardest bolts
is on the drivers sire bottom rear- not imposable at all.

Thanks.

-jim