Before I Begin...

97 Legacy Outback Wagon 2.5 liter.

 

I have a bad oil leak coming from the front timing cover. Based on my research here it sounds likely that it is the front crank seal. I figure while I am at it the two camshaft seals should get replaced as well.

 

Are there other seals under the timing belt cover that I should replace while I am at it?

 

Also, will I need to pull the radiator to do this job?

 

Thanks in advance.

97 Legacy Outback Wagon 2.5 liter.

 

I have a bad oil leak coming from the front timing cover. Based on my research here it sounds likely that it is the front crank seal. I figure while I am at it the two camshaft seals should get replaced as well.

 

Are there other seals under the timing belt cover that I should replace while I am at it?

 

Also, will I need to pull the radiator to do this job?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

There are 1 cam seal per side, the oil pump seal and the crank seal (which is part of the oil pump seal) Pull the cover off and clean it with brake clean and see where it's coming from. Cam/Crank seals are pretty easy, just don't hamfist them in place. You don't HAVE to remove the radiator but it'll make your life easier. The extra 4-5in of space makes it MUCH more of a tolerable and easier job.

Exactly what brighton96 said accept the EJ25D is DOHC, so you will have a total of 4 cam seals and 1 crank seal on the front side of the engine. You might also consider replacing the timing belt, water pump, and tensioner, but this is a lot of extra work. Just thinking if you already took the timing belt off, do the "while you're in there" maintenance tasks. If they've been done relatively recently I wouldn't worry about it.

 

The crank seal on the front of the engine sits in the oil pump iirc, so a leak in that area could mean either a crank seal or oil pump seal. The crank seal is much more likely to fail unless whoever put the oil pump on the engine didn't do it correctly. Just be prepared to do the oil pump seal if the occasion should arise. Make sure you follow the correct steps to prime the oil pump if you take it off.

 

You might consider pulling the engine and doing it on a stand if you're only working on front engine seals. It will be worth it considering it's somewhat precise work. The least you would have to do in any case is pull the radiator fans to have some room to turn a wrench.

i pulled the rad out of my 95 wagon to replace all those same seals, ej22 tho. i also put plywood in front of my condenser so i didnt fathand a tool through it lol. i only needed cam seal on one side, but i didnt know how long it had been since the PO did the timing belt, so i did a full job up there.