1998 Legasy Oil Leakage?

Our local sub dealer is telling my Grandaughter that the leak from her Legasy is from the engine oil pump and that it will cost a thousand dollars to repair or replace the pump. Guess my thought was that the oil pump was internal and shouldn't show leakage on the outside of the engine. I know there aare folks in this group who know if that's a likely diagnosis. Info appriciated

Dale

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Dales News
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The oil pump lives behind the timing belt cover, bottom center. The front main (crankshaft) seal is housed in the oil pump, and these have been known to leak, sometimes catastrophically. Leaks at either/any of the cam seals will often show up at the same place as a front main leak, making a casual diagnosis tricky. The front of the engine has to be disassembled to arrive at an accurate assessment, at which point you are 1/2 way toward fixing the problem it in any event.

Depending on the mileage and service history of the car, when something like this happens, often the best bet is to service the timing belt, timing belt idlers and tensioner, water pump, and oil pump / front seal at the same time. The extra labor involved is relatively minimal. A leaking cam seal will involve a bit of extra work.

Anyway, the cost for this repair is gonna be pretty similar to a timing belt job, say around $500 - $600 depending on how thorough the tech was being when he quoted it. A grand seems excessive, you might want to seek a second opinion from an independent shop.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

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S

Excellent post. As mentioned, the labor is roughly equal to a thorough timing belt service. When is the next TB service due? While I wouldn't want to encourage folks to drive around leaking oil like the Exxon Vadiz - $1000 will buy a LOT of motor oil! You might consider waiting til it is 'near' a TB service interval. Just monitor the oil level VERY rigorously.

Carl

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Carl 1 Lucky Texan

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