1999 Legacy OB Oil Leak

I had the problem at 84k and had about the same feelings. After fixing it myself, along with the timing belt and everything around it I don't feel so bad.

I'm not so sure that it will be a recurring problem if the screws holding the oil pump back plate are loctited in place and both the seal and o-ring are changed. In my case, the screws had backed themselves out a long ways contributing to the problem. I'm hoping the fix will at least go another 105k miles so I can do it and the next timing belt at the proper interval.

Every Subaru I have owned...6 I think. Every car has it's sore spots. Don't forget to do the cam seals while the timing cover and belt is off, maybe a water pump and accessory belts as well....all just routine maintenance on a Subaru...and easy for a do it yourselfer who wants to save a small fortune as most of the cost is labor. TG

Sorry, I've had a few Hondas before this and none of them lost a drop of oil burned or leaked in 120k+ miles of use. Leaks such as this at

I'm a do-it-yourselfer but don't think I want to tackler another timing belt. The dealer will replace the seal and all of the belts for about $600. He claims that the seal is redesigned and won't leak again. I don't mean to piss on anyone's parade here. I do like the car and other than this leak, I've had the speedo replaced under warranty. I guess I find a massive, smoking oil leak on an engine with 66k miles on it unacceptable and more of something I'd hear about from a domestic car owner.

According to the dealer, replacing the seal and all of the belts will be $600. He claims that the seal has been "redesigned" and I shouldn't have this problem again. Well, if the seal wasn't designed properly to begin with, should SOA have kicked in part of the repair cost? That's my point! I had an ignition module fail on a Honda CRX well out of the powertrain warranty but the Honda dealer gave me a replacement for free since there was a design flaw. From the posts I've seen on this forum, SOA doesn't seem as interested in satisfying their customers.

Well, if the seal wasn't designed properly to

I agree that it would be nice if Subaru fixed it for free.

On the other hand, I owned 2 1988 Ford Tauruses (Tauri?) With well under 100k miles on both, both the transmissions failed, both the throttle position sensors failed, both the fuel pumps failed, both the steering pumps leaked like a sieve, and 1 coil and 1 ignition module filed. A clamp on the steering linkage sawed through the pressurized fuel line and sprayed raw fuel all over the engine compartment. A heater core failed, causing me to have to remove the front seat, the steering column, and the dashboard to replace it. A hose failed going to the ATF cooler, dumping 8 quarts of ATF on the street.

Needless to say, Ford wasn't interested in helping out with the repairs. The ignition module was later covered by a class-action suit, but I had given the car to charity by then.

Oh, did I mention that all the paint fell off because because Ford decided not to use primer that year?

Buying a car is a package deal. The front oil seal is a hassle, but all in all, I'll still stick with a Subaru. My wife drives an Accord and I hate the thing.

Thanks, I'll give that a try. Anything is better than nothing. If the seal doesn't fail again like the dealer claims, I'll just chalk it up as an early timing belt replacement.

You don't have to preach to me about the problems with certain other car companies. I owned a Chevy Blazer that had all kinds of continuing problems. We just traded my wife's Neon in and it was needing it's third transmission in 80k miles. I'll get the seal fixed and trust the dealer that it won't happen again.

Don't get me wrong, I've been happy with the Subaru and have had 3 total problems but reading posts on the forum that front crank seal replacement is a part of regular maintenance doesn't make me all warm and fuzzy. I'm not exactly sure why you'd hate the Accord unless you just don't like the car in general. I've owned three Hondas in the past and can't complain.

Sorry to sound preachy. The Subaru just seems mighty reliable in comparison.

The Accord has had zero problems so far. I just can't stand to be in the thing. It's just not my idea of what a car should be.

Would that seal not be covered by the "power train warranty" which is considerably longer than the regular warranty?

Hugh

Powertrain warranty is 60 months, 60k miles which I have exceeded. The final cost of the repair was $675. This included all new belts and cam seals. The crank seal was only $7 and the most expensive part was the timing belt ($79). Labor was the big cost here. The way the dealer talked, this is a very common problem and it usually happens just out of the powertrain warrantry period. Subaru will cover it under warranty but after that you are on your own. This was my first major expense on the vehicle that was caused by mechanical failure. My original intent was to keep the vehicle a minimum of 10 years. We'll see..

Bill