Rear Main Seal Reaplacement Cost?

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)

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

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.

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.

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

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:

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.

Subie has a aluminum replacement plate for it

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.

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

Thanks.

-jim