oil leak from timing cover

[sspeed]

We started to smell burning oil... I crawled underneath and was hoping for a loose filter or something, but instead found oil leaking out of the timing cover, or at least it looks like that... my first thought is the seal on the oil pump....



The bottom of the car is coated, mostly drivers side, but both sides of the oil pan...



I pulled the right and left timing covers and it seems bone dry in there... for as much oil as is under the car I expected a lot more grease and grime... Could the oil be coming from anywhere else? Spray from a filter seal might be possible, but the height of the wetness doesn't seem to be that...

Last thought is to pull the crank pulley and remove the center timing cover to get a better look... That thing is on tight though... I've heard people talk about wedging a breaker bar in and blipping the starter, I'm not sure about doing that though...

Any other ideas as to where this could be coming from?

[nipper]

There is a very common and easy answer here. It is the oil seals. When or if the timing belt has been done, the main, cam seals shold be replaced and the oil pump resealed.

Oil leaks travle on subarus, but this is fairly tyipcal. I would suspect the crankshaft seal.

If in doubt, wash the underneath of the car and get the oil off the car. Go for a drive and look for the leak, but I am sure that is it.

[sspeed]

Thanks nipper, I'm pretty sure of it as well... I just don't get why there is no oil inside the timing covers though.... It's also weird to me how the oil leak is coated on the oil pan about an inch down, even by the oil pump, I would think it would cover the whole pan there...

Inside the left and right timing covers, does the timing belt "spin the oil dry"? It's completely dry in there....

Can I wedge a breaker bar on the crank pulley and blip the starter to get that bolt loose? I've heard of people saying that, but I'm not brave enough...

[nipper]

Lets try this again.
How many miles on this car and which one is it.
When was the timing belt done last?
Yes you can use the bump method.

[sspeed]

Sorry... It's the '98 Outback...

136,000 miles... timing belt done at 115,000... cam seals were done, but not the crank seal...

The oil has covered the oil pan, the crossmember, and the steering knuckle boots.... it's definitely coming out of the area of the oil pump, but inside the left and right timing covers it's dry... this leads me to believe it's not the crank seal, but the gasket on the oil pump as the oil pump and gasket sits behind the timing cover... I read that some Subarus had problems with the oil pump bolts backing out and the service manual actually mentions it under troubleshooting steps... Either way the oil pump has to come off....

[nipper]

You have answered your own question. Whoever did the timing belt (if it was you i apologize) but it was not a complete job.

All the front seals should have been replaced along wioth resealing the oil pump. The idlers, tensioners, and water pump should have been replaced at the same time as none of these parts would make it to the next timing belt change.

You have to go back and do it all over again including replacing the timing belt, as oil and rubber do not mix.

[sspeed]

****, I did idlers, tensioners, water pump, cam seals, and belt, but not the crank seal... I guess I'll see when I get the middle cover off, but there doesn't appear to be oil in there so I wonder about the belt?

Is it worth doing a new oil pump at that time?

[nipper]

no need to change the oil pump oon these engines, just re-seal it.

[sspeed]

As you suggested, it was the oil pump seal... it was leaking small enough to cover the pump, but not enough to get on the belt it seems, the belt is dry, I must have caught it early enough... I can't believe it coated the bottom of the car that badly though...

On my '05 LGT, should I do the oil pump and cam seals with the timing belt too?

[nipper]

When it comes time ALWAYS do timing belt, drive belt, all seals, re-seal the oil pump tensioner, idlers and water pump. Do all that and you never have to touch the front of the engine for another 105,000 miles.

The oil pump runs between 15-60 (or is it 80) psi, so it doesn take much to get oil all over everything.