DIY HELP! - '92 EJ22 waterpump, oil pump, and cam seals?

[mountainchef]

My 92 Legacy L wagon has 193,000 miles. Proud owner for 3.5 years. This car has been a great learning experience, and a joy to drive. I am an intermediate home mechanic, but a novice to Subarus. Trying keep this baby running and driving well, on a tight budget has been interesting.
Recently discovered oil and coolant leaks. Did the valve cover gaskets a couple months ago. Oil leaks got better, but not completely fixed. Further reading and inspection resulted in deciding to replace cam seals.
Coolant leak got worse. With further examination I concluded I had a leak coming from the water pump gasket.

Main objectives initially being the water pump and cam seals, I decide to maximize my time looking for related fixes. I discovered on USMB that, it is recommended to do the oil pump around 200,000 miles.

Currently have the new water pump assembled with Subaru dealer purchased thermostat and gasket, and ready to be installed.

My main questions or concerns.
1) With the engine in the car, what is the best way to remove the cam sprockets and access the cam seals?
2) Is there a gasket for the oil pump, Or is it an o-ring style seal? A set of o-rings were provided with purchased pump.

[n2x4]

1) With the engine in the car, what is the best way to remove the cam sprockets and access the cam seals?
2) Is there a gasket for the oil pump, Or is it an o-ring style seal? A set of o-rings were provided with purchased pump.

1. Do you have access to air tools? I've been successful with just a quick zip of a 17mm shallow impact socket. If not, I've been able to remove the cams wedging a bar in the cam "spokes" and getting out the trusty breaker bar.
2. Use RTV for your oil pump to block seal.

Just a word of caution when you do the waterpump - pay extra attention to the waterpump bolt torque. I've snapped them at factory service manual torque specs, so don't force them.

[greg donovan]

are you going to replace the timing belt too?

dont forget to check all the bearings on the timing belt pulleys and tensioner pulleys.

[mountainchef]

Thanks for the info, n2x4. Already read similar testament relating to the waterpump bolts.
Lots of air tools, but no room for impact gun. Thought of using the tension/resistance of the timing belt to hold everything in place, and have an extra set of hands keep the system from rotating by holding the crank pulley bolt in place with a second breaker bar. I do like your idea of using a bar in the sprocket itself; any particular set-up you recommend?

Did a full timing component replacement not long after purchasing the car in 2006. Did not know to check the other issues until reading forum posts months later.

[AWD_addict]

A cam sprocket wrench is a helpful tool. I used an adjustable one that looks like this.

[kimokalihi]

I just hand tighten all the small engine bolts. It's easier and last time I used a torque wrench on my oil pump on my metro I stripped out the bolt holes and had to helicoil them. If you know what you're doing it's easy to torque them by feel.

[mountainchef]

Cam sprocket issue resolved; used the timing belt to hold everything together, then held the crank stationary and applied the breaker-bar to the cam sprocket bolts. It went as easy as expected.
With that solved, I have hit another small problem.

I am attempting to remove the oil pump. My new question is: How do I safely remove the crank sprocket?
Chilton's manual does not go into enough detail for me to feel confident trying my methods. I typically break things when forcing them apart.

Thank you, everyone, for the assistance.

[n2x4]

My new question is: How do I safely remove the crank sprocket?
Chilton's manual does not go into enough detail for me to feel confident trying my methods. I typically break things when forcing them apart.

Glad you got the cams all sorted out. .

Crank gear should pull off pretty easy. It's not pressed on or anything. It won't spin, since as I'm sure you saw there's the crank key resting in half of the keyway. Prying from behind to get it to slide off won't hurt anything except for the oil pump seal (though if you're careful you won't bother it) which you're replacing anyways.

No tricks. Factory service manual justs says "remove crank pulley"

[mountainchef]

After a bit of prying and cursing, success! Sprocket off, oil pump out, and didn't even bust any knuckles. I put a small piece of plywood up as a radiator protector
Now it's time to put it all back together and start tearing into the cam seals.

Big thanks to n2x4 and all other contributors of knowledge; you are the people who make owning a Subaru a much more enjoyable experience.

[bry]

Timing Belt Replacement Tips:
1. put a piece of cardboard in front of the a/c condensor to prevent an "opps" to the cooling fins.
2. loosen cam sprocket screws while cam belt is still on, same for crank pulley screw.
3. crank sprocket just slides off unless rusted.. grab it and wiggle while pulling. also check the woodruff key and keyway for wear. i've seen a 2.2 with the keyway cracked out of the crankshaft which pretty much necessitates crank replacement.
4. clean nose of crank position sensor while you are there
5. use rtv to seal pump to block
6. MOST IMPORTANT: there are two marks on the crankshaft sprocket. to set timing, you MUST use the mark on the reluctor wheel, NOT the mark on the end of the hub snout. this drove me outta my mind until i cleaned the sprocket and found the second mark (didn't have any manuals back then).
7. tighten the screws by feel rather than torque wrench (except maybe the cam and crank screws which i just run up with my 3/8" air ratchet).

changing the t-belt on a gen 1 legacy is super easy! nearly everthing on this car is a piece of cake to work on....

[mountainchef]

I was so proud of my oil pump install today until I realize that the front crank seal had rolled out on the upper contact surface of the crank. Noticed while doing a final inspection before re-installing the water pump and crank sprocket. Glad I planned for contingencies and picked up an extra seal when I got the oil pump.

Took the pump back out. Now I get to let the RTV cure, clean everything, replace the seal, and attempt the install again.

I love how "simple maintenance" usually winds-up being complicated by other factors.

[mountainchef]

OIl pump and water pump should be finished mid-day today. Looking for some better info relating to the cam seals.
Chilton's Manual does not cover this procedure very well.

Do I need to remove either cam shaft to do the seals, or can they both be done with the cam still in the valve assembly?

As always, thanks for all the help guys.

[mountainchef]

Got the info I needed from my local Subaru dealership's Parts and Service counters. Exploded parts diagrams and professional-technical-know-how are irreplaceable.

Mike Scarff Subaru of Auburn is awesome! Much thanks to Adam and Brian.

[n2x4]

Glad to hear - I was just about to offer my advice when I got the notice you had posted a reply already. I love parts diagrams

[mountainchef]

Oil pump and water pump finished!
All timing pulleys done; discluding the cam sprockets.

Now doing the cam seals. Used a variation of Legacy777's seal removal method, which I read in another post. Method is very similar to that which the Subaru service manager explained to me. Removal went flawlessly.

Here is my hanging question. Do the cam seals need to be flush with the outer face, or can they go beyond and still be ok?

[mountainchef]

Got my question answered by my friend SuberDave.
Still managed to bugger up the install. Went too deep on the first, and then tore the seal trying to back it out. Guess it's back to the dealership in the morning.

What an agonizing week of learning. Ironic part is, this is my week off from school before an intensive summer quarter.

Ah, the joys of learning new engines.

[mountainchef]

All done. No leaks. Everything seems to be working correctly. Road test today. Thank you everyone for the help.

[bry]

i don't remember how deep i set the cam seals. i usually just note the original depth and reinstall to that level. did you set them flush with the bore face or deeper to the end of the lead-in chamfer?

how did you get the seals out? a lot of mfrs suggest prying these out, but that always worrys me since all it takes is a small indention on a seal surface and you have yourself a leaker. on the '94, i drilled a small hole in each seal (careful not to slide into the housing bore or seal surface) and then pulled them out with a slide hammer. next, i took a q-tip and removed any chips (and also removed the varnish from the seal surface with MEK).

[mountainchef]

Hey bry,
I too, am apprehensive when performing tasks that can potentially cost me extra time and money. Sometimes one must break things to learn right from wrong.

I used a very small flat-head screwdriver and gently worked it in past the rear of the seal, on the inner diameter/cam surface. Next, I applied a small amount of torsional pressure and pivoted the screwdriver to apply pressure on the rear of the seal. I got this removal method directly from a veteran Subaru dealership mechanic. I was surprised at how little effort it took to remove the seals this way. No nicks, scrapes, gouges, or alarming markings to the cam surface.

After fudging-up two attempts of installation, it was back to the dealership for more seals. My dad and I measured, designed, and fabricated an install tool out of aluminum rod stock at his shop. The OD was oversized, as to not plummet the seal to the depths of the cavity, and just barely taller than the protruding cam-shaft. This worked amazing! We put about a 1.5mm lip on one surface, so the natural springback of the rubber would result in about a .5mm recess. This was as close to the previous (factory?) installation as I could replicate, and put the face of the seal in line with the rear of the slight bevel at the front of the housing.

Hope that answers your questions.