Camshaft Seal Intall

[cosmecar]

Hi guys,
I have got to say that my SVX experience has not been a very good one. It's has just been one thing after another with this car. I have yet another problem with it. I was trying to sell it and the guy that was interested in it took it to a Subaru dealership and had it looked over for any problems. He paid a pretty penny for this which is actually beneficial to me. We the diagnosis was returned there was a Camshaft Seal that needed to be replaced. I noticed that it was burning some oil but I didn't know where it was coming from so atleast now I know where to look. Subaru quoted $500 for this repair. The problem has now gotten worse and I'm having to add a qt of oil about every 5 days. I would really like to sell this car and get rid of it but fear this leak will prevent any sell. I was thinking of replacing the seal myself but have no clue where it would be and how hard it would be to do this. I looked on Advance Auto's webpage and there were three Chamshaft Seals I could get. They ranged anywhere from 5-30 dollars. Also I would like to have sort of a diagram to look at to ensure proper instilation of this seal. If anyone knows wher this seal is located exactly, knows how hard it is to install this and knows where I could get a diagram of this procedure I would greatly appreciate it. Something that would be ideal would be a quick fix. Maybe I could put a bead of something around the outside of it. Anyways thanks in advance guys I really appreciate it.

[MoreIBNR]

A leaking camshaft seal doesn't cause you to burn oil, but oil leaks out from the seal under the timing belt cover. It then probably leaks out the bottom onto the plastic shield under the front of the car and then onto the ground.

[Ron Mummert]

And what else did the inspection reveal? If you're looking to sell the car, but have complaints about other things, we need to know wassup.

Ron.

[cosmecar]

well guys I understand that the oil is leaking from the seal but doesn't actually get burned in the cylinder but what actually happens is it leaks from the seal onto the exhaust or is blown on the the exahaust when driving and that's what causes the smoke. My concern is where is the camshaft seal actually located and is there a quick way to fix this. If I were to replace the seal myself would it be a big project or not and I would like to have a diagram to go by. The other problems they revelled were the ABS system is working; that I was aware of but they didn't say why, that the diferential would have to be replaced which I had done complements of AAMCO Transmission, and the securuty system doesn't work as well as the key fobs, when diriving the car I hear lots of wobles and shakes as if it's going to fall apart but other then that I think that's it. I had the tires balanced and the front two replaced. Although the back two are in ok condition they are diferent from the front and they are both different brands so I don't know if that has something to do with it. I thouhgt it might be the whell bearings but I can't tell if it's that of some other underlying problem. The back drum brakes were replaced beacuse they were making a squicking noise but they still squick. Also after driving at high speeds when I come to a stop it seems to strugle to stay running. Like it's an old 4 cylinder with the AC on and wants to cut of when stoped. If you guys have any suggestions I would really apreciate it.
Thanks

[Ron Mummert]

What year SVX is this? How many miles? Body & interior condition?
Need more info. ANY vehicle that "wobbles & shakes" just won't be sold easily. No offense, but I'd offer you $500.00 & use it for parts.

Ron.

[MoreIBNR]

If you are dripping on the exhaust pipes, then I suspect that it is your valve covers that are leaking. Go back and read my previous post as regarding cam seals leaking and where the oil would go.

Yes you can do it yourself, but it is not a very easy job.

[cosmecar]

Thanks Ron!

It could be the valve covers that are leaking but the reason I say Camshaft seal is because of what subaru told me. I'll check it out those guys could be wrong. To tell you all the honest truth I'm just tired of this car and the problems that came with it. Are they all this unreliable? I read all these articles on how well they are but I've yet to see the car compare to them. Anyways thanks for the input. I'll keep you posted
Trent

[DavieGravy]

It sounds like you've been very unlucky with your car. Perhaps it has high milage and hasn't been taken very good care of by previous owners.

[cosmecar]

Just wanted to update you all. I got under the car this weekend and removed that big black panel under the front of the car to get a better look. After removing that I was able to that where the leak is coming from is the Camshaft Seal. There reason smoke belows from the underneath of the car is when drivng it puts more pressure on the engine therefore forcing more oil out from around the seal which is then spraied across the car causing smoke. In order to fix this though I'm going to have to take basicly the whole front of the engien off to get to it. I think I'm just going to suck it up and let a mecahnic do it. I dont have the time nor the patients to do this. Also I'm going to replace the wheel bearings. Is this a big task of should I let a professinal handle this one too. This was what I was afraid of. If I didn't sell the car quickly I would run into more repair bills. Anyways as always if you guys have any suggestions please feel free to do so. Thanks
Trent

[cosmecar]

almost got rid of it today but the dealership was trying to who do me. Anyways I'll update you all later