When my engine was out of my donor I did some routine maintenance to save myself some frustration later. This included a new oil pan, timing belt, water pump, oil pump, rear seal, and valve cover gaskets. I did not notice any oil leaking when it was in the donor.

I was pretty proud of myself when I hooked up my dieted wiring harness and it started up. However, now I am leaking oil and pretty significantly. My first step was to replace the oil cooler ring. This is lots of fun with the coolant system full and not an ideal way to drain it. That reduced some of the leak, but some oil and a fair amount is still leaking from the timing belt cover.

So I have ordered a new crank shaft seal, cam shaft seals, pcv valve, and oil pump seal.

My first question is there anything else I should do to try to make sure this thing does not leak any more oil? And is there anything I am planning on doing that is a lot of work and unnecessary? I am not a mechanic or a Subie guy, but I have the tools, follow the manuals and I find a way to get it done.

My second question is, and I think I know the answer, but I am in denial, do I need to pull the engine to perform this work? I suspect I will have to, but I dread undoing all of my work. Has anyone tried to perform these types of repairs with the engine in the car?

Thanks for your feedback.