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something stopped progress during the week - power steer fluid weeping out of the seal (rotational, not arrf,arrf) behind the pulley on the GLTA's power steering pump.

Clearly marked on seal are its dimensions 30,17,7 so buyng another was easy enough, $6. The seal guy asked if it was a pressure seal coz that would need a special pressure seal. anyone 'know'?

i would guess that it is only a seal keeping in its own fluid to lubricate its internal bearings and NOT under pressure

why dont u take the old seal in with you and see wt he says wether it is a pressure seal or not.
i would think it would hold small amounts of pressure but nothing drastic

i think he has only just discovered pressure seals and found a source

yeh, i can't see it hold pump pressure ...

I have inspected closely and decide all the pressure is in the back of the pump and this seal is at the front. I have R & R'd the seal, noting that the seal has a lip on the outer ring that mates with a groove in the housing to prevent easy removal or seal popping out. it is halfway between front face and rear face.

also noted is that pumps changed on these about the same time as unleaded came along. the early type has the seal on the outside, the later type has a bearing on the outside with a longer nose on it.

subaru still do kits for both $40 and $50

About the best info i could give someone is to buy genuine engine and gearbox seals for your Suby, they may be slightly more expensive but you wont have to do it often again and again. I have measured them up and all and all have generic replacements except the one your talking about on the front of the pump they are thicker than a conventional seal

I am with you there on genuine on all counts SWK.Genuine is not much more than after market in many cases with these old subies.

I think the seal that came out was genuine for the mating lip for the groove which the replacement non gen did not have. The old one also had its sizes on it and i got one the same 3 numbers from CBC but did not discover the lip until later, so thought it worth a chance

With the lip it may be just varnish fron the oil there so its worth sliding a steel rule over it to see before giving it a linish with fine emery

I used the genuine kit for the rack, I would advise to do the same for the pump, cos if you disassemble, you will need more than one seal.

It IS a lip funney enough. just thort i'd sort the visible leaks _ I JUST WANNA GET TO START IT and hear that 2.5 turbo note, and I JUST WANNA DRIVE IT even tho it is a slushbox

(have owned it a year and driven it 100metres !! pent up frustration factor100)