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I did this job a couple of summers ago. It's really not that bad if you take your time. Plan on "all day".
The Haynes manual is a good reference, but print off a couple of the online resources as well so you have something else to refer to. Locating the mark on the crank is esp difficult. It's in a place where it's nearly impossible to see it without removing the crank pulley/harmonic balancer, which practically no one does.
Don't worry about the cams. If you have the engine in TDC then they shouldn't spring around all over the place (TDC probably doesn't even matter - they just don't move on their own). They will move if you try to move them, but I was surprised how much force it actually takes given the concern expressed on the forums online. Even if you do move them a bit, you can just move it back. The real issue would be if you start spinning it and got one turning and not the other one. Anyway don't worry about it but be careful. For the most part the concern is unfounded.
The index marks on the cams are very hard to see - it's handy to have a little bright paint handy and a couple of q-tips or something so you can paint it on there so it's easy to see the mark.
When I did the job I was given the advice that if the seals aren't leaking then don't try to replace them - they will last a LONG LONG LONG time if fed with good oil from behind and not physically damaged. I have nearly 220k miles on my engine, most of which was done in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick where we have very high humidity and even some good heat (up to ~35C) in the summers, and also very humid and very cold winters (down to ~-35C). If seals were going to fail this is the engine they would fail in, and I have no such problems. Leave them alone if you can.
A clean PCV system, AutoRX, and fully synthetic oil are probably your best bets for keeping your seals in good shape.
If you have to do the seals then you have to lock the cams from behind as you suggest. The Haynes manual has a good description of how to construct the proper tool.
The other really hard part of this job is getting the torx bolt out of the belt roller. There is no room for a proper wrench. I ended up leaving mine which may or may not turn out to be a bad idea. If I were in there again I would probably undo the engine mount under the crank pulley so I could jack that side of the engine up and try to get some more room. You have to be careful doing this though as you can damage the main engine mount in the front of the car, or worse the inner joint of the pass side axle. You can't jack the engine up very high.
Be sure to rotate the engine slowly with a wrench two full turns at least to check for any contact. You should easily feel any contact that is happening and if you do then something is wrong.
Good luck!
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1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+
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