mymontesa70 Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 I know it happens and its not necessarily a difficult job as it is time consuming. Question is for those of you that have done this, Did you use a new one piece gasket and take the whole assembly apart or did you just take off the cover and throw some rtv black in? any tips or tricks? I've been avoiding this for a while but i think its time i get it done. thanks, Brandon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Depends where its leaking, if you short cut it you may not fix it if you do it right you may be starting the ol snowball rolling. May want to wait till end of season just in case it turns on you. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 taking off the timing chain cover with the oil pan still on can be very tricky, 9 times out of 10 it will still leak, it's best to remove the oil pan and use the 1 piece pan gasket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymontesa70 Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 Dang it Sam I knew you were going to say that. It's definitely time I stopped procrastinating and take care of it. Thanks everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 My leak was from the harmonic dampener to cover seal. The dampener had a groove (actually 2, the OEM seal and one replacement) worn into the hub, where the seal rubber rides. I added a sleeve around the worn hub area with a new seal and the leak stopped. I don't know where to get these sleeves, my brother in-law had one he gave me. I didn't have to pull the cover or the pan, just the dampener and pulley. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I got one for my old van from auto parts store, they work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72jrfan88 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I have seepage here to after I run the car and shut it off it will leak. Then it stops for the most part. I usually get a dime sized puddle of oil after its sits a long time. I actually smeared a bunch of rtv in that groove of the timing cover and it reduced it greatly. When its time to do the oil pan ill do it the right way. It runs amazing and my dad who sold these cars basically told me they were meant to leak oil right from the factory, so if im not losing enough to be noticed on dipstick. Im not worrying about it for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripleydale Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Sam's right, it's not easy to do with the oil pan on. It's hard to compress the rubber gasket on the oil pan enough to slip it over the pins in the block. However it can be done as I needed to do this and wasn't about to take the block out of my car. Here is a cut and paste from a conversation I was having with a nice fellow named Bill from the chevelle.com site. Motor is a big block, not sure if small block is exactly the same. I assume that you have already removed the timing chain cover, correct? You can reuse the rubber cross seal however if you have already attempted to get the cover back on you'll note that it is very tricky.That seal is hard to compress and makes for a real battle getting the cover back inplace.What most guys do when replacing the cover with the engine in the car is either grind about 1/2 the trailing lip of the seal groove off ( the edge that will be inside the engine) which lets the cover get over the seal with out displacing the seal itself.There is still plenty of "groove" to hold the seal in place.Another " Preferred" method is to get the cover as close to installed ( On one locating pin ) and then take a slim "drift" and put it through one of the holes in the cover, on the other side of the cover, and get the small end of the drift into the corresponding hole in the block and pry down on the cover until you get the cover on the other locating pin. Equally as difficult. It's tough to put that cover back on with the oil pan in place. There is nothing easy about doing that in car.If you have the engine out of the car I would remove the pan, install the cover and replace the pan. That's easy.Finally I ALWAYS put some silicone on the mating surfaces between the cover and the block. I also put silicone on the mating surfaces between the block and the oil pan. ALWAYS! Just work it into the mating area with a finger. Ok, cut and paste is over. I used method 2 with the drifts prying down on the cover. I cut off the two nipples off the rubber seal at the edges, and found I needed to be able to push the cover in when I'd lined up the second pin. I used a little piece of wood I could get on the cover by the pin, and then just hit it a bit with a rubber hammer. I also did about 8 dry runs without any goo until I got the hang of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemalibu Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I've used kind of a hybrid system that has worked well in the past to seal up the leaks until the next major re-fit... and it is not quite as involved as lifting the engine. Put the car on jack stands and drop the oil pan bolts from underneath. This will buy you an inch of working space that will allow a skim coat of The Right Stuff to be applied to both mating surfaces of the current gaskets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 when using any kind of RTV silicon sealer, REMEMBER!!!!!CLEAN then clean it once more, and allow a full 24 hours for it to fully cure before adding oil or starting the engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigdaddyT Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 It has to cure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymontesa70 Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 cool , thanks for the advice everyone. Bruce i may just have to check out that sleeve you were talking about. I think my first step is to clean the heck out of it and then run the engine so that i can more accurately pin point my leak. Its pretty messy down there right now. Its leaving a spot on the ground every time i park it, even when i park it over winter i have to throw a thing of cardboard down to soak it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 cool , thanks for the advice everyone. Bruce i may just have to check out that sleeve you were talking about. I think my first step is to clean the heck out of it and then run the engine so that i can more accurately pin point my leak. Its pretty messy down there right now. Its leaving a spot on the ground every time i park it, even when i park it over winter i have to throw a thing of cardboard down to soak it up. Being parked for a long period, it shouldn't be leaking out the timing cover unless it is parked on a severe slope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymontesa70 Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 sorry i should be more specific. winter aside.. if i ever pull it into my garage to park it i throw some cardboard underneath becuase it leaves a good size spot after its been running, if i did not i would have a very oily garage. Its enough to wear i have to add oil every 4 trips or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I replaced front seal with new sleeve for 350 SB. I have two part numbers FEL PRO 16202 Harmonic balancer repair sleeve and NATIONAL (Federal Mogul) 88176.I used the Fel Pro with excellent results. John S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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