Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks



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#308565 05/20/14 09:36 PM
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flyin52 Offline OP
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I have a 52 styleline deluxe 58000 miles. Just through enginereplacing only gaskets and seals. can' get timing cover to quit leaking oil at thebolt on the bottom that threads into rod cap. Anyone got any ideas?

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First by "rod cap" I amsure you mean't front main bearing cap. The bolts on tne bottom of the timing cover that are accessed fron inside of the engine hold the front mounting plate tight against the front main bearing cap and the timing cover to the plate. The front mounting plate gasket seals between the two. This can cause a leak if the bolts are loose or the gasket bad. We used to remove the front cap and seal the area with non-harding Peramatex.
This means removing the pan again.


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Yes you're right the front bearing cap. I've taken off the cover and replaced the gasket twice now. The second time I put gasket sealer on both sides of the gasket, cleaned both mating surfaces real good and made sure screws and the 2 bolts on the bottom were good and tight. Also, while I had the cover off I made sure there was no deforming around the bolt holes. Still getting a pretty bad oil leak at the bottom right bolt hole on the cover. So I should pull off the oil pan and put gasket sealer on the front main bearing cap? I noticed the bolt holes on the timing cover are threaded should I put any kind of sealer on these threads?

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THE TWO LOWER BOLTS ARE ONLY ACCESSABLE FROM INSIDE THE ENGINE. SOME BUTCHERS MAKE A CHANGE AND TAP THE FRONT MAIN BEARING BOLT OPENINGS AND RUN THE BOLTS IN FROM THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE SO THE COVER CAN BE REMOVED WITHOUT DROPPING THE PAN. HAS THIS BEEN DONE TO YOUR ENGINE?


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Originally Posted by Chev Nut
THE TWO LOWER BOLTS ARE ONLY ACCESSABLE FROM INSIDE THE ENGINE. SOME BUTCHERS MAKE A CHANGE AND TAP THE FRONT MAIN BEARING BOLT OPENINGS AND RUN THE BOLTS IN FROM THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE SO THE COVER CAN BE REMOVED WITHOUT DROPPING THE PAN. HAS THIS BEEN DONE TO YOUR ENGINE?

I have not done this procedure, but, if this procedure allows the timing cover to be removed, without disturbing the oil pan, what is the objection, if any, in doing this.



1951 Chevy Styleline Deluxe 2 door sedan / purchased from second owner 6-19-2000.
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I am not sure as I have never done it either. The main thing is the timing cover must be pressed against the front of the nounting plate gasket and the front main bearing cap must be pressed against the rear of the mounting plate.
The original set-up did all of this and he may be getting the seepage from the oil leaking at the rear of the mounting plate to front of main bearing cap area.


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Originally Posted by Chev Nut
I am not sure as I have never done it either. The main thing is the timing cover must be pressed against the front of the nounting plate gasket and the front main bearing cap must be pressed against the rear of the mounting plate.
The original set-up did all of this and he may be getting the seepage from the oil leaking at the rear of the mounting plate to front of main bearing cap area.

OK, I understand your concern.



1951 Chevy Styleline Deluxe 2 door sedan / purchased from second owner 6-19-2000.
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Gene

I tapped the two lower bolt holes on the main bearing cap some three overhauls ago (about 270,000 miles) on my '40 216 and have never had a leak. 'course I did put a good coat of "pooky" on each side of the gasket where it interfaced with the main bearing cap. It came in handy one time when I changed the timing gear along-side Route 66 in Needles on a cross-country run from Jacksonville to San Diego when I was in the Navy. It sounds like something is seriously mis-aligned, warped or bent.


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Quote
It sounds like something is seriously mis-aligned, warped or bent.

That was my exact thinking. Have rebuilt a bunch of old Chevy 6s and can't remember one that leaked between cover and block. Have had to straighten particularly the bolt holes so the cover would fit tight.


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Mike,
I agreee with you won't say it can't be done but like every thing else it must be done correctly.
Regards,
Gene


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I realize this is an old thread but I just replaced the cam bearing in my 216 and am in the process of slowly putting things back together.
I'm considering drilling/tapping main bearing cap, but not sure it it is feasible in my situation as the engine is still in the car, so I really don't have room to do any drilling (other than the timing cover) which is out of the car. Can I just run a tap through the front plate into the cam bearing cap? If so, what size tap would I use? (I borrowed a large brass punch from my neighbor to install the the new timing gear on the crank, but want to address the the cam bearing tap issue before installing the crank timing gear)

Also, speaking of drilling/tapping, is it advisable to drill/tap the front crank prior to re-installing harmonic balancer, or can I pound it on with a big block of wood and a hammer without damaging engine? (I assume I shouldn't heat harmonic balancer)

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Your method of installing the damper is the accepted procedure. Use of heat is not recommended.


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Survivor40Coupe,

If you do tap the two lower timing cover bolt holes, I recommend using a 3/8-24 NF tap. Be sure to take care to thoroughly remove all chips from the tapping operation, and put Permatex thread sealant on the bolt threads prior to installing them.

Regarding the crankshaft drilling/tapping, I hate hammering on a precision machine, so I have drilled and tapped the front crankshaft snout on all my 216 motors, which allows me to install the crankshaft timing gear and the harmonic balancer using a wrench instead of a hammer. I use a 7/16-20 NF tap and go about 1-1/2" deep. I have done mine in a drill press, with the crankshaft out of the engine, but it could probably be done satisfactorily with an electric drill and the engine in place (assuming the front of the car is removed). Getting the hole as straight as possible would be the biggest challenge. It doesn't have to be dead-on straight, since it's only function is to mount the puller stud, but it should be as straight as you can get it.

Mark


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