Stephen68

Hey everyone, i recently replaced all my front seals on my timing cover etc. I had trouble from the beginning when it cam time to re install the timing cover into the front lip of the oil pan seal but thought i had it correctly.....I just found out i didnt. I have a small drip coming from right under the balancer from the front of the oil pan seal. i cleaned it real good and used some red Permatex to try and plug it but no good. Can anyone tell me the easiest way to fix this? i know i need to replace it but im not sure what gasket to get and also how to raise the motor up high enough to drop the oil pan about 1" to 2" so i can get the timing cover in the lip correctly this time...i mean where would i raise the motor from if i need to drop the pan lol. Anyways, any help is appreciated.

ZZ

You should only need about 3/4-1" of clearance to get the cover in. I never did one on my LT1s, but most other Chevys I've done had enough room without lifting the engine. I would take the front half of the oil pan bolts out, and just loosen the back ones enough to get where I needed to be without dropping the pan. I'm sure someone who's done it in a 4th gen will be along to verify if there's enough room or not though.

shoebox

You don't need to raise the engine at all. You just need to lower the pan like ZZ said. If you did not do this the first time, then that is probably why it is leaking. The pan goes on after the timing cover.

Stephen68

Thanks shoebox but my pan is too close to the K member to drop. I dont even have maybe a .05" if that. When i first did this i removed all my oil pan bolts and my oil pan would not hardly budge at all. Is there some way to raise the motor a little if i remove the motor mount bolts? Also, where would i actually place the jack in order to give the oil pan the freedom it needs in order to lower it once i have the motor raised a little?....

shoebox

You must have some motor mount (or other) problems if it is that close. There should be plenty of room. You might consider replacing the mounts first. Otherwise, you may need to unbolt the mounts and jack the engine under the pan (use a wood block), then block it to remove the jack. Or lift the engine from the top.