Just wondering how many people have had cams installed or even just the timing cover off and have been able to keep the garage floor rid of drips. i've changed my timing cover three times with no avail over the past two years and I can't get rid of the leak. i pretty much gave up on it but its beginning to annoy me again.

 

I am 90% sure its water pump driveshaft seal. It has to be installed in a special way after putting on the timing cover. Basically, if you took the timing cover off and put it back on, you will have this leak. Now if you took timing cover off, took out water pump shaft seal, installed timing cover back on and then installed the w.p. shaft seal in a special way
(do a search on the board), then your floor is O.K.

 

I just went with an electric water pump. You have to watch out for the U shaped part of the oil pan seal. It pops out if you don't get it in right... I put some ultra copper on it just to be sure. Also, on the timing cover, it took me about 2 hours or maybe even more over a couple days to clean the mating surfaces of the cover and the block. The old gasket is on there REALLY good. It's quite deceiving because you will scrape some but there will still be a very thin layer. Keep scraping until you see only metal.

 

i'm sure eventually i will get it right. i've changed the seals all of the times i've had it off but i was just wondering how many other people have fought this battle. its just one of those things. lol.

 

I'm fighting this battle as we speak and just put up a thread about it. What I gathered is that mine is leaking from the Opti Seal. A lot of them do that. What I'm gonna do is get a stock replacement seal (I heard aftermarket ones usually leak) and put some RTV on itbefore the install and some RTV on the outside of the seal as well. I heard that works fine.

 

"I'm fighting this battle as we speak and just put up a thread about it. What I gathered is that mine is leaking from the Opti Seal. A lot of them do that. What I'm gonna do is get a stock replacement seal (I heard aftermarket ones usually leak) and put some RTV on itbefore the install and some RTV on the outside of the seal as well. I heard that works fine."

I don't see how a properly installed seal would leak, and how extra RTV would help. Seals have a thin layer of RTV on them already, which is made to be thicker than the seal hole, so adding any extra RTV would not help . Also adding RTV inside seal would not be a smart idea if you think about the way those seals work.

Don't get me wrong guys, I made mistakes and I learned in a hard way too. I just bought a matching diameter as seal exhaust pipe (short segment) and had my brother to hold it straight while I slightly tapped the seal in. It took so time, but after it went in, there were no leaks. Also read my thread above about w.p. shaft seal, most time there is no way to tell if its your w.p shaft seal is leaking or distributor seal is leaking, since if w.p shaft seal will leak, the oil will go over distributor seal and make it look as distributor is leaking.

If you don't install distributor properly (no force, nice way in), you could damage your newly installed seal right away by not even knowing it

 

yeah, i've decided that i'm going to find the exact size pipe to tap the seals in with next time i pull it off. i think thats necessary. i also decided that next time i pull it off, i'm putting an electric pump on and going to fill that water pump hole. so that should eliminate that part of it. i'm pretty sure that i'm damaging them when installing them. i don't doubt that. i just need to take my time and have patients.

 

Ummmm yeah...... mine has no oil anywhere around the w.p. shaft seal and only around the opti seal. I think thats a pretty good way to tell. Not a lick.

 

F****!!!!!!! so there was a "special" way!!??? I replace it twice afer my cam install and the leake always come back!

the oil gets into the pulleys and the pulleys make sure every single spot of my engine bay is cover with oil!

leo

 

Their is a tool made to help you install the timing cover over the water pump drive shaft that will prevent the seal from leaking... The tool is made by kent-moore part#j-39087... I have had the cover off 4 times and no leaks..... What the tool does is prevents the seals lip from rolling inward when you install the cover.... That is what causes the leaks around th WP most of the times.... I got the tool through my local chevy dealership... Like $20 if i remember correct

 

im confused??? what does the timing chain cover have to do with the waterpump driveshaft seal? isnt it above the timing cover?

 

NOPE...its the top seal on the cover my man.

 

Thanks a lot for the info...

leo

 

No problem man