Folks Of Interest Chevy 235 timing cover issue

So I'm prepping a '55 235 to put in my '51. I pulled the balancer and when I pulled the front crank seal, I hooked the puller behind the lip behind it, which is part of the cover. I tapped it back in so the seal will sit flush with the face of the cover, but will it leak oil? The lip isn't flat anymore since the metal stretched with the puller. I planned on putting rtv around the outside of the seal anyway so will that be sufficient?

 

Do you have a pic?

 

I just left where the motor is but I'll post one up in a few

 

depends whether or not you bent the round hole that the seal presses into. If you distorted it, it might leak. The pictures will probably tell.

 

Let's see how these show up. The outside hole looks to be ok, it's just the flat lip that the seal sits against that's mangled up

 

You gonna clean that thing up before you put it in? This one has a new clutch disk and pressure plate in it, but you can't see it. Just poking at ya!

I dont think that seal will leak from the backside.

 

Haha I'm gonna clean it up a little but not anything crazy. I'm guessing (hoping) that lip is more of a "stop" to keep the seal from going in to far..?

 

That's what it looks like to me. If I remember right the seal doesn't have any sort of flange on the backside that seats against that lip does it?

 

Take a good look at the crank to make sure it doesn't need a Speedi Sleeve while you have the damper off. They are cheap and easy to install.

 

The cranks actually perfect, the motor must've been rebuilt or not been used because it looks brand new inside. The seal looks like an axle seal or a diff carrier seal

 

I use the Loctite anaerobic sealant on the outside ( steel housing) on lip seals
A little extra insurance in instances like yours to seal “ around” the seal incase of imperfections in the seal housing

You should be fine.





I’ve seen some guys use red Loctite for this, seems like shooting yourself in the foot if the seal ever has to come back out!

 

So would it be better to use that instead of rtv or right stuff?

 

I use Permatex Aviation gasket sealer on the outside of seals like that...

I also think it will be fine. And he meant to check the damper, not the crank, to see if the seal has worn it down.

 

Yeah the damper. I've been up since 4 am. Thanks for the correction squirrel!

 

What I recommended or squirrel is better then rtv, but anything is better then nothing.

 

I was talking about the damper too but had the word crank on my mind. Alright, I'll see if I can find one of those sealants tomorrow. Thanks fellas. Here's to hoping it's leak free

 

I doubt it will be leak free, it's a 235, isn't it?

(I just got done putting a Corvair engine together, and it doesn't leak, which is really weird)

 

Very true on the 235. The '58 truck motor that's in it now leaks from the rear main and its blowing smoke at all times so anything's gotta be better than that. I'm going through about a quart every couple days

 

Just in case you have to work on the timing cover again I would convert the two bottom bolts to where all the bolts screw in from the outside.

 

Unfortunately I've already done the oil pan gasket. I used a thin layer of rtv on both sides to make sure it doesn't leak so there's no pulling the pan back off, at least without a ton of cleanup work and another oil pan gasket. That was my main reason for hoping I didn't have to replace the timing cover.