drspencer

'71 350/270. I'm going to be replacing my harmonic balancer, and that's as far as I'm going.

When I have the balancer off, how do I remove & replace the timing cover seal, without removing the timing cover?

Sub question: If the old seal is presently not leaking, should I just leave it and install the new balancer over the old seal?

Thanks

TimAT

Once you get the balancer off, the seal is just a step away- take a sharp punch and pop the old seal out. Pack the back groove of the seal with grease and drive it back in. Since you're replacing the balancer, no need to inspect the rear hub on the old one.

Odds are that if you install a new balancer and use the old seal, you'll be fixing a leak.

drspencer

Not quite clear how to do this, I thought I would be pulling the old seal out, with a pick of some sort.

Thanks

whitehause

Seal puller would be the best, but you can take a small punch and bend the lip down, then pry it out with a screwdriver.

7T1vette

Depending on access [room to work] and how hard the shaft lip seal is retained in the present cover, you can change that seal by placing the blade of a flat-tipped screwdriver under the seal lip and metal seal casing, laying that screwdriver flat on the timing cover, then 'popping' the handle with the palm of your hand to force the seal out of its bore. The risk in doing so is that the cover can become bent, if the seal has been glued into that bore. If you bend the cover, it may be difficult to get the OD of the new seal to prevent oil leakage. It's certainly worth a try. If that doesn't work, it's best to remove the cover and properly remove/install a new seal and also a new cover gasket.