66grandsport

Well i bought the $60 tool and new seal to change the water pump seal. Took off the water pump and there was no oil around it. I thought this was the source of my leak. How normal is it to have oil leaking from the opti shaft seal. There is oil on the bottom of the opti. There is oil in front of the oil pan. I think the oil is coming from the shaft seal. I have not pulled the opti off yet. i dread taking the crank pulley off. The crank pulley is dry so I dont think this is the source. Is there a special tool for changing this seal like the water pump seal.

Thanks

scranage

You don't need to remove the crank pully to get the opti off, just remove the balancer and spin the hub till it clears.

66grandsport

Any proper procedure for reinstall or special tools?

Tom Piper

I find it interesting that you have a '93 with the early non-vented Opti-Spark (I'm assuming you never converted it to the vented Opti-Spark) and it has oil inside it.

One of the things that I considered when I converted my '92 to the '95 style Opti-Spark was the possibilty of oil from the engine getting into the Opti-Spark. Because the early Opti-Spark shaft seal is so close to the timing cover shaft seal, I wondered about the oil being able to get through -- I did think it was a remote possiblity.

The way the vented Opti-Spark is designed, I don't think it is even remotely possible for it to get oil directly through the timing cover, even with a vacuum inside the Opti-Spark.

Tom Piper

66grandsport

Oil is not in the opti. It is leaking around the shaft and dripping from the opti. I think I damaged the seal when I put it on last time. What is the correct procedure. Put shaft on and then put seal over it? Or put seal on timing cover and and then shaft in? Special tools? thanks Tom

Tom Piper

When I did my '92, I changed to the new style Opti-Spark that doesn't use the splined shaft like the early one.

But, if I remember correctly, the splined shaft can be pulled from the back of the Opti-Spark and inserted into the timing cover separately.
Then, the Opti-Spark can be put on over the splined shaft.
There is a spline that is wider than the rest on the splined shaft -- you have to make sure that wider spline is inserted into the cam gear inside the timing cover correctly and into the back of the Opti-Spark correctly.

Tom Piper

teebee

Tom, I just finished this job on my 94. there really isn't anything to it. The geared (splined) shaft comes out of the opti and can be inserted into the cam end after you install the new seal (no special tool needed, I just lined it up and tapped it in with a mallet). I even changed out the crank seal (which was the one leaking on my engine). I bought the special puller and it made the job pretty easy.

Check out this thread on the ImpalaSS site for a very complete explaination http://www.impalasuperstore.com/nais...TOPIC_ID=30984

The one showing there is the newer style, but ours isn't any more difficult to do.

66grandsport

So put the seal on the timing cover and then place the shaft or the opposite?. Is there a special way the shaft goes in. I am hearing that if the shaft is put on backwards it will push the oil out.

teebee

Like I said in the previous post, install the seal, then put the splined shaft in, then install the opti. There is only one way that the splined shaft will go into the cam and only one way it will go into the opti. Honestly, when I had the splined gear out, both ends looked the same to me, so I don't know about it pushing the oil out.