Gotta 95 and believe the front crank seal is going out atleast I think that's why oils running back on the pan, how much of a job is that to replace the seal??

 

Kind of a big deal if that is where it is coming from. You have to remove the waterpump first and the damper (which are usually rust-stuck to the hub, so soak it down with PB Blaster or your favorite brand of rust buster a couple of days in advance.) The Optispark is right there so while you're in that far it's a good idea to at least take it off and check the cap & rotor and inside for water or oil intrusion. You can clean out the optical sensor with isopropyl alcohol. If it is an original Opti and still running it probably is a good one. Just feel the bearing for looseness or roughness. If it's rough, there are plenty of cheap optis on Amazon and the bay. The trick is:The original optical sensors are the best. Save your original to put inside the cheapie case and it will last much longer. The sensors on most of the new ones are junk, but the cases are all pretty much the same, so if you transplant the old optics into the new case, your good! Oil can also leak from the Opti drive seal or the waterpump drive seal that is behind it in the front cover, so those are other potential leak places. After all that comes off, then you can pull the damper hub and get to the crank seal. Mine had a little leak there because the hub shaft had a little ring worn on it from the seal. NAPA and most other auto places sell a seal saver that looks like the bottom third of a "Red Bull" can that slips over the hub and gives a fresh sealing surface. Just put your hub in the freezer for about an hour and heat the little hub saver in the oven or in some hot water and it will slip right on.
Now that I've scared the crap out of you, carefully clean off as much oil as you can without soaking that Optispark (Waterleaks/antifreeze kills them) and see if you can tell where it's coming from. If it isn't too bad of a leak, a lot of people just put a piece of cardboard under their car and clean the oil off every month or so. Like they say, "If it aint broke, don't fix it." There are U-Tube videos of how to replace the Optispark that will get you into the area that you need to work if you have to do it. Lots of people here for help too. Just ask.

 

thanx for the info however its not that bad yet and no signs of oil on the ground, not sure if a bearing and seal are the same thing but did see a thing on Utube about changing it out that appeared to be a straight ahead job with just removing the damper, the opti seems to be just fine. the guys vette is a 94 but must be similar to a 95

 

Not sure what car this LT-1 main seal video is from but I do not believe it is a Corvette. On my 96 coupe, there is no way to do it from under the car. The main brace and power steering rack is in the way. You will need to come at it from the top and remove the water pump to even get at the bolts on the harmonic balance and pulley.

 

OK, here is mine when I 1st got it. My 1st project was a massive front oil leak. I when deep into my repair as I also pulled the intake, valve cover, pulled the water pump and the opti, dropped the pan and then pulled the timing cover and cleaned every thing. Then install new front seals and all the gaskets.

This pic is with the water pump removed but the opti is still on. You can see a missing piece of gray sealer on the left side of the intake. A major leak there.




This picture is of the hub and opti still installed with the harmonic balancer/pulley removed. You can see the lower frame piece below the hub (all covered in dirty brown oil). You can also see that you can not see the main seal. It's hard to work on what you can not see. You need to pull the opti. Make sure you note the alignment of the opti key when you pull it so you get it back on correctly. I suggest taking a lot of pictures.




And this is what mines looks like today (5 years later).

 

Man whata nasty mess but good outcome, mines no where near that bad
but when I take it in for a coolant flush "which it needs anyway" will have them locate the problems

Heres a new video I found doing a 94

 

If you are going to go that far into the motor, I recommend removing the intake to replace the gaskets and RTV. This is a known oil leak point on the LT motors. I also recommend replacing the water pump if it has any years on it.

Additionally, this is the perfect time to replace plugs, wires, serpentine belt and radiator hoses if needed.

 

That's a different approach to pulling the balancer. I didn't have any problem removing my balancer though. Next is pulling the hub. I would remove the opti first. There is a bolt in the center of the hub which has to come out and you can use the the same puller but use bolts that screw right into the hub. you will also want to use a socket the fits into the crank snout to protect the threads.

 

ok tell ya what, send me a blank check and will get right on it

 

How about moral support? IOU?

 

On my 2003 Chevy Corvette LS1 to replace the harmonic balancer crank seal what is the procedure will my rack and pinion steering be a problem will my harmonic balancer clear it

 

You should ask this in the C5 section as they will have a better understanding of working the your year Corvette.

 

this might help