Here's Day 1.

Day 2 started out with a jack handle and a hammer. Whack the inside edge of the harmonic balancer to loosen it and eventually it unseized itself.

Thanks to Redeasysport, I was able to remove the balancer without removing the water pump. Score.

Now the bad news. It seems my balancer is in bad shape. In the picture below, you'll notice the front face of the balancer. Take note of the two weights inserted at the 11 and 7 o'clock position. Seems my balancer was one of those that had weight added at the factory.

http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/IMG_0793.JPG
(I linked the pictures so I could keep them fullsize for detail)

Closer inspection of the frontside of the hub indicates a very slight amount of deflection between the inner and outer portions. Notice how the rubber is not flush against the face of the hub below:

http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/IMG_0794.JPG

Is this enough to cause my vibration issue? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Flipping the hub on end, I found a series of chips in the belt grooves:

http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/IMG_0795.JPG

That right there is enough to warrant a replacement. Notice the rust in the chips; this was not caused by my removal.

Flipping over to the inside of the hub lead me to this:

http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/IMG_0796.JPG
http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/IMG_0799.JPG

Bingo. No question this puppy needs to be replaced. Is that enough to be causing my problems? Again, I have no idea. However, there's no way I'm putting that back on the car now.

Back under the car, I was in for more bad news. I noticed a few spots of oil on the ground. Looking up, I saw a drip spot on the back edge of the lower frame rail- I think it's a K member type piece. It's directly under the front edge of the engine.

Looking up into the void left by the now-removed balancer, I saw this:

http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...IMG_0801_1.JPG

What you're looking at is the front of the engine, the bottom of the opti (yellow), and the harmonic balancer hub.

And they're covered in oil.

****.

So, despite my best efforts and Redeasysport's helpful hints, the water pump was now on my removal list. Drained the coolant, yanked the hoses, and started pulling the six bolts. Of course, this deposited a not insignificant amount of coolant all over everything.

Finally got the water pump out, but now that everything is drenched, I can't really tell where it's leaking. It's definately ABOVE the harmonic balancer hub and below the top of the water pump.

And I called it a night.

So, today's questions for the forum:

1) The water pump bolts has some sort of white sealant on them. What is this? I'm sure I'll need it when I replace the pump.
2) The water pump gaskets were toast too. Standard autozone part or dealer only?
3) Before I remove the opti, is there anything I need to know? The coupler and opti are keyed, so I can't get it installed incorrectly, right?
4) Where the hell is the oil coming from? Is there a seal around the opti/water pump drive shafts that might be leaking?
5) Will the two weights on the old HB need to be transferred over to my new ATI Superdamper?

Anything else I'm missing here? Words of wisdom?

 

Your pulley does not look that bad, really. Mine's in about the same shape and worked fine (face, rubber, etc).

However, those chips in the belt grooves would scare me. You could chew up a belt quickly.

BTW, they all have weights in those little slots. Mine has 3 weights, but in different spots than yours. The balancer is independantly balanced with the hub, that doesn't mean that your motor was not internally balanced. Look at the hub as well, there will be holes / weights in it also.

Of course, it doesn't mean it wasn't, either...

 

1) It's sealant. Just re-use them, they're fine unless you have any damaged threads.
2) WP gaskets are everywhere, standard part
3) Edit - new style opti can only go on one way.
4) Your timing cover is full of oil, check the seal around it. Keep in mind the oil pan is right there, sealed to the cover.

Clean it up first and inspect before you panic. It could be nothing. The car is 13 years old, **** is going to build up down there. You may not have a leak at all. When I pulled my motor I spent two hours cleaning grime and oil out of the engine cradle, and I never had any oil leaks. It's just time.

 

Thanks for the feedback, scary.

It's definately leaking oil. I went out to the driveway and sure enough- fresh oil stain.

 

Put RTV on damn near all the gaskets. I sure do but definitly on the Timing Cover Gasket, WP Gaskets, and put small amounts of silicone sealent on the Timing Cover Center Gaskets.

 

Don't you have a '93?

Which opti do you have?

 

I have converted to a 95 Opti on my 92.

 

It's a 95.

 

One more Q:

How many gaskets am I buying? I'll be headed to the dealer this afternoon to order gaskets and I want to make sure I have them all.

Timing cover gasket, WP gaskets, what else? Is there a gasket around the opti drive or the WP drive?

I love this forum.

 

Interesting my 92 doesn't have any weights at all.

I'm anxious to see what the results are after the new damper is installed.

 

1) The white stuff on the bolts is teflon thread sealer. Clean it off the threads and be sure to reapply new sealer during the install. The bolts penetrate into the water jacket and coolant will leak past the threads if you don't use the sealer.

2) I use OEM waterpump gaskets, but no doubt others will be fine. The OEM gaskets are designed/cut so that the bolts will be retained when they pass thru the holes in the gasket. Makes it nice and easy to keep the gasket in the proper position during install. Contrary to what others have suggested, I recommend No RTV on these gaskets and have never had an issue. The factory doesn't use RTV nor do they recommend it in the Factory Service Manual. The key is to make sure the surfaces are clean. Use several *new* razor blades to remove the old gasket material and you'll be fine. If you try to do the job with 1 blade/an old blade the surface will not be clean enough. One of the reasons for no RTV is that RTV pits aluminum and makes future resealing operations more difficult. If I recall, this is mentioned on a couple of the RTV manufacturer's websites.

3) There's not a "coupler" between the Opti and the cam. Once you pull the Opti off, it'll be very clear how it goes back on. Basically there are 3 "slots" on the back. 2 are hourglass shaped and won't fit over the cam pin. The 3rd slot is a rectangle and will fit over the cam pin. Note….if installed correctly/seated properly on the cam pin, the Opti will sit absolutely flush against the timing cover. If it's not flush or you try to seat it using a bolt, it's installed wrong.

4) There's a seal around the waterpump driveshaft, there's a seal where the Opti seats against the timing cover, and there's a seal around the hub. The waterpump seal and/or the crankshaft seal are the usual culprits. Be sure to check your Factory Service Manual for proper install of the waterpump driveshaft collar. Many people don't read the directions and create a bigger oil leak and lots of re-work. In addition, care needs to be taken when installing the seals. If you try and tap them in with a hammer, you'll likely end up with them not seated properly or warped. A properly sized socket or piece of PVC pipe will work great as a seal installation tool. Place the tool against the seal and tap in place. The load will be evenly distributed and the seal will be seated properly. FWIW, I put a Very light coating of RTV around the seal perimeter to act as a lubricant during the install process. Helps them slip right into place.

5) Don't know, but I doubt it. Best bet is to check with the vendor.

6) Number of gaskets/seals….
Waterpump driveshaft seal
Optispark seal
Crankshaft seal
Waterpump gaskets (2)

To drop the timing cover, you really need to lower the front of the oil pan. Although some people claim they can get the timing cover on/off by not doing this, the risk you face is cracking the front lower edge of the cast aluminum timing cover during the process. If you crack it, you typically end up with a nice leak at the pan/cover junction. Bottom line is that it adds more work, and likely isn't required. It's unusual for an LT1/4 to leak past the timing cover gasket in the manner your pictures show. If you do decide to go this route, then add timing cover gasket and oil pan gasket to your list. Given the age of the car, no doubt the oil pan gasket will be hosed upon disassembly. If you've never installed an oil pan on an LT1/4 with the engine still in the car, it's a whole other write-up.

 

Thanks for the help. I really hope the timing cover isn't leaking. From the pictures, it appears to be further up the front of the cover- between the opti and the water pump shaft area. Once I get the opti out, I'll have a better idea of the problem.

Can you explain the WP driveshaft callar installation? I'm doing this without the aid of a service manual. (yes, I will be buying one as soon as a used one appears in the F/S section).

 

Timing Cover will need a total of 4 Gaskets. One for the back and 3 round gaskets for the front. RTv should be used on the back and a light application of silicon on the front 3. Also you will need to run a large bead of silicon on the bottom of the timing cover to ensure it is sealed well with the oil pan seal.

Waterpump uses 2 gaskets. RTV should be used heavily here. (At Least I think so.)

 

Some have more weights than others and some have none at all.

 

There is on the cars up to '95. I thought he had the old style Opti.

Felpro sells a timing gasket set, it includes all the gaskets you'll need - the three in the cover and the one between the cover and the block. It also includes the two WP gaskets. It should be available at any auto parts store.

 

Drop the pan if you remove the timing cover. Like 96GS says, it's not worth it to try to cut corners here. I couldn't get mine off without dropping the pan yesterday.

 

In Post 8 he mentions he has a '95

Scary...Saw your PM and will respond tonight.

 

Yes, but I was post 3

Thanks in advance for the response, also, in a related issue can you take a quick look at this thread:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...31&forum_id=48

Your pics in the thread two weeks ago prompted it, I'm in a bit of a time crunch (car's apart at a shop) and could use your expertise.

Umrswmr, sorry for the quick hi-jack, but it was urgent....it won't happen again

 

Usually the WP seal goes before the opti seal.The Opti seal is eas y but here is how I got the WP seal on right(the second time)
1.Remove old seal
2.Deburr the connecting shaft
3.Oil the shaft and seal rubber and slide the seal onto the shaft
4.Install shaft
5.Use a deepwell socket just slightly bigger than shaft and push till the seal is close to the TC and the tap it one good time to get it in place
6.Inspect it with a good light to make sure it did not tear or roll over.They are very fragile the original OEM was much better than the aftermarket OEM.

You can leave the shaft on till the pump install.You will need to turn the pump gear until it slides into the shaft while holding the pump with the other hand.Make sure you oil it first and oil all the seals before and after install.

 

Another source of leakage is the Intake it is common on our cars as you said you will be able to tell once everything is off.You WILL need the FSM for it but it is not that hard.