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I have a 1999 Corvette. I am in the process of replacing my A/C compressor and harmonic balancer. I currently have the compressor, water pump, rack and harmonic balancer out of the car. I did not intend to do anything with the oil pan gasket (1 piece) but there was oil buildup in the front of the oil pan under the balancer. The area under the crankshaft pulley was dry so the oil and grime could not have been from the crankshaft seal. I have not had any oil dripping on the ground. The sides and rear of the oil pan appear to not be leaking and are relatively clean. The are of concern is the front of the oil pan.
In order to do it, there is still a lot of stuff to do in order to change it even with the rack out and the sub frame partially lowered with the car on QuickJacks. I would still need to find an engine support bar and deal with figuring out extensions for the support to reach the frame to clear the fenders. I would also have to deal with the remaining wiring and brake lines attached to the cradle in order to remove it.
Should I change it or leave it as is? Thanks!
Max height on QuickJacks Front of engine before cleaning oil pan area.
To each their own, I would clean it up and or reseal the front cover as suggested. That really is not much of a concern. Should you decide to do the pan and something is just a tad off it could possibly be much worse. Good luck.
To each their own, I would clean it up and or reseal the front cover as suggested. That really is not much of a concern. Should you decide to do the pan and something is just a tad off it could possibly be much worse. Good luck.
I definitely don’t want to make it worse nor do I want to do something for the sake of doing it. Regarding the timing cover, are you suggesting to do that as a preventative repair or do you think some of the oil below it was from it? I assumed the oil was coming from the oil pan. I did already clean up the area.
Man, tough call. It's defiantly a "some day when I'm REALLY bored" project. I'm currently having the same issue with my 6.0L truck engine and it's a LOT easier to address than the car...and I still don't want to get into it.
Maybe try checking the torque on as many oil pan bolts as you can access, see if that stops it?
Perfect time to clean all the crap up. Degrease, change oil and add dye. Monitor with a black light for the leak origin.
Thanks. I think this is the route I am going to take. I have already cleaned up everything as much as I can. I’m going to put the new balancer, seal, GM bolt, idler pulleys and new A/C components back in. I also picked up a new upper and lower radiator hose. Might be overkill as the originals look fine but they are 25 years old.
I was going to pin the crank but not sure if I am going to that now. I was originally going to go with the Summit balancer but ended up with the Dayco PB1117N.
Thanks. I think this is the route I am going to take. I have already cleaned up everything as much as I can. I’m going to put the new balancer, seal, GM bolt, idler pulleys and new A/C components back in. I also picked up a new upper and lower radiator hose. Might be overkill as the originals look fine but they are 25 years old.
I was going to pin the crank but not sure if I am going to that now. I was originally going to go with the Summit balancer but ended up with the Dayco PB1117N.
25 years for belts and hoses is plenty....change them out. Same with tensioners and idlers while your in there.
Hard no to the new GM TTY bolt. Get a reusable ARP, follow directions, and torque to spec.
I have a 1999 Corvette. I am in the process of replacing my A/C compressor and harmonic balancer. I currently have the compressor, water pump, rack and harmonic balancer out of the car. I did not intend to do anything with the oil pan gasket (1 piece) but there was oil buildup in the front of the oil pan under the balancer. The area under the crankshaft pulley was dry so the oil and grime could not have been from the crankshaft seal. I have not had any oil dripping on the ground. The sides and rear of the oil pan appear to not be leaking and are relatively clean. The are of concern is the front of the oil pan.
In order to do it, there is still a lot of stuff to do in order to change it even with the rack out and the sub frame partially lowered with the car on QuickJacks. I would still need to find an engine support bar and deal with figuring out extensions for the support to reach the frame to clear the fenders. I would also have to deal with the remaining wiring and brake lines attached to the cradle in order to remove it.
Should I change it or leave it as is? Thanks!
Max height on QuickJacks Front of engine before cleaning oil pan area.
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Oil pan gasket - Replace or leave ?
