Vergeltung

I have an '89 Corvette, I have had the valves done, and want to know if there is a tip/trick to getting the timing cover on without removing the oil pan. It is the 350 tuned port. I am having trouble getting the lip of the cover over the pan gasket without pushing it off of its lip on the oil pan. I am certain someone has had this problem before...please help out a rookie! Thanks

73shark

Welcome to the Corvette forum. On the Sharks, you can drop the pan w/ the engine in the car. While you can get the timing cover off w/o dropping the pan, it the gasket retaining lip w/b bent. It's hard enuf to not have that gasket leak when you do it right. I believe the TPI engines have a one piece pan gasket available. Should be a big improvement.

If you plan to do this often, there is a two piece timing cover available that doesn't affect the pan gasket. Rather pricey tho.

a. palmer jr.

I think you just have to drop the front of the pan down a little bit to clear, then use silicone sealer to seal it back, or take it all the way off and put new gaskets on it and be sure.

Mud_Truckin

This one is easy, sorry it will cost you another $11 for an oil pan Gasket, but you should of put the new front main and the timing cover gasket on first, the funny part about the use of silicone is, that they did not use it in the factory, unless they had to put a small dab on the cast to hold the gasket in place, if you can not rebuild that motor with out using one drop of silicone, call someone that can do it, I am not trying to be a dick, I KNOW it sounds terrible, but that is how it is supposed to be done, Hope this helps!

Vergeltung

I never had the engine out/didn't want to pull it out...just needed head gaskets. I talked with someone who suggested trimming off the ends of the half-moon lip on the inside of the timing cover...just enough to allow it to go on. And of course, silicone the heck out of it so it won't leak. I also didn't know that the oil pan would come off the car without pulling the engine. Thanks, for all the help! Problem conquered!

cruizereoca

the timing cover can come off with the engine in the car. the oil pan does not have to be dropped.
when reinstalling the cover, you use a gasket between the engine and the cover, and a bead of RTV between the cover and the oil pan.

the cam is behind the timing cover and the timing cover has to be removed to get to the cam, so I do not agree with Phils suggestion at all. you do not need to touch the cam at all to successfully change the timing cover.

a. palmer jr.

On the older Chevys there was a lip on the bottom of the timing cover preventing you from pulling the cover out without loosening the pan. What I did on mine was to grind that lip partially away so that in the future I could remove it easily. Maybe in later years GM made those without that lip. By the way, the pan does not have to be removed, just loosen the bolts and drop it down a little, if you can do it without trashing the oil pan gasket, then silicone it.

archebald23

what i do is loosen the oil pan as much as i could without taking them out, then trim the corners of the my Mr Gasket Timing Cover Gasket Set then pop it in place and just use plenty of rtv.

73shark

Don't you have a problem w/ the pan gasket leaking then?

a. palmer jr.

Of course, the best way, not the quickest, is to drain the oil, take the oil pan off, take timing cover off, then reinstall in reverse order using all new gaskets.