My 89 has a front slinging oil leak. It is being slung by the crank pulley around a half an inch before the harmonic balancer. It is slinging it under the water pump and lower radiator hose.

I had the harmonic balancer replaced a couple of years ago. At first I was thinking the timing cover seal. But I hosed everything off a few weeks ago, and the front timing cover has been dry. If the front seal is leaking, does it just drip down the cover, or make its way to the crank pulley?

I have read of something about putting RTV on the woodruff key. The harmonic balancer I used was from the Damper Docs.

 

Yeah, it can come up the woodruff keyway slot sometimes. Factory started putting RTV on them years back for that reason. I never do and haven't had a problem, but I might just be lucky.

Timing cover seal leak will usually leave tell-tale drips in the driveway after you shut it off. Can sling oil around off the back of the balancer, but never as far forward as the crank pulley that I've ever seen.

 

The back of the harmonic balancer has been dry last few times I checked.

Why would it come up the woodruff keyway? Just a machine error in the balancer or just chance? Could it be I didn't do something correctly, or maybe the balancer bolt backed out some?

The only place it drips is from the transmission lines that catch the slinging oil. Though I have seen some oil at the bottom of the timing chain cover at the front of the oil pan, but I guess that is from the oil being slung all over the place. As I washed it all off, and have driven it a few times since and let it idle. And so far the timing chain cover is dry.

 

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It's not any of that.

I'm guessing you've "cleaned up the engine bay" (aka r**neck for "hacking everything off that I don't know what it does")?

Take a look at the front of the block, pass side, just to the right of the water pump leg. You will observe 2 bolt holes that used to hold your smog pump bracket on. Note that the top one goes RIGHT DIRECTLY INTO the fuel pump drive rod passage: you can in fact look in the hole and see the rod sitting there. If there is no bolt in that hole, oil will literally spew out of that hole at higher RPMs and get slung EVERYWHERE down the right side of the motor, but it will not leak at idle.

The solution is, put a SHORT bolt in that upper hole, with a drop of RTV on the threads.

 

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Is the front china wall sealing? It has to be coming from eitehr the front china wall, the oil pan gasket, or the timing chain cover gasket... I dont see any other way for it to get otu (Aside from the aforementioned bolt hole)

 

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black, hi temp red/copper or 100% clear, what ever is handy.

black is the popular choice and its blends in better if it can be seen on engines, don't stand out like hi temp copper or red, I like to use 100% clear though, just as hi temp resist but for $3 you get a giant caulk gun tube of it, not a toothpaste one

Use the have exhaust donut leak problems on my V8 car, till I slathered them with 100% clear during install it takes the kind of heat just fine.

 

I'm gonna go with Permatex Ultra Black high temp RTV that says "maximum oil resistance".

I'm assuming the RTV goes all around on the inside keyway of the harmonic balancer?

 

I had the same problem after I did my intake it flung oil everywhere , when i changed the oil I was about 2 qt's over ( canister vent was bad so gas kept dripping into the valley for the month the intake was off) , put in the right amount and hasn't leaked at a drop since .

 

Sounds like to me yours had something to do with your intake being off. I haven't done that. And my oil level is fine.

 

Welcome back.

 

Are you sure it's engine oil? Not PS Fluid or Freon or something? You just said your oil level was fine, so I wonder...

 

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You can 'rent' the balancer remover and install tool from AZ or one of the others if you don't already know, though you appear to be one of those guys that has 'they' work on his car...

 

I've already rented the puller/installer. I replaced the balancer a few years ago. You have to put some vice grips on the flywheel to keep the crank from turning.

 

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Can anyone confirm the above torque specs? Thanks.

 

thats what haynes says..........

 

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