Why on earth do I have a balancer stud instead of a regular bolt? Is this some home-brewed black magic solution?



I want to take it off. The first threads got damaged by my puller. I can of course cut the first 3-4 threads off but that will be a hassle.

(yes, the drop of blood on the floor is from me. cut myself on those broken threads)

 

That should unthread.

 

Definitely, but good luck to me keeping the crank still while cranking on that stud.

 

You're asking US why some ... HUMAN ... did something STUUUUPID and/or weird??? How the hell are WE supposed to know what going going through their mind at the moment? (besides a breeze)

That's about as good an explanation as any. Although "solution" is probably a little too enthusiastic of a description.

Although actually, a stud and a nut is probably a decent enough idea, IF EXECUTED CORRECTLY. Like, if it didn't leave about half a meter of threads sticking out the front.

All that aside: cut it off to clean threads, or run a die down over it; put 2 nuts on it, and tighten them together real good; and back it out with a wrench on the rear one. A pipe wrench on the crank, applied GENTLY, will hold it still. Easy enough to replace the Woodruff key if it gets damaged.

That's almost certainly the wrong timing mark for the crank damper you have, although I'm sure you've already figured that out.

 

G*dd*mn all these home cooked solutions! A bolt would have been so much easier but noooo.

 

Put it gear and put the park brake on?

W/an auto, stuff some rope down a plug hole.

 

Auto. Heads are off

 

Can ya....throw a "thing" in a cyl, bolt one head back on w/a couple two or three bolts around that cyl? Doesn't seem like a huge barrier.....

 

Is the trans still attached? If so, put it in gear with the brake on. Or jam something in the flywheel.

 

Helper with a screwdriver can hold the flywheel. Double nut it and the stud will come out unless the threads have been crossthreaded.

 

 

Win! Tried to fix the first 3-4 turns with a thread die and then tried a nut (the nut which originally held the balancer), and it stuck after a turn or two.....and when I backed it off the whole thing followed along. About time for some luck!

 

Side question, where are you buying your aeroflow parts from? I stopped ordering from them because it took so long to get here with their kangaroo delivery services.

 

Local parts shop here in Stockholm, Sweden

 

Ah, I didn't even notice your location. Very cool.

 

That "stud" is ... HEINOUS. I don't think I've ever seen a version of alternate-reality engineering quite like that before.

 

And I'm happy to replace it with something that wont make a good day turn to $hit (not that it did, at least not the whole day)

 

probably used to install the damper then just left on

 

Definitely a possibility

 

So today, after replacing small bits & pieces that broke while "fixing" everything, I started the engine with the new heads and the Summit 8800 cam. It fired right up. No leaky head studs - check. No leak from the new oil pressure sender - check. But, while adjusting the rockers (after the engine got up to 195 f) I noticed a puddle of engine oil at the front of the engine. It hasn't been leaking at all while doing all the work but when running and getting warm it started pouring. Looks like it came from behind the damper. Do I need to tear the waterpump, damper and timing cover down again to replace a new crank seal?!?? Or would it be a leak from the pan since I pryed back the timing cover lip over the old gasket? (it sat right, although no RTV on it). I understand you can't answer my question but since the amount was quite a lot (like two coffee cups over a 20 min period at idle rpm) the oil must have been slightly pressurized/forced in some way and maybe you could just give me a theoretical head start on what to look for?

Oh well, cheap gaskets to replace. I just really don't wanna fight with that gasket/lip seal again!

 

Make sure there is a SHORT bolt with a drop of sealer on its threads, in the upper hole of the 2 down low on the front of the pass side of the block.

 

Will do! What happens behind it? Some oil passage?

 

Yup... the fuel pump drive rod.

 

So, this weekend was extra exciting and fun! I saw no traces of oiI from the timing cover bolt, neither the damper. If oil were to leak from the crank/damper while the engine was idling the oil should have been flying all over the place. It had to be the pan gasket. This time I figured I had to let the pan a little bit loose to get the front timing cover to seal (to the pan).This is NOT coming apart again soon. NOT!! NOT until next weekend when I have to do it all over again.

When fighting with the pan I took away the oil cooler lines, which to me doesn't seem to cool that much, or? Should I put it back? Those lines are close to my header collector and I would prefer to just put the lines on the shelf for a rainy day.

So, questions:
* Oil "cooler" yes or no?
* I have a sleeve for the damper. Wouldn't hurt to use it, right? Just to kind of erase that possibility of leakage

 

The oil cooler lines should go to the radiator, the heat exchanger is in the side tank, I think. That or it's got water lines that go to the heat exchanger on the oil filter flange? Either way, there can be a lot of cooling (and/or heating in cold weather), especially if you're tracking the car or running it hard for extended periods. Do what GM did; use an oil cooler or run synthetic oil.

A speedy sleeve is a good repair for a grooved shaft (damper hub).

 

The stock oil cooler in these cars does not circulate oil. It circulates coolant. The heat exchanger is between the oil filter and the block, not in the radiator. The lines carry coolant from the hot side of the system to the "cooler" on the block, and recirculate it back to the cool side, in parallel with the heater core. Since oil is usually at a temperature not too far different from the coolant hot side (usually 220°F or so) once it reaches equilibrium anyway, it doesn't really do awholehelluvalot most of the time.

Untold millions of vehicles have run small block Chevy V8s for 70 years now without an oil cooler, including the iconic muscle cars of the 60s & 70s, trucks, police cars, etc. Not sure why GM decided to put them on the TPI cars butt w/e... perhaps it had to do with getting the oil up to temp as quickly as possible for CAFE compliance at the time. Iunno, just a guess, nobody has ever told me. Given that the one used on the TPI cars is as much an oil WARMER as it is a COOLER, it hardly seems "necessary" or "critical", to the extent that it can't be done without.

I definitely agree w using synthetic oil (just yerbasic 10W-30, nothing fancy), and I'm perfectly OK w using a SpeediSleeve on the crank damper.

 

So, after a weekend, last weekend, under the car with my hair full of antifreeze, bruises, cuts and oil/dirt up to my shoulders the thing isn't leaking anymore and now hums along perfectly with its new 8800 cam. Will NEVER change cam with the engine still in the car again. Everything but the pan gasket was easy. That gasket drained my energy for many years to come