ok, on the timing chain cover, does it use a gasket + silicone, or just silicone?

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Dan
100% stock 1990 RS 3.1L
and VERY slow

 

I use the supplied gasket with a thin layer of silicon on both sides. (I spread it on with my finger)

On the pan rail I use a fat bead of silicon.(if you are not removing the pan)

How about you TomP??



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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R

GO #3

 

I should bring in my "work sheet" from that job! Damn, how does the "back" of that front cover look again? Hehehe..

Engineboy & I think alike- I also used the gasket in my Fel Pro kit for the cover... I used a thin coat of Permatex's "high-tack" gasket sealer on both sides. And I used the RTV for the pan.

 

thanks alot guys. you've been a big help. i think i'm all set now....just a couple more supplies and i'll be ready for the big weekend

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Dan
100% stock 1990 RS 3.1L
and VERY slow

 

Dan, if you haven't already, please buy one more thing?

Get a harmonic balancer installer. I read about all the bad things that could happen if you pounded the balancer on with a hammer, so I thought I'd be slick, and use the crank's center bolt to pull the balancer back on.

I was sitting there, with a pipe on a breaker bar, turning and turning and TURNING the bolt, when something clicked in my head that "hey, something might be wrong." I tried to loosen the bolt- nope! I tried harder- SNAP!

Yes, I broke the bolt off "flush" in the crank snout, and left nothing to grip. I called my mechanic, and had it towed down. He had me bring the original bolt- then he showed me all the hairline cracks in it! So it was either $1000 to pull the motor and put a new crank in, or $100 for him to arc-weld the balancer to the crank. I said "weld it!" and he did.

So please buy the $40 tool. This mistake of mine has pretty much prevented me from putting a cam into this motor- I can't ever take the front cover off again. Of course, I could try to drill out the cracked bolt from the crank snout, then try to re-tap the snout threads, and grind off my mechanic's welds, and put a bolt back in. But I think I'll rebuild another 2.8 before I go through that.

Funny, and I remember thinking in the middle of that job, "Hey, this isn't as hard as I thought."

Oh- my mech put the balancer on with a hammer & block of wood. He also showed me how my stock balancer's rubber was deteriorating, and sliding forward. I got a $20 junkyard balancer for him that was in good shape.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

 

hmmm...i guess you are implying that this is different from a harmonic balancer puller??? i'll ask around at work and see if anybody has one.

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Dan
100% stock 1990 RS 3.1L
and VERY slow

 

ok, one of the guys at work has one so i think i can borrow it for the weekend ( better than shelling out 40 bones)

 

i always use a thin tacky layer of silicon to help hold the gasket in place.. gasket-tack will work too...

 

well, i'm 75% done. i ran into a few problems. first, found out that a piece of the timing chain tensioner fell off. also,my co-worker didn't have the right fitting for his harmonic balancer installer. i can't find one either. where did you get yours TomP??? oh, and i found out that i didn't have to remove ANY oil pan bolts. different design i guess.

 

YES!!!!! the timing chain is FINISHED!!!!! when people said to use a hammer to put the harmonic balancer back on, i figured i could use an ordinary hammer. well i ended up using something that's probably a step below a sledgehammer. out of the whole project, the harmonic balancer was THE BIGGEST pain in the a$$.

well i ran into a few problems along the way so my total time(start to finish) ran me 33.5 hours. thanks for the help TOMP and ENGINEBOY

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Dan
100% stock 1990 RS 3.1L
and VERY slow

 

Glad to hear the operation was a success.




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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R

GO #3

 

Cali, I never had the correct installation tool... my mechanic pounded the balancer on with a hammer.

Glad to hear it all worked out good for ya!

About the oil pan- You didn't have two small bolts under the bottom-most "front" lip of the chain cover?


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

 

TomP, there were no bolts from the pan that needed removing. i thought it was kind of odd. well, not all is good. see, my timing chain tensioner was broken and it's a frieking special order part. i didn't even know there was a tensioner. the 90 degree engines don't have them. well any way, i'm gonna drive the car for a week, then tear it apart again oh, well. nothing i could have done. i can only work on my car on the weekends and i couldn't go a week w/o my car.

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Dan
100% stock 1990 RS 3.1L
and VERY slow

 

Thanks for the info on those oil pan bolts! What's funny is my GM service manual didn't show those two. Maybe I have some kind of strange '86 thing?

That sucks about the tensioner... couldn't you have grabbed one from a junkyard? (hehe, "grabbed", as if it's that simple.)


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

 

i actually did go down the junkyard. usually they have at least 20 thirdgens. well i get down there and they have about five and only two V6's. and, of course both of them were rusted beyond recognition. couldn't get a single bolt off

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Dan
100% stock 1990 RS 3.1L
and VERY slow

 

Ouch, that sucks; I guess the water pump just rusted to the bolts? Anyway how much are they charging you for that tensioner? Did you find the broken piece under the front cover? Good thing you changed the chain!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

 

well, about 2 months ago my car started making a nasty clanking noise around 1700 rpm's. i took it to work to have some guys look at it and NOBODY knew what it was so i just ignored it.
well, when i took the timing chain cover off, out falls a bunch of metal pieces. the noise came from the chain swinging back and forth hitting the broken tensioner.
from GM, it's a $12 part but i got it for $7(gotta love employee discount )


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Dan
100% stock 1990 RS 3.1L
and VERY slow