[Mark 66SS]

I am having problems with the front seal leaking on my 56 Bel Air w/69 350 c.i.. It was leaking when I bought the car. The balancer did not have a bolt to hold it on so I drilled and tapped the crank for a bolt. I have replaced the seal twice. The first time I don't think the balancer was on all the way. The second time I know it was. Any tips? How snug should the front seal be on the shaft? I was told to check the rotation of the crankshaft with a dial indicator. Should I just replace the harmonic balancer?

Also it seems the oil pressure is at around 30 at idle and it gets up to around 70 at 3k rpm. Is that normai or is the guage (S/W) malfunctioning?

Thanks in advance for the reponses.

Mark 66SS

 

[Tom Mobley]

ugh, problems there. AFAIK all 350s had a balancer bolt from the factory. That's not likely a 69 350 crank if it wasn't drilled. is there dowel pins to locate the cover?

there's been talk lately about front seal production being moved to India with the usual problems. Get a new front seal of a different brand, pull the balancer and see how the seal fits on the balancer. It should have some give so it will maintain a seal if it's not perfectly on center.

Not leaking between the seal and timing cover is it?

not leaking from the passenger side front motor mount bolts? Balancer not worn? no seal wear groove? if a new seal doesn't fit tight enough over the balancer snout you might try installing a Speedi-Sleeve balancer repair gizmo, it'll increase the O.D. of the snout a little.

 

[Herb]

Recommend you read this. I've been getting e-mails from a lot of folks who had that problem and solved them this way. One person fought a front seal leak for a year, many seal changes, until he changed brands.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224293&highlight=Herb

Tom's right, a sleeve could solve the problem but it's a band aid IMHO. Also make sure the there is a bolt in the upper hole of the 2 holes located on the front of the block, just around the corner from the fuel pump. Sounds basic but it's often forgotten when doing a rebuild, even by the pros. There must a bolt in that hole or it will leak when the engine is running. That hole opens into the fuel pump rod tunnel. Make sure you use a SHORT bolt, usually 1 in. X 7/16.

Good luck.

/h

 

[Mark 66SS]

Yes Tom there are pins on the cover. It's definetly leaking between the crank and seal. Have the balancer off. The seal is not real snug on it so maybe a sleeve is in order. The second seal was not a Fel Pro it was a "SKF" that has the NAPA logo on the box.

The balancer does not wobble front to back but when looking face on with the pulley installed it seems to be a little out of round when running. Is that normal?

Any comments about the oil pressure?

Thanks

 

[Herb]

Mark,

Are you running a high pressure oil pump? Those reading would be normal for one.

Are you positive the pulley is running out-of-round, or just looks like it? The one way to check it is to use a magnetic base and run-out gauge and rotate the engine by hand. If the gauge moves significantly, it's out of round (and out of balance). have you checked the bolt holes for wear. I've seen lower pulleys that had been loose at some time ream out those bolt holes.

 

[Wolfplace]

Recommend you read this. I've been getting e-mails from a lot of folks who had that problem and solved them this way. One person fought a front seal leak for a year, many seal changes, until he changed brands.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224293&highlight=Herb

Tom's right, a sleeve could solve the problem but it's a band aid IMHO. Also make sure the there is a bolt in the upper hole of the 2 holes located on the front of the block, just around the corner from the fuel pump. Sounds basic but it's often forgotten when doing a rebuild, even by the pros. There must a bolt in that hole or it will leak when the engine is running. That hole opens into the fuel pump rod tunnel. Make sure you use a SHORT bolt, usually 1 in. X 7/16.

Good luck.

/h

=
HI Herb,
You may have a bit of a problem getting a 7/16" bolt into that hole on a small block

 

[Herb]

=
HI Herb,
You may have a bit of a problem getting a 7/16" bolt into that hole on a small block

Whoops. You're right Mike. Everything looks bigger to a BBC owner.

How does that axiom go? "I pittied a man who had a seal leak until I met a man who had no bolt in his hole." ??

 

[Mark 66SS]

Thanks Herb! Is there any way to tell if it's a high pressure pump? The holes in the pulley are not worn. It's an aluminum serpentine pulley. It may just look out of round when its running. Will check it.

Wolfplace, what's the downside of using the sleeve?

Thanks guys!

Mark

 

[Herb]

Mark, I'll give you my $.02 on a sleeve even though I'm not Mike. They will last for quite a while, years even. BUT, the surface the seal rides on isn't as hard as the balancer so it will wear out and leak again at some point. I just don't like compensating for the seal problem. Having said that, I would use it in a minute if it would stop my seal leak after I tried everything else or didn't want to risk having to pull my front end off again. ESPECIALLY with a serpentine set up on the engine. I had the luxury of just having to drain the coolant, pull the radiator, loosen the alternator/belt, zip the 4 pulley bolts off with air and pop the HB off. Remove and replace the seal AGAIN in the timing cover, and reverse the disassembly. Took me less than 60 mins do the whole thing after the 3rd time. I did more front seal installs in 2 weeks than most of us hobbyists do in 20yrs.

Your's sounds more involved. I'd use a sleeve and be done with it for a couple of years or more ;-)

BTW, I would put a THIN ring of black RTV on the forward area of the HB snout right before the point where the FRONT edge of the sleeve ends when slid onto the snout. slide the sleeve over the RTV, wipe the excess off and let it set overnight before installing. You only need enough to seal the leading edge of the sleeve to the snout. Any more is a future problem when needing to remove the sleeve. I believe this is as important as putting some sealer around the outer rim of the seal or pocket before installing it. Might not leak without it, but why chance it.

That's my $.02 worth. I'm sure Mike will chime in.

 

[Mark 66SS]

Thanks Herb! Got it back together last night. Used the sleeve and a NAPA seal. Ran it up to operating temp. before I put the radiator and all back in and no leaks. So far so good. Thanks for all of your input.

That's a beautiful 67!! My buddy had one just like it in high school. My 66 SS convert. is Marina Blue as well. I just don't know how to get pics up on this site. Can you help with that?

Have a great day!

Mark

 

[Herb]

Thanks Mark. Glad the sleeve worked out. I've heard from guys with seal probs that said even the other type seal didn't sure it completely but make it so small they wouldn't redo the job to stop a drop every now and then.

I had a 67 right after high school. But then, I graduated I 65 ;-)

Do a search on the word picture on here. Lots of step by step instructions.