How about the replacement of that front engine oil seal? Looking at the RAVE, it calls for a special tool. I saw another thread about carefully removing it with a flat blade screwdriver, but what about re-seating it?

Also, what sealants are best for the oil pan gasket, timing cover gasket and water pump gasket?

Thanks again!

 

Hey have you made any progress on this? I may have a similar leak.

 

I hate to revive an apparently dead thread but I have the same questions above and there was no reply... anyone? I'm thinking about starting this project in the next day or two.

 

Staring at the problem will not fix it.
Wishing the problem will go away will not fix it.
I have tried these things.

You got to dig in now and fix it.

Get the belt off and the fan off.
If you can get that far, then off comes the water pump.

Replace the water pump and see if the problem is gone.

-
Or - and this will work for a time.
Put in a bottle of Barr's leaks.

It will plug the leak.
But then the water pump will eventually fail and leave you stranded.

 

the op pix show a leak in the water pump, but also timing chain cover gasket, if you have leaks there replace the gaskets do not use sealers.

 

This is what killed our engine by allowing coolant to leak into the oil pan via the timing chain. The previous owner changed the head gaskets twice thinking that was it but I found the timing cover gasket failed and destroyed the bearings and wasted the crank which we think might be beyond repair. The gasket job is not that hard but you are on borrowed time, if coolant hits that oil the bearings will fail very quickly.

 

I haven't looked at the tool needed for the front seal, but I can say I would definitely use black RTV on the timing cover gasket, and probly blue RTV on the water pump but I'd have to reread the RTV tube to be sure it was the correct type.

There's no way I'd do that job without adding sealant. These things are very likely to leak down the road, and sealant is cheap insurance.

 

Hi all,

Always good advice and it's much appreciated! Back to my originial question, is there a best way to re-seat the front seal as a special tool is mention in the RAVE. Also, what sealant is suggested for the bolts that go into the block's coolant flow? Would I put said sealant on all bolts or just specific ones? I have all new gaskets needed for this job but I'm seeing some of you suggest using RTV in addition to the gasket correct? While others say no sealant? I just bought a 2' breaker bar for the cranks shaft bolt but does anyone know off hand what size socket I'll need. I'm going to start tearing it apart tomorrow when the temp has gone up a bit and it's easier to heat the garage.

I've been to all the auto supply stores around and none of 'em have the correct fitting to pressure test so I just plan on replacing everything.... water pump, timing chain and gears an oil pump gears while I'm in there just to be safe.

 

There is no tool needed to seat the timing cover gasket. Just use enough RTV to keep the gasket lined up as you slide on the timing cover.

I did not add sealant to the bolts when I did this job. However I did just pull a leaking bolt out this week and add some sealant and a copper washer. The bolt was loose anyway, but I don't think the sealant would hurt anything.

I don't know the socket size.

One thing that is not apparent is that you have to drop the oil pan to get the timing cover off.

 

I would be hesitant to put sealant on the bolts, if just because the block on these trucks has the consistency of butter. If you are talking about sealant on the threads, absolutely not. If you are talking about sealant on the head, I might put a daub on there, but I'd try to be sparing.

On the gasket, there's a really fine line between enough and too much. Too much is when it goes everywhere while you are bolting it together. My technique is to use enough RTV to definitely create a seal between the gasket and the metal on both sides of the gasket. I guess the equivalent would be a 1/8" bead on the whole gasket and around any bolt holes in the gasket, but in reality when you are working with RTV it's never that neat.