Lower bal shaft cover

[Drscottsmith]

Hello all -

For the third time dealing with lower balance shaft cover leaking. I put dye in to help make sure the issue is there and not higher up.

Sure looks like the source is the bottom of the front cover. The onion seal is in place and has oil all around it. No leakage from front seal.

You can see some yamabond where I thought the leak originally was at the pan gasket.

Thoughts?

[Drscottsmith]

Couple of pics of the housing

[Tom]

If it's leaking between the carrier and the block, I'd try a new o-ring and make sure the inside surface where it mates is smooth without any nicks or damage... Also be sure to use a factory o-ring!

[Drscottsmith]

Ordered a new GP o-ring (don’t recall if the current is or not).

Also may go ahead and use a dab of yamabond around the bolt holes this time.

Thanks Tom!

[barnwerks]

I think enough Yamabond has been used already Dr.
I recommend looking very carefully at the alignment of the balance shaft cover to the block where the O ring of the front housing makes contact. If the cover was installed without the front housing and Oring in place, it may be out of alignment with the block.

[Tom]

I think enough Yamabond has been used already Dr.
I recommend looking very carefully at the alignment of the balance shaft cover to the block where the O ring of the front housing makes contact. If the cover was installed without the front housing and Oring in place, it may be out of alignment with the block.

Good points. I would not put any sealant on the bolts; if it is leaking, it's from a bad o-ring seal or as barnwerks points out, from a bad seal between the block and the cover. Do you know how the cover was sealed to the block? The factory says to use Loctite 574, which has never failed me. Lots of people try to get away with sealants they can pick up at Walmart or the like. Sometimes that works, sometimes no so much. Any signs of oil leaking from other parts of the cover? If not, I'd probably try the new o-ring with fingers crossed, and if it still leaks, pull the cover and reseal it with Loctite 574.

[Drscottsmith]

Ok I think I understand. No other leaks from balance shaft at all. Sounds like the alignment of the long cover to the front of the block is potentially the issue. I will check that tomorrow.

Looking at the uv photos, it looks to me like the leak is on either side of the bolt hole - a little streak of green down each side but maybe I am looking at those pics wrong. Please advise on that as I have never used the dye before.

I’ll try to take some more pics tomorrow of this area in particular.

[Drscottsmith]

Hey guys -

Here is a pic of the cover on attempted reassembly. Sure looks to me like there is a slight gap between the back of the housing and the bracket. Bolt is tight but not torqued

Solution: loosen the bracket and let it meet the balance shaft cover then tighten?

[Drscottsmith]

Latest pic -

Will the back bolt torquing down close that gap in?

I don’t have that in yet.

[Tom]

At the risk of sounding judgy, I'd get rid of all the goop first. It makes me sad. And I'm wondering if it is preventing the carrier from sitting flush against the block? The o-ring is supposed to contain the oil, not the flat mating surfaces. However, if the b/s cover is misaligned, the oil could be getting out before the o-ring in the joint between the block and the cover, and/or the o-ring may not be able to seal due to a lip in that same seam. Back to my soapbox... if it were me, I'd strip the goop; remove the balance shaft cover entirely; change the bearings while I'm in there (because why not); reinstall the cover with Loctite 574 using the factory torque sequence; check carefully for misalignment (lips) in the o-ring sealing race; use a new factory o-ring; and hopefully call it a day. You might get away with doing less, but there's a lot of effort involved in getting it all back together and this seems like one of those situations where biting the bullet will yield a better job in less time than trying a series of 'easier' fixes... Just my two cents.