<VV> oil leak at rear of engine - need your help!

[Frank DuVal]

The harmonic balancer can be removed with the special puller sold by our 
vendors while the engine is in place.  Only the oil filter needs to be 
removed. You can stop the harmonic balancer from turning while loosening 
the crankshaft bolt by sticking a short screwdriver through the web of 
the balancer and wedging against some lump on the rear housing. A 3/4" 
combination wrench works fine. Torqueing the bolt when finished is more 
difficult as not many (any?) torque wrenches and sockets fit in the 
short space. I use my "educated" hand and tighten with small blows from 
a hammer. These same  "educated" hands use the hammer to tap the bolt 
loose. Or just pull with 40 to 50 pounds of force on the 1 foot long 
combination wrench. One could do a Rube Goldberg with a bathroom scale 
against the wrench and pull or push until it reads 50 lbs. Hammer is 
easier for me!

Hammer for most Corvair work is 8 oz ball pein. Taper joints on the 
suspension ( ball joint, tie tod ends, etc.) are the exception and need 
all the hammer you can get (2+lbs) and two of them at the same time. 
This is for popping  the joint apart like removing a blackhead. See GM 
factory service manual for details. Back to subject at hand...

Bolt is regular right hand thread. Should be able to reuse fine. I have 
only seen one broken off in years.

Seal is pried out easily (on external metal ring) with a big screwdriver 
once the balancer is off. Pack new seal with grease and tap in evenly 
with whatever tool works. When the seal bottoms out (external metal ring 
contacts the rear housing fully) it is installed correctly.

There are two other ways people have done this and they may chime in. 
One method can result in a cracked rear housing if caution is not 
followed. But some have used it without failure. The other involves a 
piece of flat bar, Smitty?


Frank DuVal

rbkj84 at comcast.net wrote:

>I have a 65 Corsa 140.  (Many on the list will be interested to hear that my 17 year old son has pretty much adopted it as his daily driver!)  I am tracking down an oil leak that developed about 2 months ago.  Its near the rear of the engine.  It seemed like it might be near the distributor so I changed the distributor to casting gasket. No luck.  Then I got more agressive and replaced the gasket under the alternator/oil filter/oil filler casting and the viton seal on the fuel pump for good measure.  But no!  So........ my next thought is that it is the seal that goes into the rear engine casting just behind the harmonic dampener.  The front of that casting looks pretty oily.  The oil is being slung up to the underside of the engine lid.
>Questions:  How tough is it to remove the harmonic dampener?  How do I keep the crank from turning when I try to unscrew it or will just leaving the car in gear with the wheels on the ground hold it all (4 speed manual).  Is the bolt that holds on the dampener to the crank threaded in regular right hand threads or is it one of the few that goes the 'wrong' way.  Should I replace it with a grade 8 bolt for good measure? Can the alternator/oil filter casting be left on? Do I need to drop the rear of the engine down or can I do it with that small puller that Lon sells and indicates is very good for this job?  Can I get to the seal behind the dampener when the dampener is off with the engine still in place?  In the tech guide there is an article saying that the seal can't be worked on without the engine lowered but in another article in the same source it appears that the seal can be R and R -ed with the engine in the regular position.  How tough is it to put that seal in and mak
> e sure
> that it is in place?  
>I have (obviously) never done this procedure before and would appreciate all the knowledge and tricks of the trade before I venture further into the search for a cure!
>Many thanks to all for sharing your expertise.
>Regards
>Ron
>65 Corsa 140 Coupe 
>64 Spyder Coupe (Power Tour 2006 veteran!)
>91 Buick Reatta Coupe
>
>PS - just saw three Tuckers held in private collection.  The largest concentration of Tuckers in one place anywhere in the world !!   Too Cool!!
>
>  
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