Timing Cover Re & RE

[Paul M]

Can someone direct me to a site or link with detailed (step by step) procedure for timing cover on a 96 Monte w/3100 ? I'm preparing for a timing cover gasket(s) replacement and need to know what tools I will need and tips on what kind of surprises to expect.
Does the oil pan have to come off ?
Do I have to drop the cross member or lift the engine (partially) out of the
engine bay ?
The torx bolts holding the timimg cover to the block,are they really a "pita" to remove and are they prone to snapping off ? What can be done to prevent breaking them ?
Any special tools I'm gonna be needing to borrow such as a puller for the lower pulley (harmonic balancer) or will a steering wheel puller do the trick ?
Maybe a six foot pipe on the end of a ratchet to loosen the bolts like the head bolts required to be removed.
I just finished replacing the rear head gasket and rear exhaust manifold only to drive home and have the Monte puke dexcool all over the driveway AGAIN !
Everything seemed fine when we finished that job including bleeding the cooling system,road testing to normal operating temp then letting it cool down and rechecking dexcool level.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. -Paul-

[IsaacHayes]

I replaced mine in my car, which has a side mount and a LOT more cramped than yours.

Just be careful when removing the cover, to not tear the oil pan seal and you can leave the pan on. There are 2 pins in the block that hold the timing cover in place down low so when you take it off note that. You don't have to take the head bolts out... lol What torx bolts? Mine were all normal bolts.

Put silicone in the corner where the block and cover and oil pan meet when re-installing. You need to rent a crankshaft balancer puller. And you'll need to put a screw driver in the teeth of the flexplate to keep the motor from turning when loosening and tightening the dampener back on.

Not much to it really. You gotta seal the bolts going back in too.

Have you verified its the timing cover leaking? Mine was seeping but not dumping out.

Also might want to replace the timing chain and dampener while in there.....

[Paul M]

Thanx for responding Isaac.
The only pic I saw of the timing cover and chain and sprockets off, showed Torx bolts holding the cover to the block.I could be mistaken.I may have to go back and check again.I sure hope they're normal metric or standard.Keeping it simple will make my day tomorrow,as I've got to do this after suspecting a head gasket because it leaked onto the head gasket area etc and was bubbling/hissing when the engine got hot.I wasn't looking forward to doing it right away as my LIM gaskets weren't due to be changed till spring time/warmer weather.<---<<< lol
1st surprise was when "part" of the rear exhaust manifold fell off as we unbolted it.Not so surprising was the fact that ,without torches, forget about loosening the 2 spring-loaded flange bolts.
2nd surprise was "I didn't know a saws-all can cut through a cast manifold.Albeit 2-3 blades later.(cuz of da complex angles of getting in the engine compartment with a saws-all)Can you say yoga/contortionist ?
The O2 sensors were also stubborn w/o torches, both the existing one and the one that came on the salvage yard manifold.
3rd surprise was the old head gasket which didn't "look" bad after we took it off.Oh well not so bad considering we found the broken manifold which was the reason MyMonte clicked and clacked more than a powerstroke diesel.
Now the cam chain cover adventure.I'll keep ya'll posted on how I had to overcome lack of engineering on GM's part.I hope the cam chain cover gaskets weren't designed by the same engineers that designed the LIM gaskets.This ain't no Hendrick motor... ...it'll hafta go than 500 miles !

[IsaacHayes]

I replaced my timing cover gasket at around 200,000. It's just a paper gasket which holds better than the LIM but does wear out after a long time.

[Paul M]

Re:Timing Cover Re &amp; Re

Cam chain cover gasket replacement went real smooth ! NO TORX BOLTS, WooHoo !The paper gasket was deteriorated and it was obvious where it had failed.The longest part was getting the gasket surfaces and bolts all surgically clean for proper sealing and running the engine to operating temp to burp it/check for Kool Aid leaks.

[IsaacHayes]

Did you change the oil afterwards to get rid of all the crap and coolant may have fell into the pan?

[Paul M]

I haven't changed the oil yet but will do so before weeks end.I never had any sign of dex-cool in the oil and wanted to make sure all my leaks were sealed before changing it.Furthermore after removing the T/chain cover, I stuffed a rag in the opening to the crankcase before scraping the old gasket off so little if ANY crap fell in.Fresh t/chain cover gasket and a crankseal solved my dex-cool-aid leaks for now.
After checking the chain it might be a good idea to change it soon as it seemed kinda loose to me but not this month.