Timing Cover Gasket, chain, and water pump?

jjklongisland

Registered User
OK, so I decided to finally get my SC inspected and brought it to my mechanic who I trust very much so and also asked him to pressure test the coolant system since she is still running on the hot side. He said I am leaking from the radiator (which I knew I would have to eventually replace) and my timing cover. He said since he will have the whole front of the motor apart I might as well do the timing chain and the water pump. He said book time on the timing cover gasket is around 6 hours. He told me $800 to do everything with me supplying the radiator (he would supply all gaskets, timing chain, and water pump). Now I still do not know if this will solve my running hot but he said if it doesnt pass a pressure test than air can be getting in the system and might cause it to run hot.

So the question is, do I throw $800 into it another $250 for a radiator and have him do it, or should I do it myself. I figure the water pump, chain and gaskets is around $150 max and the radiator is $250. I have not tackled a timing chain or water pump before and it looks like it could be intimating but I have to learn some time, but with no garage and limited specialized tools I may be biting off more than I can chew.

Lastly, is there any other things I should change while it is apart. The car has 114k and was sitting for a while. Keep in mind, a full tune up, belts, wires, plugs, thermostat, temp sending unit, and coolant houses were all done by me a few weeks ago. Its not my daily driver and is my hobby car but I do enjoy being able to drive it when home from work or on the weekends.
 
I would say do it yourself. It's not that big of a job in my opinion. Timing chains and gears should be pretty simple if you don't turn the engine or cam once its off.
Might look into buying a new HB if you haven't.
I can't thing of any special tools you would need btw.
 
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The problem is re-using the stock harmonic balancer. Once you remove it, the tolerance will not be tight and it will slowly start to vibrate. This over time will cause it to crack and snap off.

Do it yourself and with the money you save, order a BHJ balancer and new crank bolt.
 
If you own an SC, you better learn to start working on it yourself. Pretty much everything that needs to be done on these cars takes a lot longer than on their N/A variations, or any typical car. $800 is about right for a shop doing this work, and then when he gets in there he may have to deal with studs seized into the timing cover, or if he isn't too familiar with SCs he will miss the one allen-head bolt down by the oil pump and might end up snapping the timing cover, and then you'll be out the money for another timing cover or additional labor. Don't take this as knocking your mechanic, I'm not, it is just that this is not your typical car, and the time involved in figuring out all its quirks when working on it are going to be passed on to the consumer, and many mechanics have never even seen under the hood of an SC, let alone know the ins and outs of diagnosing and repairing it, so if you can't do things yourself, be prepared to spend a lot of money. That is in my opinion precisely why these cars are so undervalued. As soon as someone gets an estimate for $800 to fix a coolant leak, or $1000 for a tune-up, or $1600 to replace a brake booster, all they want to do is unload the car for cheap. So I guess what I'm saying is do it yourself, take your time, and learn how your car is put together so that when the next thing comes along, you'll be better prepared to fix it yourself.
 
Thanks for the breakdown. I have always been fearful of tackling motor work. I can change out bolt on stuff like alternators and batteries and do stereos etc. Its remembering the order to take things on and off and the frustration of not have all the right tools. This may be a project I may want to hold off and do it myself i guess. Hopefully that shop manual I bought has instructions... lol
 
Well you also have the advantage of this being a pleasure vehicle, and not something you have to get back together to get to work on Monday. Take your time with it. If you get stuck, come on here and ask. Take lots of pictures, they will help you to get everything back the same way it came off, as well as help us to see where you are at if you do get stuck with something. If you find you don't have a particular tool, go buy it, and you will still be saving money over paying someone else to do it. Also, when taking things apart, grab a sharpie and some zip-lock bags and label everything you take off. Also, there are a lot of hidden fasteners on these motors (like the allen head bolt by the oil pump for the timing cover), so if a part isn't coming off, don't force it, just look and feel around, and ask here if you still can't find it, and I'm sure you'll be able to get it done.
 
Well you also have the advantage of this being a pleasure vehicle, and not something you have to get back together to get to work on Monday. Take your time with it. If you get stuck, come on here and ask. Take lots of pictures, they will help you to get everything back the same way it came off, as well as help us to see where you are at if you do get stuck with something. If you find you don't have a particular tool, go buy it, and you will still be saving money over paying someone else to do it. Also, when taking things apart, grab a sharpie and some zip-lock bags and label everything you take off. Also, there are a lot of hidden fasteners on these motors (like the allen head bolt by the oil pump for the timing cover), so if a part isn't coming off, don't force it, just look and feel around, and ask here if you still can't find it, and I'm sure you'll be able to get it done.

Thanks man. I think I am going to give it a shot.
 
I have a real dumb question. How could I be leaking coolant out of my timing cover gasket? I thought the timing cover gasket would prevent oil leaking from the front of the motor... Dont laugh at me... lol :confused:
 
Not a dumb question! Not exactly sure about the 3.8 as I've not changed it on my 95....yet. Ha! But, looking on the parts sites for the 3.8 I see two holes (about the size of a quarter) along the gasket which leads me to believe it's the same way as another vehicles timing cover gasket that I've changed. I think it's coolant supply holes from the pump through the timing chain cover and into each side of the block.
 
Not a dumb question! Not exactly sure about the 3.8 as I've not changed it on my 95....yet. Ha! But, looking on the parts sites for the 3.8 I see two holes (about the size of a quarter) along the gasket which leads me to believe it's the same way as another vehicles timing cover gasket that I've changed. I think it's coolant supply holes from the pump through the timing chain cover and into each side of the block.

OK, that makes sense... Thanks for not making me feel like a dumba$$... lol
 
I have a real dumb question. How could I be leaking coolant out of my timing cover gasket? I thought the timing cover gasket would prevent oil leaking from the front of the motor... Dont laugh at me... lol :confused:

Water pump bolts to timing cover with a gasket. Water flows through the cover into the block on both sides. The cover also has a gasket. If the timing cover gasket is bad it can leak oil and leak coolant.
 
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