sb collant leak at timing cover??

barbee6043 said

help!! i bought my mopar from a young guy that replaced this and that. i see collant leaking from edge where timing cover is at block. i took out the upper bolts on drivers side that hold on power steering pump, and put silicon on those but still see it leaking. i see some collant on right side at front corner of oil pan, been long while since i had sb, and don;t recall how water pump is involved with timing cover. really don;t want to start pullin parts and workin with no plan!!! so please offer info . thanks in advance, BILL

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I've never had any luck slapping RTV on a coolant leak. The deal with the front cover is not only does the water pump bolt to it, but it provides the conduits to the block. This is different from the SB Chebby and the BB Mopar which use sheet metal front covers and are not connected to the water pump.

IMO there's no way around removing the front cover to fix the problem. Remember there are two bolts that come into the cover from the bottom. If you want/need to remove the front cover from the engine you'll need to remove the lower pulleys and the harmonic balancer. Buy/rent a puller to do this.

The objective is to get a good seal between the block and the front cover. When the front cover is removed, the gasket surface of the block and the front cover need to be cleaned to prepare for the new gasket. While this is going on, it is advisable to put some sort of covering over the opening to the oil pan created by removal of the front cover. This is to keep debris out of the oil pan.

After the gasket is replaced and tested for leaks. Change the oil. While coolant is slick, it will not protect the engine from the rigors of operation. With the leak in the front cover, there is no doubt that some coolant wound up in the oil pan.