Engine Assembly: Timing Chain Cover

I was reusing the original front cover but it had a small problem: one of the water pump bolts had seized and broken in it. I showed it to my friend who luckily managed to get it out by heating it with a small torch and applying enough force with a pipe wrench.

Before installing the front cover, I had to replace the crankshaft oil seal. The old one proved to be quite hard to remove but little by little it came out by hammering it enough. The new seal was also very tight but by working it gradually around the edges, it went in.

I wanted the timing chain and fuel pump cam to have some lubrication from the first start so I covered both with assembly lube.

Then I went through the gasket surfaces one more time with cleaner and started spreading some Hylomar on the cover.

I put the gasket on the cover and spread some more sealer.

And by using two of the bottom bolts, I loosely placed the cover on the engine. The bolts do not accurately position the cover though so before torquing them, I placed the damper on the crank to use as a guide. When the cover was centered as well as I could, I screwed in the rest of the bolts. I was not going to install the water pump yet so I used a large stack of washers for the really long bolts. This way they all squeezed the sealant and hopefully would guarantee a leak free cover.