Timing cover gasket replacement w/pics
 

I recently replaced my timing cover gaskets and thought that I might share the experience.

Disconnect the battery
Put the car on the lift or stands and starting within the engine compartment first.
1) Remove the plastic blower tube, blower resistor, and distributor venting on the left of the engine compartment.
2) Remove belts and belt sensor.
3) Take the A/C compressor off its mounting bracket. It is not neccessary to disconnect the A/C lines or release the refrigerant.
4) There are 7 screws in the rear engine tin that will need to be removed. 2 are between the crank pulley and engine mount bracket, 1 is behind the belt sensor and there are 2 on each side of the engine compartment.

Now we can move to the underside of the car.
1) Removed the muffins. My car has no plastic undercarriage cover, so if yours does then that will need to be taken of too.
2) Remove the primary muffin bracket and the rear heat exchange tube. At this point it would be a good idea to support the engine with a jack.
3) You should be able to finess the rear engine tin out of the way by now.
4) This is where the support comes into play, the rear engine mounting bracket will have to be taken out.
5) After you've removed that, the crank pulley and the aluminum A/C bracket will have to be removed as well.
6) Now you should have open access to the timing covers and the nuts that hold them on. After taking them off make sure that you clean the gasket grooves thoroughly before placing the new gaskets in.

From here on just reverse the process.
If I've left anything out please feel free to add it on.

Duncan

Wow Duncan - thanks. Can I drop by your place so you can do mine too? :)

I have been trying to confirm what the third picture is looking at - up under the bumper at the rear of the engine/engine mount, rear engine tin, and primary muffler bracket, right

Marc
p.s. Do you know - is it possible to change all the engine tin wihout an engine drop?

Picture #3 is the heat shield for the primary muffler. In substantially better condition than mine I might add.

Top of picture is the the bumper cover, bottom of picture is the oil line I destroyed taking my engine out.

It looks like your left valve cover is leaking as well. Why don't you join the group buy for the lower valve covers from Imagine Auto? (top message when you enter the forum)

:)

Kirk

Do you have a picture of the gaskets that can be changed without removing the chain?

Marc,

Come on down.
The #3pic is of the rear engine tin (kinda rusty huh?) Also the muffin bracket, engine support, and aluminum A/C bracket. You should be able to change out the engine tin in the back and on the sides, however the tin in the front may require you to at least lower the engine partially.

Duncan

Eric,

Unfortunately I did not bother to take a pic of the new gasket set. It came with the 2 rubber gaskets for the perimeter, 2 steel/rubber trimmed gaskets for the chain adjusters, and all new nuts, washers, and washer O'rings.

Duncan

Duncan,

Where did you get the new gasket set?

I looked in PET and thought there was just one gasket/side so that is all I got.

Thanks.

Marc
p.s. Add "replace rusty tin" to my ever-expanding job list. ;)

Duncan,
Do you have to remove the rear engine mounting bracket? I haven't plunged into my 964 yet, but when I did the chain tensioner upgrade on my 83, I had access without needing to support the engine.
Thx.
Chris

If your car has A/C then you will have to remove the engine support, because the aluminum A/C bracket is in the way of a few of the nuts that hold the right side timing cover on. I'm not really sure if it would be neccessary to remove it on a non-A/C car, since it has no A/C mounting portion on that piece of aluminum. But I'm gonna bet that it would have to come off too.

Duncan