GM 10049009 Cover Assembly, W/Pointer, Crankcase Front End

Remove the vibration damper, followed by the water pump. For models from 1985 and later, take off the oil pan. Next, remove the crankcase front cover mounting bolts and separate the cover from the engine by carefully prying it off the dowels. Discard the old gasket and clean all oil, dirt, and old gasket material from the sealing surfaces of the front cover and engine block, using a sharp knife to eliminate any excess oil pan gasket material at the junction. Replace the front cover seal, then apply a 1/8-inch bead of RTV sealant to the joint formed by the oil pan and engine block. Coat the new cover gasket with RTV sealant and position it on the engine. Install the cover-to-oil pan gasket, coat the crankshaft seal with engine assembly lube or moly-based grease, and position the cover over the crankshaft end. Loosely install the upper cover-to-block retaining bolts, then tighten them in a crisscross pattern while pressing down on the cover to align the dowels in the block with the holes in the cover. Finally, install the remaining cover bolts and tighten them to the specified torque, with the remaining steps being the reverse of removal.

Remove the crankshaft pulley hub, followed by the oil pan-to-timing gear cover bolts and the cover-to-block bolts, including the timing gear cover mounting bolts.

Remove the oil pan-to-front cover bolts, and for 3.1L models, take out the oil pan.