It’s a good thing advice here is free. I ask for my much help I’d be broke. I appreciate it.
im thing to find and fix a oil leak that I believe is coming from under the harmonic balancer. Manual says to hold the flywheel with screw driver and remove the 1” bolt. Where do they want me to put the screw driver? Here?

and is this a standard bolt (right-tight, left-loose) or is this a wacky left hand thread like the front driver axle spindle nut I stripped on day 1 of the rebuild...
THATS why I’m asking so many questions!
Happy New Year

 

That's the keyway that keeps the balancer from spinning on the crank. It's talking about jamming the flywheel itself between engine and trans. If you have an impact wrench, air or electric, you may not need to jam the flywheel. Let the vibration do the work.

Far as I know it's a RH thread.

A harmonic balancer puller/installer will make your life easier here. You may be able to rent one at a parts store.

 

Rocketraider, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize that as the keyway. That’s so obvious now that you said it. Thanks for pointing it out. Sometimes when I’m nervous I miss the obvious. I’ve been afraid to use an impact till I know which direction the bolt should be turned to remove.
I don’t see how a screwdriver will help. No place to put it in without it destroying the pulley face. I’m going to try a strap wrench and an impact set very low!! That pulley doesn’t have any place for a puller to attach either. We shall see!

 

Try the opposite side of the engine. Put the screwdriver through one of the holes in the flex plate, which is attached to the front of the transmission.

 

Success! Thanks for the wisdom and confidence. I used a strap wrench on the balancer and a hand wrench and pipe. I can confirm it’s a RH thread

 

If you use an impact wrench the bolt should come loose with no problem. Then it should slide off the crank. You should not need a puller since it is not pressed on.

 

Pulley is 71 years of frozen on. The entire aria is a gas bomb waiting to combust so no heat till things dry out. Garage doors open tonight and I’ll put a bit of heat to it in the am. I think there’s rubber in those harmonic balancers so I won’t give it much. I can’t get a puller to bite behind the balancer.

 

What engine is this? The pulley/balancer doesn't look as I'd expect it to.

 

1949 Olds 88 with the original 303
just like the pic in the service manual.

 

1. Try to rotate the crank to where the keyway is on top.
2. Try spraying penetrating oil in at the top corners of the key, to seep down
3. Spray penetrating oil around the front of the crank.
4. Tap the harmonic balancer in with a soft hammer and then try the puller.
5. Respray every few hours and repeat step 4. Sooner or later, it should come off.
.....Just my two cents worth.

 

May only need to be tapped with a hammer. I don't ever remember one getting real stuck ever....Tedd

 

Balancer is off! Thanks for the advice on positing the keyway at 12 then applying lube. It still took heat but I used a heat gun instead of an open flame.
the challenge to replace the front main seal continues... I’ve got everything listed in the service manual off: radiator, exterior coolant pipe, fuel pump, oil pan, generator bracket and starter. I’ve got the engine jacked up from the underside and removed the two nuts for the front motor mount. I’ve removed 5 bolts that I’m assuming secure the cover to the engine block. But the cover is stuck in place. I can see two pins in the block that the cover is sitting on. One on each side, just between the mounting bolts at the bottom. I think those pins are super stuck and I’m afraid the pry on the cast iron to much. If it’s the gasket holding it on, it’s a heck of a gasket! I’ve heated it, pried a bit and given it taps with a rubber mallet but it’s not budging. Am I missing something? Here’s a pic:

 

I used an impact wrench, the bolt came out easily, and the pully just slid off, no problem at all. I expected a lot more resistance than I had.

Looks like you got it. Have fun with the rest of the project. It looks fairly clean compared to what I had to deal with.

 

Sometimes the keys are rounded enough on the corners to allow penitrant to flow deeper into mating surfaces. This can make a difference on other things. Trust me, I have broken and bent a few things without doing it.
Check for hidden bolts !!!!! I can't remember if there are dowel pins locating the front cover. You may want to spray some penitrating oil around them. Good luck.

 

there are definitely two dowels I’m battling. 5 bolts seem to be all there is. Can anyone confirm?

 

Here's a 303 block, it has the two pins down low. Then there's a view of the timing cover backside. I'm hoping this will help you identify the bolts and their locations.

 

Sorry, I should have taken a picture of the front. There's two water pump bolts that go all the way through, plus the one on the passenger side. Did you remove these yet?

 

Incredibly helpful! Thank you so much. That puts my mind at ease. Time, lube, heat and leverage. Oh, and patience! That’s what I need now. All this to solve a leak! Still, the work is half the fun when I remember how blessed I am to have this beauty. Thank you everyone for the advice

 

I DID NOT remove those water pump bolts! You bet I will! Honestly, this forum is the best! I’m so glad I found it. Count on my to contribute all I can, even if at this stage is asking questions.

 

I was also going to mention those two water pump bolts but it looks like 442 already mentioned them They are the culprits and never see it unless you pull the pump. I just did this a couple of months ago due to a water leak. Kicked my butt trying to find it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but alas,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it turned out to be the small freeze plugs in the timing cover housing where rusted out and had very small pin holes. While you have yours of you might want to look at them now rather than later. I am getting ready to do this same job to my 57 and install new gears and chain and dropping the pan just to clean it out. . Good luck with yours.

 

This is one of those cases where a factory shop manual would save a lot of time and frustration. It is one of the first things I always tell somebody that has purchased and old car to buy. It pays for itself very quickly.

 

not really... I have two. One is the common 1949 Olds service manual, the other the Advance notice service manual meant to bring techs up to speed on the new 49 models. While both manuals give the procedure (which is helpful), neither are specific about WHAT bolts to remove. They simply say, “remove the bolts securing the cover”

 

I know. Doesn't tell you how. I have a Haynes Manual for my 911, it says stuff like, remove the engine. Like you automatically know everything on how to do that.

 

A Haynes manual is nothing like an original factory service manual. I have the set of two factory service manual for a 94 Corvette I had. They are a total of 3 1/2 inches thick and the Haynes manual I have is 3/4 inches thick. Totally two different things. Use whatever you want and whatever works for you.

 

Hi Red,

I was being facetious....I have factory manuals for every car I have except a '99 Saab---and that one has a Haynes! It drives me nuts, the new cars are only on disc or downloaded files, piece meal.

 

Hey! The front timing cover is off! Thanks to everyone for the help. You’re the best. For future reference, here’s what I learned. There are 8 bolts securing the cover and two nuts holding the lower portion in place on the motor Mount.
5 of the bolts are short. Three are long, two on the water pump (just look for the water pump bolts with the larger bolts) and one holding the pulley idler bracket. See pics below:

 

You might take a good look at your balancer or just have it rebuilt, 71 year old rubber is probably at the end of it's life cycle same as the soft plugs..... Tedd

 

Good suggestion Tedd. I remember when mine came apart and when I came to a stoplight I heard this clanging sound and knew what it was. I had mine rebuilt by Damper Dudes. I know there are several other places that are good.

 

Great suggestion. While I have all of you helping, I posted on the parts wanted section for a part I broke in the process. Brass external water bypass fitting for 303. Please let me know if you’ve got one to sell

 

If it like the later engines it might be a pipe thread brass fitting or iron, probably 1/2 inch but I could be wrong on this....Tedd

 

Amazon came through! I can confirm a part made by Hillman, part number 58343 is a perfect replacement for the water bypass hose connector.

 

Update: for those looking at this in the future, it turns out that Hillman part is NOT correct. Close but no cigar. I actually need a 11/16-18 x 1/4 inverted flare street L. The Hillman was 3/8. The hunt continues

 

That's why people invented big wrenches....it'll work if you force it hard enough! (Kidding.)