Timing Cover Installation. Oil Pan Needs to lower a little

[LukeBickers]

1996 blazer 4.3, 4 wheel drive.

ok. my timing problem was also the chain. It had slipped quite a bit when i got to the chain and gears. also, upon comparing the new chain and old, the old one had streched about 1/8th-1/4th of an inch. i got the timing belt changed out and now i can't get the cover back on. according to chiltons and haynes, i need to drop the oil pan about 1/4 of an inch to get the cover in place. this is true and a completely ridiculous engineering idea.

however, i loosened all bolts that i could see and i can't get the pan to lower at all. i haven't been rough with it (for the sake of the gasket), but i have tried to knock it out with a block of wood and mallet. it didn't budge.

also, both chilton and haynes have it listed as 12 bolts and i can only see 10. does anyone know how to get to the back 2 bolts (1 on left, 1 on right). since this is an aluminum pan, maybe those bolts have to be loosened up as well?

has anyone else had to do this? anyone have any suggestions? (outside of lifting the motor and making this a huge ordeal)

[quaddriver]

doesthat year still have the converter cover or is the bell 1 piece? the other 2 in the 'back' are close to it, typically starter has to drop at the least

[LukeBickers]

from looking at the bell, it doesn't appear to be a cover. however, since there are 2 missing screws, i can only assume that it would be under there.

there are two pieces of hose like material coming out of the oil pan at the exact location that the it meets with the bell housing. i'm not sure what those hoses are going to and they are in the exact location that the screws are supposed to be.

i guess that the place that i thought must be the bell must be the bell cover.

do you think that if i find and remove those screws that the pan will drop much easier? the type of alluminum that the oil pan is made from is not bendable. if i try to bend it from a solid connection, i'm sure it will just break. i don't want to do this.

i love my blazer and it's setup, but i will definitely not buy another. the engineering on these setups of blazers is completely dumb and the dex-cool has esculated to several hundred $'s worth of stuff that i have repaired myself. the only thing that i haven't replaced on my cooling system is the heater core and the radiator itself. everything else (hoses, water pump, manifold gaskets, etc) is brand new. eventually, it will be great again.....but i'm so frustrated with it right now.

[LukeBickers]

ok, i got it lowered. i just had to pry it (ever so gently) it's been down and back up. no problems. the timing cover was installed with no problems as well.

[CHV_FRK]

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