Removing bottom cover without removing head?

[undertech]

Hi guys,I'm rebuilding my 95's DE, and it's mostly together now. But I realized that I put the seal between the front cover and the block in backwards (the metal tube is going into the cover instead of the block). So now I'm faced with taking the engine apart again to put this back in properly.Can I remove the front cover without removing the head/top cover? Or will I screw up the headgasket/worse?

[VRoy]

i know you dont want to hear this. but as far as i am aware your are going to have to pull the head, top cover and oil pan then pull the main pulley if you've put it back on. i dont think there is any easy way to just pull that bottom cover off. Good luck.

[undertech]

Hey thanks for the reply. I was resigning myself to this very reality but just thought I'd see if there was a trick or two.I just hope I don't screw up the seal lines on the HG again when I lift the head off...I've already had to buy a new HG once! I probably need to buy a new tube of Super Grey too, sigh...

[EssThrteen20]

This topic is pretty old now but I just pulled my front cover off to replace the timing chain without pulling the head and upper oil pan off so its certainly possible. You just have to be careful of the headgasket when putting the cover back in place.