Thread: timing chain cover leaking?

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I noticed today when I first started up my motor there was smoke blowing out the passenger side of the timing chain cover. It dosnt appear to be leaking oil. I was wondering if this is bad and if so what problems will it cause if any.

I have a carbd Chevy 350 in 85 Chevy K10 pickup.

A loose timing chain can wear a hole in the cover. If that's the case, its ready to slip a cog or two.

There does not appear to be a hole, it is leaking where the cover and block mate. It just looks like it dosnt have a propper seal.

If the timing chain is not loose what will happen if I run the motor with the leak in the cover?

It could be just a bad seal, are you getting any blowby? maybe a bad pcv valve or a plugged line? As long as you don't run out of oil it shouldn't be a problem. Carlg

Blow by as in piston blow by? If so I would have to do a compression test?

I dont have pcv valves I have breathers on the valve covers.

Im sorry I dont have much experience with tuning.

No you don't have to do a compression test, take off your oil filler cap start the engine and see if you get smoke out of the valve cover. alittle smoke is ok. Did your truck ever have a vent tube going to the air cleaner, from the valve cover?

The breather that I have on the valve cover was blowing out smoke the same time it was coming out of the timing chain cover. After it warms up the smole gos away for both. I dont know about the tube from the air cleaner part.

The motor has been in at least a couple of vehichles. I believe it originally came out of a Spirit of 76 Impala and last I knew was in my friends pickup truck and now is in my pickup truck. Between the minor mods done to it and just getting around the motor does not have much of the OEM stuff with it.