some stupid ???'s

[1studiac]

Tomorrow I am going to buy a manual on my 80 wag. But I thought I would ask some questions here. First off I tried out the 4 low tonight only for about 2 blocks on dry pavement, I am wondering how loud the whirrrring sound is on a properly functioning unit? It seems a little louder that my 85 f150. Second I think my oil leak is coming from the timing chain cover, not right at the bottom but up somewhere in there, if I wipe the oil off right behind the harmonic balancer it comes running down again and again. How much trouble is it to fix a leak like this on these rigs? Lastly it looks like I have a mechanical kickdown for the tranny, is that right? It wont kick down, if I drive real slow and wait for it to shift then go a couple miles an hour faster than hammer it it doesnt down shift, got any ideas? Thanks for the help.

[Bob Barry]

Low-range is pretty whiney.

As for the leak, it might be a crack in the case itself, or it might simply be a front-seal, which you can replace simply by pulling the balancer, prying out the old-seal (seal-puller is worth its weight in gold here) and tapping in a new one. Or, if your balancer journal surface has a groove worn in it, get a speedy-sleeve kit for it, which comes with a bushing to hammer over the shaft and a new seal.