chain tentioner o-ring leak question before I do anything stupid
 

Before I open this thing up and have springs and guts shooting out at me I'd like to know what I might want to expect and what to avoid. I have all the nuts and the engine tin out of the way but the cover isn't really moving. My first thought was it's just stuck to the gasket and that may be the case, but if it's stuck to that o-ring I'm afraid I might move something in there I don't want to move then the springs and guts senario...

Getting to the covers is the toughest part with having to remove a bunch of stuff. Once you are there, the covers are benign. Nothing is going to spring out at you when they come out. The oring will be sitting on the tensioners, you have to pry them off with a pick.

Have fun.

this thing won't budge! Well, let me rephrase that. It has budged. I'm pretty sure I have broken the gasket seal all around but I can't get it off. Granted I'm not bullying it too much. do you think it could just be grabbing the threads on the studs?
Where the o-ring meets the cover, that part where my leak is happening will not move and drop a chain if the o-ring is sticking? Its bolted in somehow?

Make sure all the nuts are off. Stick a mid-size spatula (steel) in there and give it a twist. The oring will tend to stick a little and make the cover hard to come out. But there is nothing special about these. Pry, pry pry. Then, use Hylomar on installation for a tight seal.

I have had the same difficulty removing the timing chain covers from my turbo. If you are sure that you have removed ALL of the cover nuts, carefully rap the cover all around with a rubber mallet. Then use two broad tip screwdrivers, one on the top of the cover, one on the bottom and rock the cover off the tensioner o-ring. It will pop once the sealing surface of the cover over the o-ring passes by the o-ring on the tensioner shaft. Just be careful not to nick the cover sealing area when you are plying. Use the broadest tip you can find. This will help distribute the load across a broader area.

great guys, thank you. Where do I get the O-ring and gasket from? I was thinking about just going to a local shop tomorrow morning cause I couldn't find it here.

So, I'm crazy for taking it apart without having the replacement parts you say? It's insurance that I will have to do the job before I put the car back together and not just slip into denial about the leak. The leak just decided to get bad since the car has been sitting on jacks. Weird! I guess it's like a dam break, once it gets going a little trickle becomes a catastrophe.

got it! Little bastard o-ring...

What's Hylomar?

Hylomar is a sealant used for gasket forming and dressing. It is blue, comes in a Tube, does not dry like RTV, and is wonderful for gaskets. Spread it on, install it, wipe it off with alcohol. You can get it at Kragen, Napa, Pepboys for about $5 a tube.

thank you sir. Instead of the gasket or with?
Ok... Obviously with. Just wishfull thinking :D