All,Have an oil lead at the front...

[Seevee]

All,

Have an oil lead at the front end of a 4.3 Merc, probably the timing cover. Has anyone had success with replacing this without pulling the engine. Also, there is a lip on the cover that makes it really hard to replace. Why couldn't this be cut off?

[SEARAYRobbie]

The lip on the timing cover is part of the oil pan seal. It can be removed and/or cut off,however you need to ensure a proper seal on reassembly. The proper way is to pull the engine drop the oil pan and repalce the timing cover.