That bit was a pain. I took three attempts (which meant cleaning up wet FIPG twice) before I was happy with it. Was awhile ago now so honestly can't remember precisely how we did it, but I think I did get a very small amount of gasket maker and held the O-ring in place in the cover when I did it. Obviously, the way the engine was originally put together was that the sump went on last, so this isn't normally an issue. We're just trying to take a short-cut here.

The FIPG box says that you have like 2-3 minutes to mate the surfaces up. Honestly, it took us more like 5 minutes to get the timing cover FIPG on (especially as you need to apply two FIPGs - one for the water inlets and one for the outside seal), and you don't want to miss anything. Then it probably took us about 5 minutes to be confident that it had mated up well and we hadn't lost the O ring, and another 5-10 minutes to get everything torqued up. And it sealed perfect and haven't had an issue. So don't rush it because of the drying time (but I wouldn't do this job in dry heat either - I think it was a cooler, rainy day when we did it which would have extended drying time).

Last thing I remember doing is trying to put the timing cover on on a slight angle so that the O ring was the last thing to mate. It's a bit hard because the studs limit the angle you can get. Also, put a smidgen of oil on the sump cover where the O-ring is going to slide. Think it through though, because you don't want the oil mixing much with the FIPG. Just the tiniest amount to help it slide and not grab. Don't put it on the O ring because then it will smudge some oil in front of the FIPG and mess up the bonding.

Good luck! If I ever do the job again, I may consider dropping the sump (but that is a big job in itself as from memory the diff may have to come out). Fingers crossed this job lasts the rest of the life of the engine though - just make sure you really fill that gap in the timing cover properly so it doesn't leak again.

Has anyone tried placing the sealant on the engine side?? Instead of the cover side. That was my first thought when I saw the two bolts on the bottom you have to slide the cover onto.

The two studs can be removed easily w/ an inverse-Torx socket, I bought a $10 set of them at Harbor Freight when I did my project and the right one was in there.

You answered my pondering…. Cause once you take those bolts off it should be cake putting the cover on.

oring seems to not want to stay in slot for bottom of the timing cover keeps popping off. any suggestions??

Check my post from July 2018 when I did mine...Permatex Aviation Sealant on the o-ring surface and timing cover channel, let both tack a bit and then put the o-ring into place. I used a carpenter's clamp and plastic plate to hold the o-ring in place while the sealant cured.

Aligning the oil pump and crank is a challenge, do a few practice runs without sealant or o-rings in place to get a feel for how they fit together.

I also left the front main seal out during assembly of the timing cover to the engine, so I could move the cover up/down without damaging the seal.

the oring, i did exactly the same thing, used some of the sealant and clamped it down till it dried up a bit and it held in place. For the oil pump line up, i did a test run and when in place, i took a marker and marked the timing gear and the timing cover so i could line them up when the cover is off. Worked perfect to keep the alignment where it needs to be to slide the cover on.