I have a front main seal leak on my 27' Fountain. Single BBC (502).

Anyone have an idea whether i'll be able to get the harmonic balancer out with the motor in the boat?

If I have to pull the motor, that'll be 3 times in the 3 years i've owned the boat.

The *****s that rebuilt the motor should have replaced that seal, but i guess they didn't...

wow, pri cks is censored! whoda thunkit. If i'd known that i would have just typed ****s.

I've also pulled mine before on my '94 27' while chasing oil leaks at the balancer, and had no problem doing so with the motor installed.
Turned out it was just leaking past the keyway and slinging oil around. Removed the crankbolt, squirted silicone sealant in the keyway slot. No more oil leaks.

Good to hear.

I talked to my mechanic this morning and told him I measured 7 3/4" from the balancer to the bulkhead. He says it'll be tight but should be doable. The question now is whether i'll have to pull the whole timing cover to replace it or whether i can just replace the seal. Apparently merc went to a composite cover a while back and he's unsure if the seal is available seperately for the composite timing cover.