Torque for oil pan?

[LameHoof65]

I am still trying to figure out what I did wrong on the oil pan. I took both my torque wrenches one is the needle gauge on handle flex type torque and the other is a clicker. I put a 3/8 inch drive on the click and one on the flex type and put them in a vise went for an 8lb. click on both and they both felt the same. Put my clicker down to 4lbs. felt about right. Now I never reached the 8lbs on any of the oil pan bolts and one side of the gasket still slipped out. Now the side that slipped was the one that I did first in putting the sealer on....the only thing I can figure is it cured too much and pushed the gasket out about 1/8th inch at each hole?? I am going to break it down and do it again with a felpro cork kit, but I would like to know what I did wrong before I do it again. The sealer was permatex red rtv---it says leave it to cure for about an hour before final torque----I never got there. Now I put about an 1/8th in. bead on the block first then set in my gasket and lined it up, put in my front and rear rubber seals, checked alignment of holes and on the rear and front seals to see if the tabs were still secure under the rubber seals and then put one final bead on top of the gasket about 1/8th in. then set on my pan....Did I use too much sealer?????

 

[Anonymous]

I dont have my manuel in here to see what the exact torque specs for a oil pan is, but i belive you are using ft lbs when you should be using inch pounds on a oil pan, valve cover, front cover, etc, etc

Later,

Doug

 

[JackFish]

My 78 shop manual says 7-9 pounds on the oil pan bolts.

 

[LameHoof65]

Good night man, I really did over torque that thing. That sounds like a little more than finger-tight....maybe a couple turns past...I do not have and in/lb wrench.

 

[LameHoof65]

Looked at my shop manual again...and it says like JackFish said 7-9 Ft.lbs....nothing about in/lbs....but I think tha MustangGeezer is right maybe they ought to say that in the manual--I thought 8ft.lbs felt like a lot for those little boogers.

 

[jwb68c]

I recently did the valve covers on a 5.0L and the book said 10-14 ft/lbs! So I don't think your torque value is wrong. I don't know how much I torqued my own oil pan when I did it but I did not have any problem at all and still no leaks two years later. J

 

[Anonymous]

Yea, i used my torque wrench on about 12 ft/lbs. No problem. I used a cheap clicker wrench that i bought at autozone.

 

[addo]

15 on the Aussie motors. It acts as a girdle to restrain that extra power.

Does sound like a bit much sealer, and too long before torquing. I'd be inclined to lay a bead less than 1/8" with a full loop around each bolt hole and get into it.

One side of me ponders using thick MDF to dummy against the oil pan, allowing the gasket to be first glued to the pan. The following day, you could assemble to the block. Never tried it, but it seems feasible.

Not a big fan of silicone overall. Permatex #3 does most things well enough, and Blue Hylomar many others.

 

[Anonymous]

Thats what i thought too. Too much sealer, dried before you got it together.

Fel-pro as well as I recommend putting the cork on the block first.

The one time i did it like that, it hasn't leaked since. Every time i did it opposite, it leaked. Maybe thats just a coincidence, but thats how i would do it.

Oh, and I used RTV black. Good luck

 

[Funky Cricket]

Thats what i thought too. Too much sealer, dried before you got it together.

Fel-pro as well as I recommend putting the cork on the block first.

The one time i did it like that, it hasn't leaked since. Every time i did it opposite, it leaked. Maybe thats just a coincidence, but thats how i would do it.

Oh, and I used RTV black. Good luck

but I attached felpro cork to block with RTV black, put a small bead on pan side of cork and torqued to 12lbs. didn't really wait to tighten, just took my time a did a right proper job, and just used a nice even thin bead. never leaked again.

EDIT: watch the order you tighten your bolts also. that can make a differnce.

 

[Anonymous]

Yea, so you did it exactly the way i did Cricket. No leaks either.

Great.

 

[Funky Cricket]

yep. WE WIN! hehe

 

[powerband]

I'm with Addo on avoiding RTV if I can. I find it has a legitimate use in place of gaskets or to supplement a gasket as in the corners of the pan seal where recommended. But in general I never use it WITH a gasket as it will make it slide out or deform. I prefer adhesive fillers such as Hi-Tack or Permatex if the gasket is hard to keep in place.

I just hate RTV - I use it sparingly when necessary but often I wind up with a hole in the tube and it on my hands - eeech, or find some on the sole of my shoe in my living room.

I just opened up the engine for inspection that I took out of my current project The Big Fin Comet. The PO used blue RTV everywhere. I found it slathered on the radiator hose stubs and inside the radiator of course, in the heater tubes, Carb bung, Valve cover and anything you can bolt on. Upon opening the engine it was in the lifter galley, and wads of it in the oil pickup tube. It had a blown head gasket and sure enough, the thermostat had lots of it in the stem - AND the thermostat had been put in BACKWARDS!. (Any wonder why the head gasket blew?.)


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