Tips and Tricks for Oil pan gasket

Ok well I have a leaking rear pan gasket and I have changed the oil pan gasket once before and it still leaks from the same area. Basically it leaks down the back of the engine but it only gets on the front side of the divider plate between tranny and engine never on the back side. Along with that my clutch doesn't ever slip so its not getting oil on it. This is why i believe it to be a rear pan gasket and not a rear main as the rear main should leak on the other side of the divider plate where the flywheel and everything is right?

Well basically I was wondering if there are any suggestions you have to help make sure i get it right? can i use RTV to hold the rubber gaskets in? is there a good way to make sure it all stays in? keep in mind i'm doing this with the engine in the car so i can't flip the motor upside down.

Trying to get this fixed soon as i have to add half a quart every three days. Leaks while sitting but not while driving unless overfilled.

8) yes you can use rtv black to help seal the pan gaskets. since you are doing this with the engine in the car, you might change out the bolts for studs to make things easier, it will help keep the gasket in place much better. add a little extra rtv in the corners to help seal p the corners which most likely where the leak is. also make sire you clean that area as good as possible.

Use this stuff: http://www.permatex.com/products/Automo ... _Maker.htm

It works great!

Vin Man":22napxq5 said:

Use this stuff: http://www.permatex.com/products/Automo ... _Maker.htm

It works great!

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X2

I get it in the caulking tube style container. It's awesome! It WILL break down if you put it where fuel goes though. Easily found at NAPA, Advance, etc.

Leaks when sitting? Quart in 3 days? That is a lot of oil. I cant think of why there would be that much oil back there especially when sitting.

How long can you let it sit? The longer you can let it sit (and the oil drain off stuff) the better chance you have of getting it sealed. It just takes a drop or film of oil to make the rtv not stick and create a leak path. Also if you can take the time I have found that if you just let the surfaces make contact then let it cure at least overnight then finish torquing them down then wait for it to fully cure before using it again you have a much better chance of keeping it sealed. All together this makes for like a 3 day project but when I have done them that way they dont leak. If you do it faster it seems to be more hit and miss, usually more miss for me especially on old abused stuff.

well most likely it leaks that much because my house and for some reason like everywhere i end up going has inclined parking spots\driveways. If i park facing down frontwards then it doesn't leak that bad at all.

So basically from what i'm getting i can use rtv and just no gasket at all as long as i let it sit for a few days to let oil drain and then let the rtv cure?

You should use the end pieces. If your pan is nice and straight I would use the rail gasket with just a thin film of RTV or something like hi tach. The pan on my 200 was sort of a mess. I did the best I could to straighten it but it was still far from flat. I used a nice bead of RTV and the 3 day process. At first I did have a slight leak at the back but just a tiny bit tighter on the bolts got it sealed up. 2 years later its wet and slimey back there but no drips. Looking at how many joints and seams are backe there on most of the older engine designs its amazing that they hold as well as they do. Getting everything clean and dry is the key for the RTV which is an extra pain when doing it in the car because gravity is against you. If your surfaces are not straight using RTV and a gasket just seems to let the gasket slide around so thats why I think I have had better luck with bent stuff just using RTV.

Here's a few of tips for installing any oil pan gasket. Most have been suggested already.

1. The sealing suface on the pan flange has to be nice and flat. The area around the bolts tend to get pulled in from tightening, so take a few minutes to carefully hammer them back even with the rest of the flange.

2. Make sure everything is totally clean. Regardless of what sealer you use, or even if you don't use a sealer, clean all the oil and dirt from both sealing surfaces. Brake cleaner works good and doesn't leave a residue. When you're done, clean it again.

3. If you use RTV or similar sealer, just put a thin coat on both sides of the gasket. Start all the bolts and just snug them up. Leave the gasket overnight to let the sealer start to set up, then go back and tighten them evenly. Be careful not to over-tighten them.

-Stu