I just did my first oil pan gasket today. Followed the direction in the articles section. However, I didn't think I made the bolts all that tight, but one section of the cork kind of squeezed out. It looks OK except the one corner (see pics, top and bottom shot).

Should I do it over, since I have the engine out? Or have others seen the cork out a little and still seal the pan.

I usually RTV the gasket to the oil pan and let set overnight before attaching to the engine to avoid the squeze out problem............

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Cork gaskets always semm to do that when I put the pan back on my junk, and I only tighten them with a very short ratchet. I normally trim it off with a razor blade and smear RTV on the joint just to be safe.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

I use 3m weather strip adhesive to glue the pan to the gasket, then lay the pan gasket side down on a sheet of newspaper on a flat surface and put some bricks or other weight on the pan (maybe 10~15# worth) and let it sit an hour or two. The whole idea here is to glue the gasket solidly to the pan so it can't move. Once everything is all set up and not going to move, I apply a light coat of a NON hardening sealant like permatex aviation form-a-gasket item #80019 to the gasket. I just use RTV at the corners where the cork gasket meets the rubber gasket at the timing chain cover and rear main seal retainer. If your gasket is properly glued down then it can't squish out like your pictures show. The non hardening sealer makes removal of the pan with the ability to reuse the gasket easy, not real important for the oil pan (most people wont remove that one often) but it also works great on things like the valve cover which may be removed on a semi-regular basis. The key here is to get all the surfaces absolutely clean before you start.

slantzilla's suggestion to use a "very short ratchet" is a very good suggestion, as the only "torque spec" I could find for the pan is 200 INCH pounds, which is not a lot.

TopHat

Thanks for all great suggestions for the next time I do this (hopefully not soon). Slantzilla alludes to the fact that mine may be OK (by his comment about trimming).

However, I was still wondering, would you do this over if it was yours and this happened, or should it seal anyway despite the fact some cork squeezed out..

If the engine was in the car, I wouldn't bother.

With the engine out, I'd do it if I could reuse the gasket (I'm cheap)


Not sure what I'd do if I knew the gasket would be destroyed (how much do they cost?)

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

The gaskets are cheap. I spent alot of time doing mine when it was on the stand. I was very maticulous with the oil pan sealing as mine was leaking before I pulled the engine for other work. It is still leaking ever so slitely. If I where to do it again, I don't know what I would do differently.
So I where you, I do it again if the engines on the stand still.

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67Cuda,FAST EZEFI,340cu,CR=10.25,RollerCam&Rocker (XR268HR,#20-810-9)(#1622-16)(EddyRPM#60779,#7576), (MSD6AL,#6425) A904, GearVendorsOD, 8 1/4,3.55:1, ClassicAir

On something that I wasn’t going to take apart for a very long time, or ever, I’d use Permatex Aviation Form-a-gasket. Follow the directions exactly. Apply it to both sides of the gasket and both mating surfaces, then let it tack off before bolting it together.

I’d still use it, and have, on something that was removed fairly often but was a known leaking problem. Almost anything with a sealing problem isn’t a problem anymore with this stuff.

The down side is that you will bend the valve cover or oil pan when you try to take it off and you will not be re-using any gaskets except maybe an occasional rubber one. It’s really gooey, and sticky, and it really seals, but it hangs on tight. It’s nasty, wicked, evil and mean but you’ll love it until you have to grind it off.

Danny

How is this for unbelievable. I have decided to do it over, so I called the distributor for the aviation gasket sealer stuff. He said he doesn't have it in stock, but could get it shipped from his Portland Oregon store by tomorrow.

Then, after checking, he says that he can't have it shipped to California because of the VOC content. Stupid CA govt!

I guess I will try the overnight ATV thing.

"try the ATV thing"... like try to roll over it like a tank? Pan won't be too good to use then! That Weatherstrip adhesive isn't a bad idea but I believe the Aviation form a gasket is the same thing that your store can't get and I'd venture to say they tell you the same thing on the weatherstrip stuff. Here we can get it for $4 something a tube and it'll last you a LONG time using it as gasket advesive; the other stuff comes in a small can with a brush or a dauber; I doubt it but can they get "Indian head" sealer? Probably not, because it is almost the same product. Another Permatex product that works good is "Hi-tack". Also in a small can, with brush-in-cap. If you use RTV (I believe that is what you mean by "ATV") you could use it alone w/o a cork gasket, you'd lay a consistent 1/8-3/16" max, bead and let it "skin over", though you'd still use the rubber end seals. and don't leave it sit overnite; about 20 min is good; soon as it starts to "skin" put it together, so the sealer could squish out and even out.. If used alone, and it hardens 100% (which it would left open overnite), It used to say on the pkg that if allowed to sit over 30 min before assembly scrape off and start over. What you DO NOT wanna do, is smear everything with a heavy coat of RTV with a gasket too; if any, use just enuf to see the pan rail, smear it out with your finger; you should almost see thru the RTV film before laying the gasket in place ; then lay the gasket on and let it dry, probably about 1/2 hour or so before assembly. If you overdo it with RTV' especially if you also use a gasket, all that you see squish out on the outside, the same amt will squish out inside where you won't see; this can break off and plug oil screens, etc. That would not be good. If a cut gasket is available I have always had better luck with that rather than the "fitz all" gasket (RTV, etc) in a tube. I reserve using that stuff ONLY where ends of multi piece gaskets meet, like an oil pan or an intake on a SB, etc. I just thought of another gasket product you might try; Copper cote... used to be made by a company called K&W, another product Ive had real good luck with, Permatex makes a version too.

Personally, an oil pan I would do over, way to much hassle to do in the car if it did leak. If it was in the car I would leave it alone.

There are two different permatex aviation form-a-gasket sealers. There is the NON hardening I mentioned above. Then there is the hardening that 65Dodge100 mentioned. The non hardening will come apart and allow you to reuse gaskets4 or 5 times sometimes. I learned this back in my VW days. The hardening stuff is like concrete when it sets up. Like 65Dodge100 said, the possibility of bending tin parts like oil pans or valve covers is very real, and you wont be reusing gaskets. I learned about this stuff the hard way.

TopHat

If that’s true it blows enough to spin their windmills 25% faster. Were you trying to get it at a parts store? According to their web site, Advance Auto Parts has it in Los Angeles.

If that’s the case, just to mix you up some more and give you another choice besides silicone, my second choice is PERMATEX FORM-A-GASKET NO. 2 SEALANT. You should be able to get it at any parts store. Advance shows having it there also.

It’s probably not much different from RTV. I think it’s more sticky.

Danny