Oil pan gasket question

[CraigMBA]

These "gasket mismatch" issues manifest themselves the first time you use the car. There is no "slow degrading" or "increasing leak" - they either seal fine of dump like a SOB.

I wonder if a late style rear sump pan will leak with a four piece gasket....

 

[65ShelbyClone]

I wonder if a late style rear sump pan will leak with a four piece gasket....

Actually, they don't leak with a cork/rubber combo. At least mine didn't.

 

[68keyblr]

sounds good, ill check em tommorow
its leakin out of one side a little spot, the back slightly, and the other side as well


the only area that does not leak is the front, which is where I had the initial problem

ill take another crack at it tommorow, hopefully tightening will solve the side problems but the back is what worries me as far as whether the gasket is in the groove


keyblr how much rtv did you use?

Here's the procedure that worked for me:

I used "The Right Stuff" instead of RTV. It works every time for me.

Clean all surfaces really good with brake cleaner or denatured alcohol first. They don't leave a residue.

I put a dab of Right Stuff in the corners where the round parts in front and back meet the flat part Also a dab in the channel at the bottom of the round parts.

I smeared a paper-thin skim coat of Right Stuff along the bottom of the block on the flat pan mounting surfaces.

I then positioned the gasket on the block and used the oil pan bolts to hold it in place until the Right Stuff dried. I let it sit overnight.

The next day, removed the bolts that held the gasket in place. Then, I smeared a paper thin skim coat of Right Stuff along the pan rails, carefully positioned the pan and bolted it up. I used oil proof thread sealer on the bolts to make sure I wouldn't leak through the bolt holes.

I tightened the bolts from the center moving outward (like torquing heads). First time around 10 ft lbs, then around again set at 12 ft/lbs.

Let it sit a day before filling the oil.

Hope this helps

 

[sixtyfive]

Ok, torqued the bolts down to about 14 psi and that stopped both the side leaks, now it only leaks a real little bit down the plate that covers the flywheel.

However, my header on the right side is still smokin quite a bit and after I turn the engine off I think I can hear liquid dripping inside, I unbolted the header from the exhaust pipe and nothing came out. I also still notice milky **** on my dipstick with fresh oil.

Am I chasin ghosts or do I have a problem going on still?

 

[Capt Dan]

Sounds like you have more problems than a leaky pan gasket.

Water in the oil (milky) is a sign of a blown head gasket, or worse.

 

[sixtyfive]

Does an engine generally run fine when you have a blown head gasket? (i think ive asked this question before but cant remember)

Where can you buy a decent compression tester?

 

[65ShelbyClone]

Not typically. Usually it runs rough if the gasket failed between cylinders while they usually overheat really fast if it blew into a coolant passage(along with running rough).

I'd check Sears or a local parts store for a compression gage. Milky oil can also come from intake manifold gaskets leaking by the coolant passages.

BTW, 14lbs on the pan bolts is about twice what they should need. They are like valve cover bolts; they don't need a lot of torque if the pan and gasket are alright.