I finally got the new seal and oil pan gasket, as well as new intake/exhaust manifold gaskets, so this afternoon I dropped the oil pan and dust cover on the bottom of the bellhousing. In the process of doing all of this (even though things went extremely smoothly) I have a few questions:
1. In the dust cover on the bottom of the bellhousing there appears to be grains of sand that has been collecting. From what I can tell it is not metal chips, but the sand appears to be thrown about inside the bellhousing. However, the flywheel and clutch look in great condition and undamaged. Is this normal?
2. The new oil pan gasket I received is in two parts for each side of the pan/block. The old gasket that is on the truck has thin strips of cork connecting the two parts (making it a one piece gasket). I'm sure I can just put gasket maker on the curved sections of the pan, but should I see if I can find a one piece gasket?
3. Lastly, when I was under the truck I noticed a decent size oil mark on the underside of the exhaust manifold. The reason I ordered new gaskets for the manifolds is because on top where one part of the exhaust manifold attaches to the block there is a coating of oil around the gasket. Could this other oil mark be from that gasket leak, the head gasket leaking, or something else? If a head gasket leaks, can oil spill down the side of the block?
Any tips or suggestions you may have are more than welcome! Later on tonight I will try to post some pictures of my progress and of the oil stain on the manifold.
