The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Oil pan gasket leaks

I'm having fits trying to seal the oil pan. Seems like everytime I reinstall the pan the front or rear gasket shifts and it leaks like it's not even there. The truck is a '54 4100 and the motor is the stock 235. The last try I used plenty of sealer and let the gaskets bond to the pan for 3 hours before reinstalling it. Guess what? It leaks in the front again. By the way I'm doing this with the engine in the truck. Should I unbolt the front motor mount and raise the engine slightly for added room? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. The price of oil is getting too high to just pour it onto the road!

Martin,
Is it the pan gasket that leaks, or the cork gaskets over the front and rear main bearing caps? Have you hammered the pan flange "flat" and kept the pan bolt torque to a modest figure...don't want to mash the pan gasket out. I used to install the front and rear gaskets over the caps with aviation form-a-gasket, let it harden so if you smack them when installing the pan they won't move. Keep at it!!

Stuart.

I'm no expert, but when I did my 216, I glued the cork gasket to pan with Indian Head gasket shellac, and the cork to the main bearing caps with the same. I put a SMALL dab of Hylomar where the pan gasket meets the main cap gaskets. Worked well. You also said the front. Is the timing cover seal on the end of the crank ok?

Martin,
Don't forget the rear main seal on these engines were leakers after lots of miles...this isn't a pan gasket issue. Although tricky, these too can be replaced with the engine in the truck! Dave makes a good point on the timing cover seal..

Stuart.

Sunday is the day to try again. New gasket set. I will check the timing cover. Keep the ideas coming.

Martin,
As I recall,you must resist the urge to trim the cork pieces that go over the front and rear bearing caps. Put hi-tack on both pieces and the channel in the caps...let it dry then put a little gob of silicone in the corners where the ends rest and put cork piece on. After smoothing it down, it should stay stuck..forever. Hi-tack the pan gasket, let dry,
stick on and viola! IT STILL LEAKS!!!!!

Stuart.

i wanted mine to end up not leaking and only wanting to do it once with success here is what i did when i changed mine.

i had removed all the oil from the bottom of the block using carb cleaner and wiped dry. removed all the junk and old gasket from previous attempts by previous owner with a razor blade.

i then test fitted the four gaskets for orientation. i put hi-tac spots in between all the bolt holes on the block and attached the gasket using the bolts only tight enough to hold the gasket in place until set. removed the bolts and put spots of hi-tac on the crossover pieces untill set. i then put hi temp gasket maker in the four corners of the pan gasket and the crossover pieces.

then came the fun part. trying to get the freshly painted pan in place without scratching the paint nor working the gasket out of place. after numerous attempts it was going nowhere because i couldnt push the pan up into place far enough to compress the new gasket and get a bolt to grab and hold it for me.

i had a helper to help me push it into place and it wasnt enough i needed one more hand in the pot. an idea popped into mind, lets try the 3 ton floor jack and BINGO it worked perfect. i just ever so gently pushed it up into place till i was able to get all the bolts started from the rear of the pan to the front.

i then torqued all the oil pan flange bolts at 7.5 ft lbs AND the oil pan flange corners at 15 ft lbs.

almost 3000 miles later and NO leaks. im proud to tell and show people that my truck uses no oil and does not leak any either now for how long only time will tell :rolleyes:

I don't know about all these cork gaskets on the end caps because mine were rubber. They had to be seated on the caps and then the pan was lifted in place. Sometimes they will distort when putting the pan on. In this case, you have to take the pan off and try again.

Glue the side rail gaskets in place on the block, not the pan, with the yellow gorilla snot cement, after thoroughly cleaning the pan rails with lacquer thinner, brake cleaner, or some other solvent that dries without leaving a greasy film. Then glue the end gaskets to the engine, making sure all the ends mate properly. Squirt a small amount of RTV sealer at all the corners where the gaskets mate.

THEN- - - -get some 1/4" X 20 bolts about 3" long, and cut the heads off. Screw these into 4 places in the pan rail to act as guide pins for the oil pan. Put the pan into place, support it with a floor jack, a screw jack, or anything that will hold it up while you install most of the screws, then remove the guide pins and tighten everything evenly. Don't tighten the screws enough to distort the pan, just tight enough to squeeze the gasket a little.
Jerry

Well it rained today so the fishing trip got put on hold. My son and I decided to give the pan gaskets another try. After removal of the pan it was obvious that the front cork had slipped when we last put the pan in place. With new gaskets in hand and Big Blue raised up a bit my son slipped under and seated the cork end pieces and RTV was placed in the corners of the rail gaskets and down both sides. After letting the RTV tack up a bit he placed the pan in place with ease and tightened all the bolts to the proper torque settings. We added oil and fired her up. Much to our amazement no leaks. I'm so happy cause now I can drive her more than 2-3 miles without adding 2 qts of oil. Thanks guys for all the help. IT WORKED!

Martin,
Great news... I sure hope the oil barons don't put a contract out on you and Big Blue. The oil you aren't using might cut into their
quarterly profits.

Stuart.

Would one of you like to collect all this wisdom into a Tech Tip on how to get your oil pan installed without leaking????? You'll be famous!! Chicks will dig you!!!! I promise!!!!

Thanks in advance!!!

John

John, Give me a couple of days and I'll whip something up for the 6 banger crowd!

John, with a name like "Justhorsenaround" I'll bet the chicks already dig him!!


Stuart.

ha ha ha chuckle.



-W

A guy can't even get a break nowdays! :p