The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 216 Oil Pan Gasket

Alright...who has the secret to installing an oil pan gasket in a 216? Oh yeah, while it is in the truck? Did it yesterday and it leaks worse than before I replaced it!
Valve cover gasket also leaks as bad as it did before I replaced it too!
Oh yeah...I did a search, and got 1000 hits that had nothing to do with replacing an oil pan gasket!

I believe there is a tech tip on this. The corners are a tricky area and keeping the gasket in place while raiding the pan, can be fun. Most like to stick the cork to the block in some manner. Personally I use RTV to seal help seal the corners.

Very good Article.
Article for changing Oil pan Gasket

Like you, it didn't work the first time. The gasket slid around and there was little clearance. The second time I did this...

To align the gaskets and keep them from moving I used thread to tie the gasket to the pan. Then I cut the head off of 4 bolts to use as guide pins in the block holes. I then dropped the front axle to gain more working clearance by jacking the frame up.

I used a little gasket sealer on both sides of the gaskets. I used a little rtv silicone on the corners. I also set the end gaskets in the groove on the block this time. Last time I set it all on the pan and they didn't seat but pushed in enough to leak. This time seems to be working.

PS Now would be a good time to change the rear main seal. Use a sneaky pete rear main seal remover/installer. It does work.

~Kyle

When replaced the rear main seal in my 37 I glued the cork and rubber ends to the block and no leaks,the first time I glued them to the pan and it was a mess.

I must admit that I was a little disappointed when I read the article in the VCCA magazine, referenced above. I am a member of the VCCA and usually those articles are very specific on detail and written by people who know their stuff. That article was a compilation of material from threads on the site. At least one of them came from a member who has been struggling to put his engine together correctly and has made just about every mistake possible with some pretty wild results.

In general I have found that the new gaskets that they make are a bit of a pain. I have had cases where the cork along the block had either shrunk or was too long. The end pieces are always difficult to get into the groove and I really wish I could have the sets with the rubber ends.

If you do a search of the Stovebolt Tech Tips you will find a tip on this issue. The key is to stick the gasket to the block not the pan.

Here it is:

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/oil_pan_gasket.htm

Hello there,

About to do my first oil pan gasket change with a new Felpro set, 0S 5000 C... The one question I have regarding the end pieces is the following: Are you better off trimming them a little short and use RTV sealant to make the difference, or should they be trimmed exactly to fit the end caps on the block? This set also gives you 4 end pieces when you only need 2...

After reading the information above, are you expected to have less problems by:

A) Setting the long and end cap pieces pieces on the block with RTV sealant?

B) Setting the end cap pieces on the block and the long pieces on the pan?

Some old timers recommend setting the gasket on the pan with grey RTV and letting it dry completely, then before installing the pan use either a light coat of grease on the surface of the cork or a thin coat of Permatex #3 aviation sealant . That way you can still remove the pan if you have to without destroying the gasket...

Read the Stovebolt Tech Tip on Oil Pan Gasket Replacement. Recently updated.

If you mean this link, I will try exactly as described...

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/oil_pan_gasket.htm

Yup. Revised with input from HRL and others.

With the revised tech tip, how does one tuck the little tabs at the ends of the side gaskets under the end gaskets, if the end gaskets are glued to the block prior to raising the pan into place?

Perhaps this needs to be revisited again. Send John a PDF on exactly how you would do the job. This goes for HRL on any others with practical experience. We strive to get it correct.

I agree with 52carl. When I did my pan gasket, I adhered the side gaskets to the the block first then adhered the end neoprene gaskets with the tabs on top (engine block inverted). So if you adhere the cork gaskets to the pan, as 52carl said, the tabs would have to be tucked under the cork gasket (between the gasket and the pan)

A better way to do it is to just adhere the gaskets to the block, cork side gaskets first then the end neoprene gaskets.

Regardless of the orientation of the engine block (pan rails up or down) the stack of the parts needs to be the same:

Block
Side gaskets
End gaskets
Oil pan

The tabs at the end of the cork gaskets are supposed to fit into slots in the timing cover and rear main bearing cap, with the rubber end gaskets overlapping them. Then the oil pan sandwiches the stack together. The only practical way to achieve this orientation is to glue the side gaskets to the block, followed by overlapping the ends of the side gaskets with the rubber end pieces. Some type of contact cement is your friend in this situation!
Jerry

If all three of us agree, the “Tech Tip” is still heading you down the wrong path.

I have sent a PM to John asking him to pull the Tech Tip temporarily. I have also asked Jerry to review the current one and make necessary changes. We WILL get it right!

I'm about to the the job for the first time, and in the dark for a couple of reasons... My kit does not have any rubber end gaskets, just the two long pieces and (four) short pieces.. Do I need 2 pieces per end cap, one glued to the engine first and the other glued to the pan? It seems that I would only need one per side...

As for the order, if we all can agree:

1- Attach the cork side gaskets to the block
2- Attach the end cap (cork) gaskets to the end caps
3- Slide oil pan and secure...

or

1- Attached everything in the oil pan as in my second photo and then install the pan? Does anyone have any additional photos? Thank you.

You've got a gasket set with cork end seals instead of rubber. The alignment of the end seal and the tab on the side gasket in your second picture is incorrect, as you will probably see if you attach the side gasket to the block instead of the pan. I'd suggest cutting the heads off some 5/16" standard thread bolts a couple of inches long and cutting a screwdriver slot in the ends, then installing them as guide pins at the corner bolt holes in the block. That will align the tabs at the ends of the side gaskets with the end seal slots. Then the end seals will "sandwich" the tabs btween the block and the oil pan, creating an overlapping joint. Glue the side gaskets to the block first, using a contact cement like 3-M weatherstrip adhesive. Then glue the end seals into the grooves in the timing cover and the rear main bearing cap. Put a SMALL bead of RTV sealer at the area where the side gaskets and the end seals meet. Don't overdo it with the RTV- - -a little goes a long way. Use the guide pins to align the oil pan as you lift it into place, and start all the bolts before tightening any of them. Remove the guide pins and install the corner bolts.

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/pr...492874394&utm_content=All%20Products

Snug all the bolts a little at a time until the gap bwetween the pan and the block is gone, then tighten each one about another 1/3 to 1/2 turn. A torque wrench is useless here, as the gasket compressed as the bolts are tightened.

Edit: Are the short pieces different widths? If so, use whichever ones fit the slots in the bearing cap and the timing cover and discard the others. It looks like your gasket kit fits more than one engine application- - - -maybe 216 and early 235 and they included end seals of different widths.
Jerry

I just got under the truck to see if I can make sense of any of it and did the following:

1- Slide the end piece (cork) gasket into the main bearing cap groove... If you tilt the gasket to one side a little bit, you can actually work it into place without any Permatex, silicone and it will stay...

2- Lift the end carefully and slide the edge of the longitudinal gasket in place... I just held it with a bolt in place, but wonder if I just could apply gasket sealant around the the entire perimeter of the block and just work the gasket all the way around and tack in place... Then wait a few minutes and drop the pan in. I might just put a light coat of sealant on the end gaskets and on all corners before installing the pan...

Wonder if this would work?

Pea sized dab of RTV in the corner where the end gaskets meet the rail gaskets front and back and you should be good.

Yep, that will work- - - -the 3M "Gorilla Snot" just keeps stuff in place a little better while you install the oil pan. Since that's a 216 spray-oiler you're working on, apply a thin layer of chassis grease to the oil pan side of the gaskets so you can drop the pan later and adjust the rod bearing shims without damaging the gasket. That's an old shade tree trick from the days when Babbit-pounders were daily drivers and the rods needed adjusting frequently.
Jerry

Hello Jerry,

The side gaskets were exactly the same... It appears that I may be on the right track here... I got it in, but it was not easy. Everything is pretty cramped. It was tough to slide the pan in. I used Permatex ultra black gasket sealant for the side pieces, then I slid the end cap strips (dry) with the help of a small flat head screwdriver. After that, I coated all surfaces in the block with Permatex #3 aviation sealant as well as a thin coat on the end of the pan... In hindsight, I probably should have used grease on the side gaskets and Permatex 0n the end caps and corners... Oh well. I don't think it will leak but I will not be able to reuse any of it again...

I also recommend always using never seize on all the screws and replacing some of them with bolts, in places where you have a crossmember ar anything else that might interfere with the removal later on with a screwdriver... Ask me how I know, I broke off one screw right behind the generator mounting bracket that I was barely able to drill out... If you broke more than one in a tougher area you would have to drop the motor to get it fixed!