Oil pan gasket dilemma

[FlaBoy]

I know this topic has been beat to death, but i have a semi-unique situation. I did a bunch of searching on here as far as which oil pan gasket to get, and the consensus was: the regular blue rubber fel-pro ones are to be avoided, the cork ones sold by several vendors seal very good, and the fel-pro PermaDry (with the rigid metal core surrounded by molded rubber or silicone) is a very good choice, can even be reused. I decided to go with the permadry, and got one from my local auto parts store.

Well, when I opened it today to go ahead and install, turns out the PermaDry is their regular floppy molded rubber gasket (the ones to avoid), the one i wanted (with the rigid metal core, etc) is a PermaDry Plus The problem is this: I need my car back up and running by monday (2 days) so I don't have time to wait for a cork one or the correct permadry plus to come in from an online vendor. I'm stuck using the purportedly crappy fel-pro blue rubber gasket.

My question: whats the best way to install this to delay having to replace it with the right one as long as possible? Their instructions specifically say to install it DRY (no chemical sealant). Should I listen to that? I have a can of 'The Right Stuff' which i have heard a LOT of good things about. Should I use just the Right Stuff without the rubber gasket (as i have heard of people doing)? Or should I install the rubber gasket dry? Or should I use the rubber gasket with the right stuff as a sealant (and if so, on one or both sides of the gasket)?

Just looking for opinions and experiences from the experts and those that have been there done that...thanks for the help!!

 

[DCVING 6]

I would clean the hell out of the oil pan and block the best you can with carb or brake cleaner and install dry.

One tip that has helped me... Use the little twist ties you get with garbage bags to secure the gasket to the pan. It really helps hold it in place, and they are very easy to remove in a tight spot once you get a few bolts started.

 

[kingots2004]

i used right stuff on my rubber gasket and almost couldnt get thye pan back off lol. i would say that some right stuff would do the trick on that gasket. i never run it cause i had to take it back apart to fix a clearance issue but it was tough

 

[turbo nasty]

As stated clean clean and more clean and dont overtighten.

Smear thin film of right stuff all over the gasket and that should help it seal.

 

[ChrisTR]

I put little dabs of rtv around the pan every 6-8 inches,and put the gasket on the pan and let it set about 20min. then installed it,and have no leaks.... I also made sure every thing was good and clean.

 

[DCVING 6]

and dont overtighten.

I think this is important and often overlooked!

 

[joe_schindler]

I still owe you a reply on your piston ring; but it was low on my priority list.

It’s an oil pan. How bad will things be if it leaks a little?

My vote; dry, very dry. Some people use thread or dental floss to tie the gasket to the pan so it’s easier to get the bolts started. If you’ve got to silicone anything; put some on the bolt threads so they don’t back out because you won’t have them very tight.

 

[ta88gta]

run a thin bead of the right stuff on both the pan and block surface aand call it a day. its worked like a charm for me. just make sure sufaces are clean and dry, i usually use brake clean on a cloth to wipe the surfaces clean.

 

[DR BOOST]

i vote for the right stuff only. tighten down just enough to get good contact....let it dry overnight and crank down the bolts.


if you use the blue gasket you will soon find out that the bolts will be loose enough to disappear down the road.

 

[GN owner]

I've used that gasket with no problems. As stated before clean both surfaces so that they are free of any oil or grease. Lay gasket on the oil pan with bolts already installed through the gasket bolt holes which will help to properly align the gasket on the pan and the block as you install the oil pan. Tighten the bolts to their proper torque specs (88 inch-pounds) in a criss cross pattern and you are done!

 

[joe_schindler]

I think he's doing this from under the car.

 

[darkred87T]

I'm on my second rubber one. The first one failed but I may have overtightned it. The second one I went with the 88 inch pounds and it held up for a while but started leaking again. I looked under it and it's torn and pushed out on the sides which is definitely NOT what it looked like when I installed it.

I got a cork one from Kirbans and haven't installed it yet. Iv'e had good luck with cork in the past. Just my 02.

 

[FlaBoy]

Well, I got it back on. The gasket on there previously was the same one I have (blue floppy rubber fel-pro). It was on there with no RTV or sealant, and leaked pretty bad. Now, maybe the previous owner installed it poorly or overtightened things, but I figured since putting it on dry didn't seem to work for him, I'd at least try something different. As Joe said, its only an oil pan, if it leaks I'm no worse off than I was before, and I can always replace it with a better one if it bothers me too much. So after scraping the pan rails and block surface (there wasn't much to scrape), and wiping them clean with lacquer thinner, I smeared a light coat of 'Right Stuff' on the pan rails, placed the gasket on, put a light coat on top of the gasket, and tied it up with some fishing line (thats a great idea by the way, i would have never come up with that on my own). It went back on the block with no problems, I got the bolts started, then tightened them up in a criss-cross pattern first to 60, then to 88 in-lbs. When I get the motor up and running in the next few days I'll post back and let y'all know how it goes, so if it leaks like a sieve you can learn from my tribulation. Thanks for the help!

 

[bison]

For stock oil pan gasket clean both mating surfaces with laquer thinner. Then install the pan and gasket without over torquing. I would not use any rtv since if its not dry it will cause the gasket to slide in and out when being torqued leading to leaks. Ive used them before and they didnt leak. GM installed hundreds of thousands of them and very few ever leaked. Operator error by overtightening and oily surfaces are probably the most common reasons for leaks

 

[T-top87GN]

I'll repost my original.

I've been using the same rubber oil pan gasket for 12 years. I don't have any problems with it.

I use alcohol to clean and prep the surfaces before install. I also use a little bit of thread to hold the gasket in place as I put it on.

I also use rubber gasket on the valve covers with no leaks and rubber gasket on the tranny pan.

It's all in the prep!

 

[turbo nasty]

OK Ok he has two choices with the rubber gasket let the man decide

 

[Brady]

I've gotta do this on mine also, just got the car. I have not been under there yet to get a game plan so stupid question. Will I need to remove the exhaust crossover pipe? I dont have a hoist so its on the floor for me. Like I said I didnt look so just asking without looking

 

[mtocrs1]

I've gotta do this on mine also, just got the car. I have not been under there yet to get a game plan so stupid question. Will I need to remove the exhaust crossover pipe? I dont have a hoist so its on the floor for me. Like I said I didnt look so just asking without looking

Yes

 

[Pablo]

For stock oil pan gasket clean both mating surfaces with laquer thinner. Then install the pan and gasket without over torquing. I would not use any rtv since if its not dry it will cause the gasket to slide in and out when being torqued leading to leaks. Ive used them before and they didnt leak. GM installed hundreds of thousands of them and very few ever leaked. Operator error by overtightening and oily surfaces are probably the most common reasons for leaks

+1
I just went through this with my build. I used the permadry gasket and put the right stuff in areas that I thought were prone to leakage. All this did was provide a lubricant for the gasket to squeeze out from the sides and deform. Within a few hundred miles I had some leaks.

I popped an HG and had to do a complete teardown inspection. When I reassembled it I made sure i put it on as dry as possible (i had to use right stuff in the stud recesses, I have a girdle). When I torqued everything down the gasket stayed put.

So far I now have zero leaks with several hundred miles high boost blasts. It should be noted that I also run a elec. smog pump evac system which also helps.

 

[FlaBoy]

well, maybe i shot myself in the foot using the right stuff on the gasket... i guess I'll find out soon enough If so, oh well; its not a HUGE pain in the ass to replace the pan gasket, and its not like its going to damage anything if it leaks a lil bit (except my driveway i guess). Live and learn and all that, right?