THE best way to change oil pan gasket!

[studawg]

Pay someone else to do it or let it leak!!!!!!!!!!Putting this thing back on again is the biggest pain in the A$$ that this shadetree mechanic has ever had to do! Other than getting it off, that is! I am so fed up with this dam gasket. There is no way to guarantee that the half circles are gonna line up in the groove on the block once I tighten it. But, I am not even there yet. One question: Do I put the pan on the gasket and then the pan/gasket to the block or the gasket to the block and then fit the pan??????????? To anyone reading this that hasnt done it yet, DON'T! Pay someone else to do it!

 

[laguna80]

I put the gasket on the block first, held it while the gasket cement stuff became tacky enough to hold it, and then carefully put the pan on. It worked but yes, it's ridiculously frustrating.

 

[PAFJ]

Yes, can be very frustrating. I put the gasket on the pan and secure the corners with string and every two holes or so with string. Once the pan is up and there are some bolts holding in place I will cut the string and pull it out. This method seems to work pretty well. I also use black RTV on both sides of the gasket.

HTH

 

[klinetime574]

I put the gasket onto the pan, and used super glue about every 5 inches and in the four corners to secure it.

Used Black RTV in the corners and bearing caps. For sanity sake it wouldn't hurt to do a thin coat all around though.

Then I just lifted it onto the block and bolted it down.

It takes some time to get it to stop leaking. Even when you think it shouldn't be. Mine took about 4 re-tightenings. Cork is pretty weird material.

Pictures were before the first startup, it got a little messy after that haha

Good Luck!

 

[Heartworm]

I have used Hi-Tack Gasket cement and put the gasket on the pan. I drop all the bolts in to keep things in alignment. I use clothespins to hold the curved pieces in place and let the Hi-Tack set up overnight. I bought 2 threaded studs to screw into the block to help with the initial alignment when I put the pan up there. I use more Hi-Tack or high temp silicone between the gasket and the block. Do not overtighten, allow 1/2 day for gasket sealer to set. Will need to retighten after the oil gets into the cork but not very much at any one time.

 

[CardinalFJ60]

here's a trick if...

so...if you don't have three or four hands, here's something I learned after like the 3rd time doing this (in like 1 day, that is).

get a couple longer bolts threaded through the pan just to hold it up, then you've got it up there so you can move and manipulate the gasket into the right place as you are guiding the pan up and threading/tightening the rest of the bolts to pull it into place.

 

[Willman]

I put the gasket onto the pan, and used super glue about every 5 inches and in the four corners to secure it.

Used Black RTV in the corners and bearing caps. For sanity sake it wouldn't hurt to do a thin coat all around though.

Then I just lifted it onto the block and bolted it down.

It takes some time to get it to stop leaking. Even when you think it shouldn't be. Mine took about 4 re-tightenings. Cork is pretty weird material.

Pictures were before the first startup, it got a little messy after that haha

Good Luck!

Great infor!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[77cruiser77]

huh, I've done this a couple times and have never had troubles with it. Maybe just because i seem to get a lot of experience with all the other gaskets that by the time I started doing that one I had it down.

Pretty much what was said works best. Long bolts helps a lot or if the engine is out and upside down use bolts with the head cut off so the gasket doesn't wiggle around as your tightening all the bolts. This makes all the difference. Also use the gasket material with the cork on both sides. I used Permaflex #2 I think. The flexible one. Then when your done use that gasket material like caulking a tub and coat the seams perimeter to prevent leaks.

I terms of removing the gasket use a good gasket scraper. I used to make my own out of copper pipe and old chisels but the money is worth it. If you have air tools and have a die grinder and use one of those little disks that are like an SOS pad but are plastic and 2" is diameter they clean metal for gaskets real well. Follow by wiping with a rag/paper towel soaked in brake clean. Don't spray the surface with brake clean because I don't think your main bearings would like that.

 

[Rigger]

Interesting thread. I have a new oil pan gasket for my FJ62 sitting on the shelf. I was going to install it last year, but the horror stories about this task have sort of scared me out of doing it! After reading everythng here, it sounds like the most important thing to bring is PATIENCE!

 

[CardinalFJ60]

one more body

an extra person really helps the cause.

 

[Poser]

Really not that big of a deal.... <---- this is a link

 

[klinetime574]

Poser do you experience any leakage after the first start-up or anything? I'm just curious.

 

[Poser]

Poser do you experience any leakage after the first start-up or anything? I'm just curious.

After I have installed a new oil pan gasket or oil pan and gasket?

No, I do not have any leaks.

 

[IH8Wood]

I helped Jose (JLH911) do this last weekend and he had these things call Snap Ups made by Felpro (Part Number ES72865). They are the frickin bomb.

 

[JLH911]

I helped Jose (JLH911) do this last weekend and had these things call Snap Ups made by Felpro (Part Number ES72865). They are the frickin bomb.

Yes, the are that...So far I have no leaks!

Here's a pic of the snap-ups in use:

 

[klinetime574]

After I have installed a new oil pan gasket or oil pan and gasket?

No, I do not have any leaks.

Just a gasket. Because it seems like the cork gasket does need to expand with the hot oil to improve the seal. But it sounds like as many times as you've done it you get it perfectly tightened down so you get no leaks. Different story for a first timer like I was haha

 

[Spook50]

I discovered that if you have the truck held up by the frame, with the suspension unloaded it gives you plenty of room to maneuver the oil pan off and then on again. It's certainly not a cake job, but I was able to do it without issue when I figured that out.

It also helps that I was able to stand up underneath my truck thanks to the frame lift at the base's auto shop

I should also add that for sealing, I NEVER use RTV unless it's specifically called for, and then I use exactly what's called for. I'm sure black RTV is similar to Toyota's black sealant, but I ordered a tube (from CDan I think, too) of the Toyota stuff and only put it where it was needed. A properly cleaned surface with a good gasket will never leak unless one or both of the surfaces are warped or have another defect. I prefer cork for all engine and transmission oil pans too. It'll expand as it soaks up fluid, and after a couple re-torques, it's good to go.

 

[studawg]

Mission accomplished!

Thank you to all for all of your help! I ended up using Posers method and it is now bolted up. I dont even care if it leaks again at this point! I think I was kind of using a combination of several different methods to do it and maybe made it harder than it was. But, it is now done.

Another mistake I made was that I went into it thinking it was gonna be a lot easier than it was.

To anyone who hasnt done it yet, the longer bolts are a must!!!!

After doing it myself, I would probably pay a shop $250 to do it. The only problem there is that you dont know if they are actually taking the time to do it the right way. i.e. cleaning the surfaces really well and torquing it properly.

I guess the only way to be sure is to do it yourself!

But when you are doing the job by yourself, in your garage, with the engine in the vehicle, the vehicle on jackstands, and its 95 degrees outside in high humidity, IT SUCKS! (There is something about high temperatures that take the amount of patience that you have and compress it into a tenth of what it normally is. )

Anyway, thanks again for the encouragement from everyone and the tips from Poser and others.

Now to recharge the AC, put on that new set of BFGs sitting in the back of the Cruiser, and hit the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TomF]

My oil pan installation

My son has his 1987 4.2 liter gasoline engine Land Cruiser parked in our driveway while he is Afghanistan. His original oil pan developed a pinhole leak on the drivers side, deep end of the pan on the vertical face. He bought a new pan and tried installing a four-piece gasket, but that didn't seal. Then he bought a one-piece gasket from Toyota and put on plenty of black sealer but there were interferences from the shankd of two bolts probably installed by a previous owner. Then my son ran out of time and put the original pan back on and shipped the LC here.

I was able to get around the bolt interferences by replacing one of the bolts (water pump?) with a shorter one. The other wasn't interfering because my son had done some reshaping of the new pan near the bolt shank.

Getting the pan off here was a struggle because my son had used lots of black sealant on the bolts and the gasket.

I bought two new Toyota gaskets and today glued one to the new oil pan. I used long bolts as recommended on this site to hold the pan and compress the cork gasket slightly so the original bolts could reach the threads in the block.

The bolts were hex head and also Phillips driver head. I only ran them in with my ratchet until they had put the cork gasket in contact with the block. Then I used a Phillips head screwdriver and tightened the twenty-two bolts in a "spiral" pattern, as best as I could guess at it, and think I didn't over-tighten any bolt. I backed-out the long bolts as the regular bolts grabbed thread in the block.

The "saddle" end of the sealing surface is narrow on both ends of the block and when I tightened the oil pan, the gasket on the rear end (#4 main bearing cap?) sealing surface seemed to have extruded toward the front of the engine at the very bottom of the saddle.

That makes me wish I had glued the gasket to the block instead of to the oil pan. I think I could have positioned the gasket in the saddles much more precisely that way. Of course I don't know what would happened after I began tightening the bolts, and maybe it would have been the same result with the gasket squeezing away from the lower part of the saddle sealing surface on the rear end.

I added the required oil, and started the engine and watched the pan for leaks. There were none, so I drove it around for about 15 minutes on city streets and returned to the driveway. No leaks yet.

Now I wonder if I'll eventually get an oil leak at the rear saddle surface, and whether I should drain the oil again, remove the oil pan, try to salvage the gasket from the pan, and try gluing the gasket to the block when I re-bolt the pan to the block.

I'd be happy to get any comments, predictions or advice.

 

[zebrabeefj40]

TomF,

If it's not leakin' now I would leave it alone. Keep an eye on the bolts as they sometimes loosen up...

Nick