Oil pan/ side cover gasket stuff....(FAQ) (1 Viewer)

[KY Longhunter]

Real Time Help...

I'm about to replace rear main seal and oil pan gasket. I got the rear main bearing cap off and removed old seal which was covered with some gray sealer P.O. must have applied.

Now Poser's instructions call for cement and sealer.

I can't find the Gasgacinch cement at any of the auto parts places here where I live and everybody has scoffed at the need for the cement mentioned saying only the sealer is neccessary.

Should I order cement online and wait, or go ahead with gasket using only the Permatex Ultra Black RTV Silicone and Permatex Blue Gel Threadlocker?

 

[Poser]

I'm about to replace rear main seal and oil pan gasket. I got the rear main bearing cap off and removed old seal which was covered with some gray sealer P.O. must have applied.

Now Poser's instructions call for cement and sealer.

In my post concerning the use of cement, it was suggested to secure the side cover gasket to the side cover, not the oil pan gasket to the oil pan.

 

[IDave]

I have seen where POs have used cement on my old oil pan gasket, and I can promise you they were roundly cursed.

I appreciated and followed, however, Poser's advice to use it on the side cover. I just used contact cement and it has held up well.

 

[KY Longhunter]

Will do Poser. Thanks for all your tips!

 

[WaTrout88]

I installed my pan gasket last week and did not notice that it was directional . . . not so obvious I guess. I installed the black gasket sealer on all four corner and at both ends. It was a pain keeping the ends in place during the install. I then used 4 long bolts at the second bolt hole in from the corner to hold the gasket in place and give me a enough room while I installed the rest of the bolts.

Once I had the pan snugged up just enough, I reached in with a small peice of tie wire and pulled the end "curved peice" into the groove and snugged the rest of the bolts up.

I thought I had read that the torque for these bolts was to be 10 lbs/in but my torque wrench bottoms out at 10 so I just tightened the bolts up until the gasket bulged out the side a little. Is this correct?

I am off to go install the side cover gasket. Wish me luck. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks Steve.

Also, for those of you getting ready to do this job - the side cover gasket goes on ONE WAY! That means figure out which side is which BEFORE applying adhesive/sealant.

Don't ask me how I know!

I believe the pan gasket is directional as well, but a little more obvious...

 

[KY Longhunter]

WaTrout88

since my 2F was still on the stand like yours I rotated the motor 180 degrees and let gravity hold the gasket down.

Too late now but I'm sure you should be fine...

 

[Caddisfly]

Is it possible to replace the oil pan gasket without lifting the entire engine?

 

[grant5127]

No lifting of the engine required.......

 

[WaTrout88]

I thought about rotating it but I had one bolt that did line up so well and did not want to ruin the threads.

It would have been much easier the way that you described it.

WaTrout88

since my 2F was still on the stand like yours I rotated the motor 180 degrees and let gravity hold the gasket down.

Too late now but I'm sure you should be fine...

 

[tj cruiser]

Doing my oil pan gasket now. Is there a chance that the circular gasket ends will not seat properly into the channels on the block since there is an inside lip that the gasket could get hung up on and not seat correctly?or does it slip into place every time? Motor is still in the FJ, but the FJ is up on a lift to make it easier.

 

[grant5127]

I use adhesive to stick the gasket to the engine, RTV on the ends and a few dabs of super glue along both sides to hold it in place, then install the pan, less chance for a mishap that way.........

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Is there a chance that the circular gasket ends will not seat properly into the channels on the block since there is an inside lip that the gasket could get hung up on and not seat correctly?

It is absolutely possible

 

[Poser]

Doing my oil pan gasket now. Is there a chance that the circular gasket ends will not seat properly into the channels on the block since there is an inside lip that the gasket could get hung up on and not seat correctly?or does it slip into place every time? Motor is still in the FJ, but the FJ is up on a lift to make it easier.

From post #1

..... I then use sealer on both sides of the gasket that fit into the grooves of the #1 and #4 main bearing caps, and on the corners. I then use two 8mmx1.25x40+mm long bolts to hang and locate the pan while I then position the gasket, sometimes needing to use a 90 degree angle pick to fish it into place.

....

The use of the pick is to position the ends of the oil pan gasket into the main bearing caps, to make sure the gasket is in the correct location and not behind the grooves in the caps.

 

[tj cruiser]

kinda tough with the drive shaft on one side and the headers bottom section really close on the other. Barely enough room to get my hand up there.

 

[Poser]

kinda tough with the drive shaft on one side and the headers bottom section really close on the other. Barely enough room to get my hand up there.

Those items listed are on the sides of the pan, not the front and the rear arch seal area you were talking about in your post...

 

[tj cruiser]

I used the " seal the gasket to the block with the 22 bolts and wait a few beers until it sticks enough, then seal the pan up to the gasket" method. Worked perfectly! no leaks!!

 

[Poser]

...wait a few beers....

Thank you for clearing things up.

 

[tj cruiser]

Thank you for clearing things up.

not sure what your now clear on but,"NOT ORIGINALLY POSTED BY, TJ CRUISER" I was just repeating what was previously posted by the original poster of this method of oil pan & gasket install. Doing this is a PIA enough, to include alcohol into the install just doesn't cut it! As stated before, this method worked perfectly, MINUS THE BEER, NO LEAKS!

 

[tj cruiser]

Rear main seals are a breeze and zero risk of damaging them if you install them when you have the pan down....drop the rear main bearing cap, pull out the old seal, clean the area up, install the new seal, re-install the main cap, and torque the four bolts.! No hammer, no beating on a 30 dollar seal, in and out.



You can see the lower part of the rear main seal in this pic...( I hope )

Do me a favor and clear this up for me if you would..... the pic above shows the trans still attached, correct? you mention in your post how easy it is to change the rear seal when the pan is down, correct? For newbies like myself then it's not really easy since the trans has to be removed which means the drive shaft has to be unbolted which means the rusted bolts prolly will strip or break, etc, etc, ?????? So is it really as easy as you say it is? maybe for someone who has been doing this for years and has the knowledge, all the tools and previous experience, correct? For those of us who are new to the sport and at wrenching it it quite involved, no?

 

[cruiserbrett]

Changing the rear main does require the trans to be pulled back enough to remove the clutch and the flywheel, but its not hard. Its just time consuming and dirty... If you plan ahead, you can knock out alot of good preventative maintainence at the same time(tranny/t-case seals, reseal speedo drive, oil pan gasket, check/replace clutch, pilot bearing, throwout bearing, etc.)

Its certainly not a 1 banana job, but not technically intensive like a t-case rebuild or diff setup.