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The rubber gaskets I have used do not seem to be as compliant as the impregnated cork ones, which conform to irregularities better. And as the rubber ones age they tend to harden up. Granted, the cork ones will compress down and not hold their torque forever, but the occasional twist of the ratchet wrench to keep things snug is my solution for that.
The factory gaskets on my crossflow head are composite laminate that look to be silicone based, and those work well, if they are available for a U-flow head.
The gasket between the spacer and the head shouldn't be an issue, it's the one between the spacer and the cover. The cork gasket (which is about all that's available for the older style) isn't all that thick. As it is, it barely extends to the bottom of the lip.
The biggest issue I can see with grinding off the lip is that the lip gives it rigidity. Without it, it would really weaken it and it would flex and bend when tightened down.
That's my thought, but wasn't that the reason for the spacer so you don't have to glue gaskets together to get enough height for the roller rockers?
Otherwise, I suppose I could use a lot of RTV and be sure it seals nicely before installing.
Originally Posted by AbandonedBronco
My oil pan was a brand new replacement and came without ridges. I suppose it could have a manufacturing defect, but it's not one that was visible in any way. After the gasket was installed, everything looked nice and solid and in place.
That's why I have wondered if maybe it was even the rear main seal (it drips right down the back and comes down the spacer plate between the engine/transmission). But, that just seems unlikely.
I thought that I had read somewhere in this thread that the flywheel bolts penetrated into the block and need to be sealed off. I spent the last hour reread to try to find it. Maybe someone else remembers.
Haha, thanks.
In this case, I'd much rather pull the transmission back a bit to get to them.
That involves removing the driveshafts, crossmember, and then unbolting the transmission and sliding it back. Much easier than taking the whole engine out.
Thinking back, I did use blue loc-tite on them so they wouldn't back out.
How do you both seal them and use loc-tite?
Loctite might be a good idea, but it doesn't look to be strictly required by the FSM. IIRC, the thread sealant only needs to be applied to 2 or 3 turns. You could probably put the thread sealant on the "lower half" of the bolt, and Loctite on the "upper half" (nearest the head of the bolt) - or vice versa. Not sure it would matter. Just my thoughts...
Haha, thanks.
In this case, I'd much rather pull the transmission back a bit to get to them.
That involves removing the driveshafts, crossmember, and then unbolting the transmission and sliding it back. Much easier than taking the whole engine out.
Thinking back, I did use blue loc-tite on them so they wouldn't back out.
How do you both seal them and use loc-tite?
any oil that leaks past loc-tite deserves to leak. I
would keep looking somewhere else.
any oil that leaks past loc-tite deserves to leak. I
would keep looking somewhere else.
I would normally agree, but that would only be if I was sure to do a complete 360 with the thread sealer. If I just put a dab on so that they wouldn't back out, it could definitely leak.
Not saying that that's what it is, but it's a likely culprit.
Alright, last night I crawled underneath with a flashlight while the engine was running.
The sides and back of the engine are DRY.
I then wiped everything clean and watched where the oil was coming out. By the way the drips looked, it looked like they were squeezing out and forming right at the tip of the curve of the oil pan where it goes around the crank.
I understand that it could just be collecting there, but with the way the droplets formed, it really did look like that's where they were coming out. Hard to explain. I can get a video if necessary.
I've only put a couple hundred miles on it and I think I've already lost a quart or two of oil. It's pretty bad. This weekend I am going to drop the pan and remove the silicone gasket and use Permatex gasket maker. This looks like it should do the trick. I'm fed up with having an oil leak on this engine.
Well, the Permatex gasket maker did the trick!
I didn't go with the 1 hour stuff (as in the link) since it was about $10 - $15 more, and from what I read, it's not as strong as the 24 hour stuff (just more convenient).
Either way, since I had used the 1 piece FelPro gasket, I was able to drain the oil, unbolt the pan, remove the gasket, apply the gasket maker, and reinstall. No need to jack up the engine, remove the oil pan from the vehicle, etc.
The gasket maker is super easy to use, and goes on smoothly even upside down. I ran a good bead all around, and then filled the groove that the gasket goes into around the crank shaft (where it keeps leaking from).
Tightened the bolts finger tight, waited an hour (as per instructions) and then torqued it to spec. I let it dry for a few days since it's cold out, and then poured the oil back in.
I've driven it about 20 miles already and there's not a single drop. Probably the driest it's been underneath in years!
Normally, if it's going to leak, it does it within seconds of firing it up.
I wasn't the biggest fan of using a gasket maker sealant, but if this is the results, I think I can live with it.
Great news to hear you got that leak fixed. I've used Permatex gasket maker in certain applications and had good luck with it. I know you'll keep an eye on it to make sure it remains "fixed".
Good stuff. Not to hijack, but I used the Permatex "The Right Stuff" on my valve cover a couple weeks ago and it seems to be working great. I had a decent leak using the one-piece rubber gasket. It looked like the rubber gasket squeezed inside towards the rockers despite being EXTRA careful installing it.
I didn't have luck with the Permatex like I thought I would. With as thick as I had to put it on for the rear seal to fill that groove, it just didn't want to try and kept blowing out after a few drives. I'd drop the pan and it'd still be "greasy".
Spent a few hours cleaning all the silicone off, reapplied, and waited 48 hours (twice as long as the directions dictate) and it happened again. Drove to work and it was bone dry underneath. Drove home and I had so much oil coming out it was all over the front axle, grill, and even the underside of the intake. I could see steam coming out of the hole in the sealant.
Pulled it all apart again (for the 3rd time in a week) and just fully coated both sides of the 1 piece silicone gasket and installed it that way.
It's been a week now and there's not a drop underneath, so I think I finally got it. But what a hassle.
I did discover, though, that there are two places (one up by the front grill and one back behind the distributor) that if I tweak and contort my body "just right" I can get my head into the space and up high enough to see into the oil pan with a flashlight. Very helpful for being sure I didn't miss any little pieces of silicone while scraping it off.
Either way though, finally all sealed up and dry, and hopefully will be for a long time to come.
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