I bought a B&M aluminum pan after having two failed attempts with putting a gasket on my stock pan which turned out to be bent. It came with a cork and rubber gasket from b&m but since I did not know how hard it was going to be bolting it up since it's not too light and I did not want to have to worry about using weather stripping cement so I instead used a Fel-pro rubber gasket. After filling up the transmission and driving it down the street and back, I noticed there was transmission fluid seeping out around the outside of the pan in a few spots. The same thing happened with the last Fel-pro gasket i used on the bent pan but then again it was bent.. I only tightened the bolts up enough to where they were snug by palming the head of the socket wrench. Do felpro transmission gaskets have a apt for leaking? Do they even swell like cork gaskets do? This is the third attempt at replacing the pan gasket and the first attempt with a brand new aluminum performance pan. What am I doing wrong? Is the Cork gasket and silicone sealant the only method that I should use? <b>I just noticed I posted in the wrong forum because I have and 89 Ford f250 but in this case the situation shouldn't be different for a newer c6.</b>

 

i feel your pain man. i replaced my gasket a year ago and have had to put up with it leaking ever since. it would only leak a quart every month. so i said "eh well its good enough" but i've had it! new gasket is 8 bucks. quart of atf is 4 bucks. so them quarts have been adding up and people get pissed when my truck leaks on their driveways. im taking another honest attempt at it tomorrow and buying a craftsman torque wrench and cork gasket. then i will calibrate the torque wrench by hanging a weight from it and using a formula to calculate that it is dead on ***** accurate. daves not gonna take no more ****! lol. oh and i am getting one of those drain plug kits where you drill a hole and then bolt it in. most likely towards the back corner of the pan, that way in the future i can drain it easily and never ever worry about that gasket again.

 

I think I'm just going to take it to a mechanic...I don't want to but I don't know if I can stand one more failed attempt.

 

buying a craftsman torque wrench and cork gasket.




Are you saying you haven't tried using a cork gasket yet?

 

cork gaskets are all i was ever able to get. its what was on there originally, what i replaced a year ago, and what i'm gonna replace tomorrow or monday. for the love of god please do not take it to a mechanic. look at how bad this economy is getting and then ask yourself if that sounds like a really good idea! they just play games with your wallet. i'd say $ wise you can do the job and fail at it 12 times before you start dipping into the cost of paying to get it done. not to mention they may take a hammer and go "oops" and smash a vital part of your transmission and then tell you that it was like that and they need to fix it otherwise you wont be able to get it home.....

 

It boggles me why no one else has made a post explaining a fool proof method to put the pan back up and not have the gasket seep and or leak.

 

i think that is because there isnt one. but i think with that alluminum pan a gasget and some RTV you should be good. i think with that alluminum pan you might be able to put more tourqu into it with out making more problems.

 

According to B&M they told me over the phone that I should put rtv silicone on the pan stick the gasket on it and wait not until it dries but until its tacky and then bolt it up. Then again I read all these different people saying stuff like don't torque the bolts until the following morning because the cork needs to compress etc....So with everyone telling my something different I'm left trying different things and continuing to over tighten gaskets or something else to that equivalent.

 

You might consider getting a gasket from Ford. I'm sure they still sell them as C6's were used into the mid 90's. O.E.'s tend to use good gaskets as recalls get real expensive.

Every automatic trans builder I've ever met has told me to never, ever, use RTV sealer on an automatic no matter who built it in the first place. Even a small amount can plug a passage or cause a valve to hang up.

Danger Dave, I've been bending wrenches 30+ years. Yes I've broken parts. Sometimes deliberately. In some cases it's better to destroy a $20 part than spend 4 hours trying to save it. The end result is a better job for less money. I care that what I do is done right the first time. Long ago I lost track of the number of vehicles I've straightened out that got trashed from somebody's attempt to save money. I've lost weekends over a do it yourselfer's mistakes only to get treated like chit because I actually wanted paid for the time. I've also given away many, many hours over this same kind of thing. In this economy I still keep buying more tools to keep up with changing technology. I've got more money invested in tools than I paid for my house. Way more.

 

okay well maybe you are one of the good ones. but 99% of bird cages you stick your finger in they will bite it is all i'm saying. please correct me if i'm wrong. im still young, but have personally dealt with enough of them, and have had friends that have dealt with enough of them and i hear nothing but horror stories and it makes me want to cry. and i dont see the task of installing a gasket being something worthy enough to take a chance at having a "pro" do it for you. i rate it with changing oil, brake pads, spark plugs, etc... but there is a technique to everything so i am very fortunate that i take an interest in these sort of things and a desire to gain knowledge from other peoples experiences so i can get it done the right way and save money at the same time.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...que-specs.html

How to Install Transmission Gasket | Expert Village Videos

How to Torque Transmission Fluid Pan | Expert Village Videos

 

I was told to use weatherstripping cement, is that what i should use?

 

A great many mechanics I know would react the same way to your statements. 99% will bite you? I don't think so. If all you've had is bad deals and horror stories then I'd suggest you and your friends learn how to spot a good shop from a bad one. Yes there are ripoff artists out there. I've called a few of them out right to their faces. Truth is a lot of mechanics today don't want to be bothered with older vehicles. Curious as to why? Answer is they get the same hassles old vehicle enthusiasts have to deal with. Obsolete techniques, environmental issues, legal concerns, hard to find info and harder to find parts just add to the never ending list of stresses. Changing a gasket isn't "worthy to take a chance at having a pro do it for you". Lose an engine to a misaligned gasket then come back and tell me that. Yes you are very fortunate that you take an interest in these things. You are also fortunate to belong to a site that has a number of seasoned " pros " who are not only able but willing to spend the time to try to help solve your parts and technical questions. I know very well that I'm not the only member here who has looked up info, did searches or ran to snap a pic to help someone they've never met.

I'm gonna get off of the soapbox before I run afoul of the mods.

 

99% yes. okay i didnt want this thread to turn into a mechanics are satanic thread. i just wanted the guy to do it himself just like i got done doing 20 minutes ago. but the fact is you sir are wrong. tell me youve never ripped anyone off, fixed something that wasnt broke, told someone they need new rotors when all they need is pads, or add an extra hour to the labor charge, charging someone 3 hours of labor for a job you can do in a half hour. or get a part that which at autozone runs 10 bucks. you get it for 5 bucks. and charge someone 20 bucks for the part. like i said you may be one of the good ones (i dont know) and if so then great, i salute you. but 99% YES 99% are the scum of the earth. just like used car dealers. i suppose you think 99% of used car dealers are good? youre just mad and cant take the critisicm because your a mechanic and this somehow insults you. but if it does not apply to you and you are one of the good ones then how can you possibly feel insulted? i was always told to attack the issue and not the person when it comes to arguing. so i believe i have covered the issue pretty well. if you continue to feel upset then this is your problem not mine. and i could care less what your friends think. i am adressing you not them. if you want to go on the evening news and say that i said 99% of all mechanics are scum then i could really care less. when i was in high school a bloke tried to pull that and say that he's gonna tell his friends what i said and then it will be 5 people vs. 1. which i find hilarious. so i had a collapsible baton with me. seems pretty fair to me. and how do you lose an engine due to a misaligned gasket? you are supposed to check your oil everytime you fill up at a gas station. back in the day they were called service stations and people would offer to check your oil for you. nowadays that dont happen. but i check my oil almost daily. it takes less than a minute of my time. same with transmission and antifreeze. oh and i have a 2002 honda f4i motorcycle which is fuel injected, has a map sensor, intake air temp sensor, cam pulse generator, bank angle sensor, all that garbage. way too many bells and whistles. and i work on it all myself.

 

Is it normal for transmission fluid to be coming out of the dust cover on the bell housing where the drain plug on the torque converter is? I tightened the drain plug plenty, is it from the left over transmission fluid that stayed below the flexplate when I drained the torque converter?