oil pan gasket and sealer

[JimB]

What is the best gasket and sealer for no leaks on my 390 engine pan replacement?

[jopizz]

A Fel-Pro gasket and black RTV sealant works fine for me. The important thing is to make sure the flange on your pan is perfectly flat and the holes aren't warped from overtightening. Put a straight edge on the lip of the pan. If it sits perfectly flat you're good. If it doesn't because the holes stick up you will have to hammer them flat. If it's a new pan it should be fine. Just don't overtighten the bolts.

John

[Yadkin]

My engine builder went the extra mile to ensure no leaks on my oil pan. He used a composite gasket and cut the outer 1/3 off. Then he applied RTV grey to the space he created and put the pan in place, lightly torquing the bolts. Then he applied additional sealer around the outside to completely fill the space, then let harden got a few minutes, then torqued down in three stages.

The engine was upside down on a stand when he did this.

This isn't practical with the engine in the car. The last FE motor that I replaced the pan was with a composite gasket and spray on red sealer. After two years it does not leak.

[simplyconnected]

Gaskets and gasket sealers are designed to 'even out' any uneven surfaces. Everyone has their way and I am no different.

Torque specifications from the book will not do as they are way too loose UNLESS you use thread locker like LocTite (blue).

The secret is to get the sealer to stick to the surfaces. I mean, really stick. Did you ever stand in line at the checkout counter and see a card of bathtub calk with a small sample on the outside corner? No matter how much you play with it, that sample isn't coming off unless you cut it off with a razor blade. All excited, you get home, apply the RTV, but it comes off easily later on because the surfaces were not really clean or dry.

I use lacquer thinner to clean my surfaces. It's not enough to be 'oil free'. Put lacquer thinner on a rag and wipe mating surfaces thoroughly. Do it a few times just to make sure. Lacquer thinner dries immediately.

Next, I use Permatex (Black, Red, Gray, it doesn't matter which). I put a small bead on the surface and with my finger, I spread it thin and even. Then I do the pan the same way. Let them cure for at least ten minutes. Then I do the gasket while its sitting on cardboard.

A word about the gasket... We used cork very successfully for decades. Now, many restorers like composite. We used to buy composite with the idea of using the gasket over. In fact, we glued a composite gasket to BOTH sides and left it dry in the middle, particularly on rocker covers so we could adjust the valve lash every 10,000 miles or so.

At the factory, Ford used RTV sealer with NO gasket on Escort engine oil pans. When I mount intake manifolds on Ford engines (yes, FEs too), I always leave the front and rear gaskets off of the block because they prevent the intake manifold from descending all the way. After a day or so, I fill the cleaned surfaces with RTV Black. There is no oil or gas pressures and therefore no leaks when done.

Whichever method of gasketry you employ doesn't matter to me. In my opinion, too many oil leaks were caused by over torquing the bolts. My Y-Block engines only have two nuts on top of each rocker cover domes and NO bolts on the flanges because 'Ys' are solid lifter engines that must be periodically tuned. I have not had an oil leak, ever.

When you over torque, you deform the gasket, then the sheet metal flange so the hole is now raised above the flange. All you need is to snug the bolt with a slight 'oomph' at the end and LocTite on the threads. That's it. Leave it alone. Let the Permatex do its job. New installations from the factory are not distorted and yours shouldn't be either. - Dave