Hey everyone, just wondering, what are our stock oil pan gaskets made of? I'm thinking about swapping a cam while the engine is in the car and maybe changing out my oil pan gasket while I'm at it (or in case I ruin the gasket while taking the timing cover off). Does the old gasket come out easily? In one piece? Or does it break apart? I suppose I can't get the pan out without the jacking the motor. I was hoping to just drop the pan enough to get the old gasket off and slide a new gasket in there. Anybody ever done this before? Thanks in advance.

 

The gasket is made of cork for the rails and rubber on the ends. It is possible to replace the gasket while the motor is in the car. You will have to loosen all the bolts and let the pan sit down on crossmember. Once this is done, CLEAN the timing cover and the rear main cap. Also, use a little silicone in the corners where the rubber meets the cork. This will prevent future leaks.

 

My original '86 pan gasket was one piece rubber. I was under the impression that all '86-up pan gaskets were same. But, I don't have enough exposure to say with certainty.

 

It very well could be a one piece rubber design. It that is the case then the whole project will be that much easier.

 

Thanks guys. I was worried it was the type of gasket that's made out of paper or come sort of composite like the stock intake manifold gaskets. Those things I'm afraid of changing simply due to the fact that they break into little pieces and could fall into the pan. With the cork and rubber, they tend to stay in one piece, right?

 

Rubber usually does, but cork likes to come apart in thousands of tiny pieces sometimes.

 

Well, either way, if I wash the pan with enough oil enough times, if any gasket falls into the pan, I should be able to get it out through the drain hole, right?

 

Depends on how small the pieces are.

 

Any tips on how to keep the gasket in one pice when I break the seal? I imagine I'll have to smack the oil pan a couple of times to get the seals to break, right? Anyway to do it to maximize the chances of keep the gaskets in one piece so that I can simply peel them off?

 

86 and later engines with the one-peice rear main seal will have a rubber oil pan gasket. If you are doing a cam change you shouldn't have to touch the oil pan gasket. Just loosen some of the front oil pan bolts and be careful and patient taking the timing cover off and on you should be fine

 

Thanks a lot Sean... I was getting worried about that. So once you tighten up the pan bolts, the gasket should seal again, right? The last time I swapped a cam, I had the engine out of the car and we just replaced the gaskets while we were at it.

 

Yes they'll re-seal. The rubber gaskets re-seal no problem. I did a cam swap on my S10 with the 4.3 V6 with the rubber gasket, which is identical to the small block less the 2 cylinders. 3 years and 40,000 miles later there are no leaks. But it does take patience and finess.

 

Yes if you take it easy it should be fine.

If you try to rush or force things you may end up tearing the cork or shifting it and end up with a leak!

 

What cork?