hello

I have 10,000 miles on my 350, in an 89 T/A

the first time I used the 4 peace cork gasket, it was a disastor, it leaked about a quart every 30 miles.

the 2nd time, I used a Fel-Pro, 1 peace rubber, it was better, but still leaked, and now its starting to leak bad, about 1 quart every tank of gas.

I dont think I overtightened the bolts.

on the felpro,it seemed to leak around the bolts..all of them. I fixed this(hacked it) by removng the bolts 1 at a time, and coating the base with silicon, which helped a lot, but still leaked, and now is worse
at first,I tried to tighten the bolts, but it didnt help, so i put on the silicon.

I dont mind a slight leak,
im gonna try my 3 rd attempt next weekend...

any tips/tricks/hints would be appreciated, as well as gasket reccomendations..

BTW, it is a 2 peace rear main seal

 

If you havent already, try sanding the surface of the oil pan and to rough it up before you put the gasket on.

:hail:IROC-Z

 

What year is the engine's block? If its the 89 block & you have a 2piece crank seal Im assuming U have a crank shaft adapter. Does the car leak at idle or under load? Is it coming from the rear or front of the of the motor? Make sure its not the crank adapter leaking. If You have oil on the starter & exhaust you may have a rear seal leak.
njdaewoo

 

The bolts go into blind holes, so the oil isnt coming from above the bolts it just showing up there.

Is the pan flange flat? Needs to be.
Are you using the metal load spreaders? Should be.
Did you put that gasket on dry aside of the 4 corners? You should have. And the 4 corners must be super clean.

 

The ONLY way I know of sealing those SOBs is using LOTS of silicone. I've had great luck with "The Right Stuff" sold in a black and grey can at most auto parts stores. I liberally coat the block, going around the bolt holes, put the gasket on, coat the gasket also, and grind the lips of the oil pan with a grinding stone on a drill. Especially the chrome pans. YOu didnt mention using silicone at all. Maybe that's your problem! Gotta have it! Those gaskets arent perfect, like you obviously found out.

Doing it the way I described it worked perfectly on my new 400. Not a drop of oil in sight !

 

be careful not to OVERTIGHTEN the pan bolts.....if you do it tears the gasket...not sure of the torque..but it isnt much

 

you sure it's the pan gasket? is the leak in the same place each time? is the old gaskets damaged? if you've done this several times either you're messing up big time or missing where the leak is. make sure the pan rails are flat and everything is clean, i use brake cleaner. i use 1 piece oil pan gaskets, put high tack on the block and ultragray on the pan, not much, just enough to fill any voids and hold the gasket. i use a little ultragray where the end seals meet the pan rail of the block.

 

Don't use too much silicon sealer or it'll clog up your oil pump pick-up screen and various passages in the block. Apply a very thin coat, and then letting it "skin" for about 15 minutes works best to seal gaskets. The only time you ever want to use alot is if you are using it without a gasket, as some do on the ends of the intake manifold.

 

You have to use silicone to seal it?

I have 4 cars with only silicone in the 4 corners, not a single one of them leaks or seeps. They are supposed to be installed dry except the front and rear, GM used something similar to Permatex Aviaton sealer in those spots. Thats how they come from the factory with the 1 piece rubber seal, and thats how you should install it as well. Slathering silicone on it... may as well just throw the gasket away and use only silicone.

 

I have the Fel-pro on the 350 in my 79 Vette and have no problems. Is the pan bent? Also, you should not use sealant with this gasket. Some people do use a little at the corners near the timing cover and main bearing but you should not need it anywhere else. The torque specs are 8 ft/lbs at on the side rails and 16 ft/lbs on the corner bolts. I have heard of people having problems up near the timing cover on the 70's blocks because there were two different pans used. The earlier blocks used a pan that needed a thicker gasket in that area. It sounds to me like you have it coming from the side rails, and in that case, I have to guess that your pan is bent.

 

thats what i was also going to say is it sounds like the pan might be bent, i've never had any leaking problems, but what makes a great sealer is use weatherstripping adheasive, it goes on kinda watery to get into the holes and small imperfections, but hardens like a rock so it gives a great seal,

 

definatly sounds like the rails are bent. I use Gasgacinch this stuff is the Sh*t!! never had a leak using it.

 

I've heard that silicone or other greasy goopy sealants should not be used on gaskets that are designed to go on dry. ONE reason is that it lubricates the gasket allowing it to slide away from the pressure points (bolts), and the spreading may distort it and/or tear it, thus not sealing properly.

 

Oh well. There's a lot of things that we arent "supposed" to do. Like removing your AIR pump.. lol BUT, in my humble opinion, using silicone seals the whole thing A LOT better. Some people have luck with their gaskets not leaking... but I bet the majority arent that lucky. I know I'm not !

 

The only people I've ever heard of that could not get the Fel-pro one piece to seal up either had a bent oil pan rail, not cleaned the old gasket material off the block properly, or the wrong gasket. If you've addressed these three issues, it should seal up with no problem and NO sealant except possibly on the corners at the timing cover and main bearing. I didn't even use it at the corners and mine has been dry as a bone for 9 months.

 

sounds like you may have a problem with the oil pan itself, but make sure to not use any silicone on it. use the one piece gasket and if you can, get some arp oil pan studs. i use them and the one piece oil pan gasket on all of the sbc's i build with no leaks yet other than one with a bent pan i was trying to make work.

 

I used the one piece gasket, and had no problems what so ever. Sounds like ur oil pan is bent to me. And I wouldnt recommend using any silicone down there either.

 

The only reason the pan won't seat is irregularity in the surface. If you have tried several times and it leaks as bad as you say, TOSS the old pan. You will NEVER get it to conform. Most likely it has been overtorqed, and unless you put a hell of a lot of time into it you are wasting your time. Just get another pan and follow all steps to install, and DON'T forget the torque wrench. It WILL seat and it will be another 15 years before you will ever have to worry about it.

 

I'll bet you have bent the oil pan, around the bolts. When you take it off, look at the pan where the bolts go thru. Are sticking up? Take a ball peen hammer and knok them back down, till they are recessed. A common problem with over tightened bolts. Clean the block and pan surface with brake cleaner. Install gasket dry, except the four corners. Just a dab of sealer there. Also check your pvc valve. If you're building too much pressure inside the engine, IT WILL LEAK!!

 

I use the one piece perma dry gasket as well and I don't use sealant on it anywhere, even in the corners and mine seals just fine. I'm going to go with what everyone else is saying and suggest changing your pan.

 

Or you can try a 3 dollar tube of sealant and not waste your money on a new pan. I BET you all these guys saying they dont use silicone on their pans have at least one drop of oil leaking from their car every night... hehe Mine's SPOTLESS so far

 

Now there's a Bubba fix. Instead of fixing what's broke, shove enough sealant in there to stop it up. and if that don't work, wrap duct tape around the edges of the pan, and if that don't work, get some coat hanger wire and wrap it up around the engine until that pan's good and tight.

Do yourself a favor. Fix it right. And Blackened, you are wrong about the drop of oil. My pan is dry as a bone. If you install the one piece Fel-pro gasket correctly, and your pan isn't bent, it seals up better than the four piece gasket and goop and lasts longer.

 

hey, sorry I haven been able to respond, I went up north on Friday and just got back.

Anyways, the enine is from 86-prior, it is leaking all around the pan, not the front, not the rear...but everywhere.

It started leaking bad when I drove over a parking curb in a parking lo(those long concrete blocks) and the car came down hard on the oil pan, denting the hell out of it. But it did leak before that, so it just got worse.

I am planning on replacing the pan of course, and was thinking of using the ARP studs.

I am also thinking of saying Fu*k it, and pulling the motor and taking it up to a former workplace and having them do it for 50$$$..but I hate the thought of anyone fixing my car but me.

thanx for all the replys!
Joshua

 

If you get the Fel-pro one piece gasket kit, it comes with the gasket, snap-ups to help hold the gasket and pan in place while you start installing the bolts, and new bolts (slightly longer due to the thickness of the one piece gasket). Like I said 8 ft/lbs for the side rails and 16 ft/lbs for the longer corner bolts. Also, some people use a small bit of sealant on the corners where it curves around the timing cover and at th rear corners at the main bearing cap. Don't put sealant anywhere else. If you clean the block surface well before installation, you should have no problems.

 

Nothing like cork and ol' form-a-gasket