Oil Pan Leak.. gasket yay or nay..
 

I searched.. but I wanted my own thread since they didn't specifically address the gasket.

So.. Black Dragon has a gasket for the oil pan ('85 GSL-SE), but I also understand some of you decide to just use a liquid gasket. Any pros / cons of either solution? I have some Three Bond that I used to seal my Ducati cases, that stuff makes a mean gasket. I don't mind buying the BD gasket if it makes life easier.

Lastly, drop the idler arm to remove the pan? I don't really fancy the idea of removing the engine mounts and jacking up the engine/trans, seems like overkill. If the idler arm can be removed and re-bolted in place that seems like the way to go. Any issues with going that route?

nay, use some high temp silicone make-a-gasket. they dont absorb oil and will fix your leak. besides i have been told some cons for the paper gasket. i redid my oil pan gasket because it was leaking right by the exhaust manifold and caused a smoke screen every time i started moving from a stoplight idling. good luck. its fun because its all oil and greasy black down there :lol:

Just get a gasket and silicone the top and bottom. Why worry? That is what I do.

The silicone is like 3$ a tube for high temp. You can use that tons of times. That is what holds my OMP gasket to the OMP and engine, Oil pan, etc. Still have tons left over.

Don't try to cut corners when your Oil is 30% cooling and a MAJOR part of your engine.

shouldnt have to remove the idler arm



jack the whole car up enough so its easey to work under you will be fine.
dont need to go to bd your loacal parts store should have one i used the paper gasket and used black oil resistant silicone and sealed both sides for reasurance make sure you clean the oil pan and under the engine to help the silicone stick.

Don't cut corners bro...go with the correct oil pan gasket and use indian head or high temp. sil.

really??? i had to drop my idler arm because i couldnt see how the oil pan would drop down. it was just hanging there with all the bolts off and i dont remember that i can slide it out or anything so that is why i had to undo the passenger side idler arm

I put a brand new Mazda gasket and sealant on my motor and it's leaking already (less than 1500km's) now going to use Loctite Instant gaket instead

I saw a writeup years ago, but can't remember where. It involved using a punch to make some dimples in the edge of the oil pan and the bottom of the motor. This gives the sealant something to grab onto, and supposedly works great...

I searched the topic of oil pan gasket last week and this is what I found to be the majority answer: no gasket needed, just use the red or copper RTV (I used red); and it's easier to remove the idler arm than to jack up the engine.

That's what I did and it worked like a charm. YMMV

I have used both with and w/out a gasket.

With gasket = Leaks
w/out gasket= No leaks

Just use a high temp rtv that withstands oil.


Ed

Thanks everyone... I'm going to pick up a tube of THREEBOND and a gasket. I use ThreeBond because it has great adhesive properties as well as sealing. I've never used it in conjunction with a gasket. And now that I think about it, I believe it's only for mating metal to metal, so perhaps I just use RTV.

http://www.threebond.com/LGasket.html

As for the idler arm, I have a feeling the pan will be a PITA w/o removing the idler arm, but I'll try, then as a last resort I'll disconnect it. Jacking up the engine sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Perfect time to install an oil pan brace

http://www.banzai-racing.com/product..._pan_brace.htm

Nice.. a bit outside my budget for this project however. I had no idea that "flex" was a cause for the pan to leak. I figured there wouldn't be enough give between the joint to cause a leak but it rather the deterioration of the gasket itself. I'll seal it up this time, if it leaks again I'll seek out a brace.

i've had 2 motors pro built with no gasket. silicone only. and they leaked brand new and still leak to this day.

On another motor I used a factory MAZDA gasket and OIL RESISTANT silicone ala GREY RTV. No leaks.

Be sure to clean the pan and engine surfaces real good before assembly. A low speed wire wheel then brake cleaner is the way to go.

Good info, Thanks! I'm going to use a gasket, if that's the way it came OE then it seems to be the right thing to do. If these engines do flex then the gasket will just give it much more to play with.

Nice plug lol

I have the Banzai-Racing OPB for my TII motor that I will be installing into my FB. I plan on using just the factory gasket, I figure with all the extra force being pressed down on it, that it wont leak.

On my J-Spec motor that I got in, It had some sort of Hondabond like gasket maker on it, and it took a pry bar to get the pan off, so that maybe the way to go.

Ill try my way first, and if it leaks then It will be back to the drawing boards

I've heard people having leaks or no leaks going with or without a gasket. It comes down to making sure everything is clean, and using the sealer exactly the way it says to. Most of the time people get in a hurry, and don't give the sealer time to tack before they reinstall the pan. If the sealer is too green when you reinstall, it doesn't fully cure. I personally use the gasket and sealer. http://www.permatex.com/products/Aut...sket_Maker.htm This was recommended to me years ago from Stan at SDJ Motorsports when he had his shop here in NC. Best stuff in the world.

I installed an oil pan yesterday and used an old, slightly damaged gasket. It was clean, and both metal surfaces were oil free. The sealant I used is ultra black RTV. It should hold up for many years.

When using your sealant; do you guys worry about oil conatmination that could damage the cat?

I may just reuse the old gasket with RTV liek Jeff did, I was just worried for meh cat

How is that going to damage the catalytic converter?

You are probably thinking about when the engine starts burning oil and feeds it out the exhaust. That will destroy the converter.:)

The difference in getting the oil pan to seal properly with or without using a gasket is in the type of sealer that you use. There is a specific type of gasket maker/sealer that is used with no gasket. Then there is the gasket sealer that is used with a gasket.

Some very important steps that are missed when doing this job so that you ensure that you have no leaks.

1. Make sure that the oil pan surface is not only clean but the mating surface is not warped.

2. Clean the oil pan bolt threads of any oil or grease.

3. If you have a tap, clean the threads that go into the block

4. The reason for the above steps #3 & #4 is so that you get the proper torque on #5

5. Lightly tighten all of the bolts a little at a time until snug then torque them down to their proper torque of 6 to 8 ft lbs.

Also when applying your sealer. Run a bead of about 3/16 to 1/4 " on the oil pan staying away from the openings for the oil pan bolts, then put your gasket on . If you decide to put another layer on the gasket to block (which I do not recommend) Then also stay away from the openings for the bolts.