I've used both, and IMHO, the "Import" is TOO hard.

I never had a leak with both of them, but the non-Import Right-Stuff is so much more flexible when cured.

:-) neil

cool thanks. Ill look into it.

check the gasket area where the front cover mate up to the front iron, that area can also leak too along with the pan creating a big oily mess.

OK one question:

if you remove the subframe the tranny with the ppf will handle the weight of the motor or do you have to lift the engine or suported with the lift.
thanks

You have to support the engine the ppf doesn't do anything to support the engine

yeah definitely need something to support the engine. Were I live we have a place we can go and rent a bay and lift to work on our cars for a decent fee. The first time I went to do this (ran out of time at the shop) we had the car on a lift and a transmission lift to hold the engine and trans up. Worked pretty well I think.

I used this to support my engine when I removed my subframe: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96524

It holds the engine up from the top by hooking onto the engine hoist loops, that way you don't have anything supporting from the bottom so you have all the room you could ever want to re-seal the oil pan.

Also, it's been mentioned before, but I'm just going to stress that you have to clean, clean, and clean all the old stuff off. I used a gasket scraper, a razor blade, gasket remover, and a tap (for the holes) to get all the old stuff off.

+1 for "The Right Stuff", Garfinkle Oil Pan Brace, and Moroso studs.

^ this. I purchased one of those support bars too. I had to get one to hold the engine up to put my trans back in. Also going to be used to re-seal my oil pan. Probably going to start on mine tomorrow.

a block of wood & a floor jack under the transmission will work. There's a little flat place for it. Just jack it up until the weight is off the engine mounts... remove the bolts on the mounts.... then jack it up til it bottoms out on the transmission tunnel (be sure the hood is open).


There's plenty of room under there. You won't have a problem with it interfering. I did mine with this method as have numerous other unfortunate souls to attempt the process with the engine in the car.

I use the same method as grimple1 but if i had to do it again i would get that engine support thing posted above because its more safe if the jack or wood slips something dangerous is going to happen.

EDIT: When i did mines my car was on the lift and was 8 feet above the floor but most of you would probably be doing this when the car is on jack stands so theres less possibility of the the wood and jack slipping

So the consensus here is to just use sealant and forego the gasket (shown in the service manual). I'm doing mine in a few weeks and want to make sure ;)

No gasket, just sealant.

Yup. That's been proven over and over. The problem with the gasket is that it never stops yielding, especially under the engine mounts. So, over time and stress of engine movement, leaks develop. Eliminating the gasket eliminates most of the compressible material between the pan and the block, helping to prevent future leaks from developing.

Here, again, is a related thread with some useful tips and info: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...easier+oil+pan

So revival time.

Finally got my friend to give me his engine hoist now that he isn't using it, so its time to get her back up and running. Got the hoist yesterday and hooked it up today and got to work. I will say that there is not a lot of room to work with if you go this route because the legs stick so far under the car. So if I ever have to do anything like this again, Im probably going to invest in one of those support bars.

I also took the advice given here and dropped the crossmember, there is soooo much more room to work with it dropped. The hardest part was removing the bolts holding it on lol. I used a combination of an impact wrench, normal wrench with a mallet, and a torque wrench (for the extra leverage). Finally after PB blasting it and the torque wrench, I was finally able to get them off. I then removed the oil pan while getting soaked by the rest of the oil in there lol.

I got a friends birthday to go to so decided to stop there and let the pan leak the rest out over night. Tomorrow comes the cleaning :)

1. Hoist installed
2. No room to move lol (removed jack after lowering crossmember. Didnt know how it was going to react to removing the bolts.)
3. Front view.
4. Broc wondering what the hell I'm doing lol.

1. Drop subframe
2. Remove pan and clean the hell outta the sealing surface
3. Run a tap thru all stud holes
4. Clean again
5. Check the flange for straightness on the pan
6. Clean again - install studs
7. Apply the RIGHT STUFF on the block
8. Install pan/brace
9. Torque all nuts
10 run a finger all around the pan/block surface
11 install the MM/subframe
12 let sit for 24 hors without any oil in it to cure
13. Add oil
14. warmup and check for leaks


later

I would recommend using something like acetone to clean both block and pan sealing surfaces. Tom's right, you have to remove all traces of oil to ensure a good bond.

Yeah I know I have to clean it like crazy to get it to bond. I'm not going to re-tap the stud holes since I did that when I first installed it. The only reason I would back those back out and re-tap them is if I have issues getting the engine mounting surface as clean as I want it.

I'm spending all of today and probably tomorrow cleaning the pan and the under surface with some simple green a scraping tool and I might use some brake fluid since I hear that works pretty well. Also I'm going to hit up NAPA or Autozone to get some Right Stuff lol.

Don't use brake fluid...! Use lacquer thinner or acetone on a clean rag and rubber gloves



later

Did he mean brake cleaner?

Correct on the brake fluid - brake fluid will leave a residue that will impair sealing. Also, brake cleaner (many varieties available) will clean well and leave no residue. If you did use brake fluid, use brake cleaner to remove the brake fluid's residue.

Dave

Yeah I did, I'm an idiot lol. i meant cleaner. Sorry, dog did something to really piss me off when I was writing it so I kinda rushed.

I had a mechanic that I used to go to college with tell me that break cleaner is all he uses to degreese stuff. Its cheaper then most cleaning agents and usually does a better job according to him.

BE CAREFUL with Brake Cleaner:

Non-Chlorinated is not so harsh on rubber/plastic parts or the environment, it's all I use

USE IN WELL VENTILATED AREAS FAR FAR FAR FAR AWAY FROM ANYTHING RESEMBLING A HEAT SOURCE!!!!!!

It was my own fault but I had my engine catch fire TWICE because the damn cleaner is so volatile! First time I accidentaly touched the positive terminal of the batt making it spark and the whole engine bay catched fire. The second time it was from a lit citronella candle that was at least 10ft away, somehow the fumes got there and I dumbfoundedly watched as the fire ran from the candle to my car!! I got lucky both times that I had a water hose near and the fire consumed the cleaner before anything else so my car had no major damage apart from a couple wires here and there.

DAMN! I would have had a heart attack if I watched that happen. Maybe ill just stick to simple green and a lot of scrubbing... I never thought cleaning my car would be so dangerous... lol

Use the non-flammable type. Just ask for it. It should be available at most auto parts stores.

Dave

ive just done my sump and all seems well soo far :D

i took the engine out to do it though, far easier for me and i knew i could get both surfaces clean. i used petrol to clean and then sand paper and then another clean, i also tapped flat the grooves in the pan as i fitted a sump brace at the same time.

i didnt use a gasket, just loctite 518