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TR4/4A Leaking Pan gasket, TR4

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thechileman

thechileman

Jedi Hopeful
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My Pan gasket has been leaking since I started driving my TR4. I finally pulled the pan, and there is no sealant between the gasket and the block. The gasket is "glued" to the pan. I am going to replace the gasket, but am unsure about the type of sealant to use. I have a tube of Permatex Utra black, which is an oil resistant RTV silicone. Is this suitable? I plan on using it on both sides of the Pan gasket.

Thanks again for the help!
 
Here's my take on gaskets and "sealers". <span style="font-weight: bold">It's the gasket that does the job.</span> If you have to use any type of sealer to get a gasket to stop leaking, something is not right. With a pan gasket, the usual problem is that the pan has become distorted by to much torque on the bolts.

Remove the pan, and with a hammer and backing steel, you need to flatten out all those upward protruding dimples on the pan where the bolts went through. Check you work by putting the pan upside down on a flat surface. Then make sure that the block surface is nice and clean.

Once that's done, what I do is glue, yes glue the gasket onto the surface of pan. I usually use something like 3M weatherstrip adhesive. I don't want the gasket walking while I put it into place. If I was doing this with the engine out and on an engine stand, I probably wouldn't glue the gasket on.

Before putting the pan in place with the glued gasket on it, I smear the gasket with a thin layer of heavy grease. This will prevent the gasket from sticking to the block in case you have to remove the pan in the future. This works great with valve covers, as you take take them off multiple times without having to install a new gasket...just re-smear it with the grease.

Start all the bolts, run them snug, and then torque...book says 16-18 lb/ft.

This is how I did all the gaskets on my engine rebuild, and (knock on wood) I have virtually NO oil leaks...yes there is oil in the engine, I just checked it on Saturday. :smile:
 
The gasket should actually seal with no goop at all; so I would be looking for why it didn't seal. The most common reason by far is that the surface of the pan is distorted from previous overtightening; but I have also seen burrs and other damage to the sealing surface on the block that will cause leaks.

Personally, I try to avoid using RTV at all, as any excess will be squeezed out inside the engine in a thin 'string', which can later break off and potentially block small passages elsewhere. I use Hylomar instead.
 
Thanks guys... I will take a hard look at the mating surfaces and see if I can see a problem. Some of the bolts were WAY overtorqued. I may have a warped pan...
 
Pulled the pan, and it did seem a little warped.. Straightend it out, an reinstalled with new gasket. Torqued the bolts evenly, and so far so good! I also put on the spin on oil filter adapter from Moss. Nicely designed... An easy upgrade.

Thanks again for the input!
 
I've always eschewed the gasket sealer when putting things back together, except as a very light coat to hold the gasket in place while I install it if necessary, and never found I needed it. In fact, when I see an engine with obvious gasket sealer anywhere, it makes me nervous.
 
You should probably avoid looking under my hood, then, Jeremy :laugh:
 
For pan gasket .Glue it to the pan . Let it sit over night weighted.
This is of course after you straightened the flange
 
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