Sealing Oil Pan

[Andrew]

Kind of basic question, but does anyone have advice on the best way to clean the mounting surfaces (what brand solvents or cleaners work best) and what gaskets and sealants work best ( ie. cork, rubber, silicon, etc). Also any tricks on how to torque the bolts down and how long to let it sit, re-torque etc. 1969 440 w/ windage tray. Thanks.

 

[Meep-Meep]

It seems to be a basic question but there are plenty of ways to screw it up. The double gaskets are real spongy so do not tighten too much. Flatten out the pan rail where the bolt holes are to get a fresh start and watch the gasket compression as you tighten. The rubber impregnated cork is fine with some aviation Permatex, or these days you can probably ditch the gaskets all together and use "The Right Stuff" sealer. To clean I just scrape with a razor blade or sharp gasket scraper and hose down with brake clean. Also make sure the timing cover gasket is flush with the pan rail. Get all the bolts started and use some logical pattern going from side to side starting from the middle. That's what I do.

If you are doing this under the car you can tie/weave the gaskets and windage tray in place with thread to hold them together while you align it.

 

[MarPar]

Pita

I've done my oil pan gasket 3 times already in my GTX. The third time was da charm!!! I did this job on da floor on my back, and it's kinda a PITA, but after the third time it wasn't too bad.. I used MoPar Perf. ( i think they are cork based with a black gasket type material impregnated) and black gasket maker (permatex black magic or something like that, i'll check when i get home) to seal around the edges. The first two times i used strictly cork gaskets, and IMHO they are junk. I cleaned the mating surfaces really good with brake cleaner. (if you have a parts washer it will be much easier) Make sure they are dry, and place some of that black gasket stuff on the top lip of pan and let it air dry for 5 min or so, so it gets a little tacky. then put the gasket on there and let it set for a while (half hour or so), if you don't, the gasket will slide around and make a HUGE mess! For the windage gaskets, put gasket stuff on the windage just like you did on the oil pan, and put a little bead on the block lip (be careful not to put too much on the block and plug up the bolt holes), then after gets tacky, put it up to the block (Pay particular attention to the timing chain cover and rear main areas, put some xtra gasket stuff there). Also, put some gasket stuff on the top of the gasket that's on the pan so it will seal to the bottom of the windage. Some guys like putting both the windage and oil pan up together as an assembly, but i found it easier and more effective to put the windage up by itself first (use a few bolts to hold it to the block while it sets), let it set for a while, and then putting the pan up. (i tried putting them both up at the same time the first two times, but i had clearance issues with the steering linkage) Btw you will need to drop the pitman and idler arms to swing the linkage out of the way. When you tighten them, go cross-wise on the pan so it tightens up evenly, i think it was 15 lb/ft if memory serves, but i'll look at that too when i get home. After you tighten them, you'll probably get some ooze, which is ok, just smear it on the edge and seal it up real good. I waited three days to even put oil back in her to make sure it dried well. Hope this helps!! :HappyNewYear:

 

[Andrew]

Oil Pan

Thanks to both of you. The engine is on a stand which will make some this easier. I am not necesarilly removing the timing chain cover unless it would help to reseal the oil pan. Should I reseal the timing chain cover at the same as I do the oil pan just to prevent the possibility of a leak???

 

[dantrap]

since the engine is out of the car i would replace all the seal ans gaskets. it will be a good time to clean everything up. Good luck.

 

[Andrew]

I think that will be my plan.