Pan Gasket

What should I get a Paper or Cork Pan Gasket?
Either will work. I use cork coated with Hylomar non-hardening silicone on both sides. Snug the bolts only enough to make contact with both surfaces (block and pan) - maybe 10-15 ft-lb max. You likely will NOT be able to flatten the lock washer with that torque, don’t worry about it. Check after running (the gasket will gradually compress uniformly) and re-snug if necessary.
 
I go with the cork. Sometimes there is a problem making the rear main cork half circle seal seat properly with the flat gasket square extension. I have done both on this - trim the square on the cork gasket, or cut the square rear main gasket "short" to "butt up against" the flat pan gasket.

Permatex No. 2 is my friend.

Joe K
 
I go with the cork. Sometimes there is a problem making the rear main cork half circle seal seat properly with the flat gasket square extension. I have done both on this - trim the square on the cork gasket, or cut the square rear main gasket "short" to "butt up against" the flat pan gasket.

Permatex No. 2 is my friend.

Joe K

Yes, you can smear a dab of Permatex #2 across the face of the rear square cork gasket, both the block side and the pan side, before attaching the pan. Same at the front main seal. The corks in the pan should be just a skotsch proud of the metal so they squish when the pan is tightened.
 
How to do the ends. and i attach with Indian Shellac! Cork.
 

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My engine builder (Ron Kelley, RIP) did not use a gasket, he just used a layer of Permatex.
 
A good tip that is glossed over unless you read very carefully is written in that really good article. And told to me by experts on this forum is to clean the thread holes and bolts and lightly apply permatex black gasket maker to the bolt threads for the 4 front bolts of the oil pan. Actually three of the four bolts go all the way through to the oil sump area, following that article my oil pan is 100% oil leak/weep free!
 
Before you re-install the pan, make sure it's flat. Sometimes, maybe quite often, the area around the bolt holes in the pan are stretched from overtightening the bolts, and these areas need to be "re-flattened".
 
I was actually thinking about this before…
Is there any downside to doing it like this?
You need to let it fully cure before running, and spread only the minimum required. Any bits of RTV squish-out that flake off may enter an oil passage and block it.
 
Hey,


pure sealing surfaces using elastic sealing material are indeed used today on flat surfaces. Only in a very thin layer. However, this only works in the long term if the surfaces are perfectly flat against each other and have a very low surface roughness.


With a more or less uneven sheet metal oil pan, a cork or perbunan gasket, for example, compensates for such irregularities.

Applying only a thick layer of sealant has disadvantages: it is not mechanically robust, it squeezes out inwards at the surfaces, and it takes a long time to cure.
 
I understand...


My problem is that the oil pan is more 'sweating' than actually dripping, i always see some seepage where the the gasket is. I thought why use a gasket when actually, with modern RTV red or Hylomar a much better sealing effect can be acchieved. I thought that mybe there is a problem with the front or back sealing of the crankshaft.
 
You can do both. Use the cork gasket with Loctite 5926 on the oil pan side and Hylomar M, or better H, on the block side.
Cork is allowed to "seed" a little; the pores will fill with oil. This maintains its elasticity and allows the cork to swell slightly.


The front sealant bead and the rear gasket are separate issues. I'm still working on the latter.
 
I did not realize that 3 of the front 4 bolts go all the way through. Thank you for the tip. I have a small bottle of that Permatex 2, or 3 ( I can't remember) that never really fully hardens.
 
I did not realize that 3 of the front 4 bolts go all the way through. Thank you for the tip.

Well, they go into the side timing gear cover and front cover, not into the sump, so they are not immersed in standing oil, only what runs down the inside of the covers. (I don’t have a side cover at hand, can’t remember if that one goes all the way through.) Still, whatever can be sealed does cut down the possibility of leaks.
 
You can do both. Use the cork gasket with Loctite 5926 on the oil pan side and Hylomar M, or better H, on the block side.
Cork is allowed to "seed" a little; the pores will fill with oil. This maintains its elasticity and allows the cork to swell slightly.


The front sealant bead and the rear gasket are separate issues. I'm still working on the latter.

Do you mean ‚seep‘? So does a cork gasket ‚sweat‘ a little oil and that‘s okay?
 
I use the paper gasket with a thin coat of silicone on both sides. It doesn't compress like the cork gasket does. On the front I use a modern seal incased in a aluminum housing with an oi ring around it with a light coat of silicone around it.In the rear I use a thick bead of silicone in the grove and set the oil pan down into it little over 1/8". I've been doing it this way for 25yrs. no leaks.
 
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