Oil Pan Gasket advice

bunnyc

bunnyc

Senior Member
I'm preparing to drop my oil pan. The engine will remain in the car. I've read Frank Rosin's article "Leakless Pan Gasket" and have the adhesive/sealants he mentioned.

Ordered my gasket set from Snyders, p/n A-6781-C. It has a label "Important ! These gaskets are self-sealing. Use of any additional sealer will damage the gaskets"

So, do I follow Frank Rosin's procedure or not? Get a different gasket set? I'd like to do it right the first time.
 
Listen to the people that sell it to you.if you put sealer on those soft self-sealing gaskets it will act as a lube and squirt the gaskets out the sides of the joints before the lock washers are compressed.a dab on the end joints is fine.Same thing with the composite head gaskets.If you put any kind of sealer on the composite head gaskets the fiber will squirt out because the sealer is lubing it as you tighten it.
 
I haven't read the article, but was he saying to use the sealants instead of a gasket?
 
Keith True;1273883[B said:
]Listen to the people that sell it to you.[/B]if you put sealer on those soft self-sealing gaskets it will act as a lube and squirt the gaskets out the sides of the joints before the lock washers are compressed.a dab on the end joints is fine.Same thing with the composite head gaskets.If you put any kind of sealer on the composite head gaskets the fiber will squirt out because the sealer is lubing it as you tighten it.
Click to expand...


Ditto the vendor is the one that takes the heat if it does not work so they are not going to steer you wrong!

Here is the article by the way,

http://www.sacramentocapitolas.org/sites/default/files/attachments/Leakless-Pan-Gasket-Article.pdf
 
You have ordered the cork gaskets
with these I normally just use these with just a thin smear of grease
 
"I'd like to do it right the first time."

One suggestion for doing it right the "first" time:

1. Go to the store to buy a spool of thread, used for sewing ..... #8 is fine, any color.

2. After both metal mating surfaces are clean, lay gasket on gasket surface of the clean oil pan.

3. Cut an approximately (8) inch long piece of thread for each oil pan bolt hole.

4. Thread each piece of thread through each oil pan bolt hole, tie a simple knot, (not too, too tight), and allow excess thread ends to lay on the out-side of the oil pan.

5. After gasket is secured in place, push pan upwards and begin to "loosely" install all pan bolts.

6. After all pan bolts are loosely installed, cut and remove each thread "before" tightening oil pan bolts.

7. Avoid tightening oil pan bolts such that the gasket begins to squeeze out at any of the bolt locations.

8. If you do not live next door to a church or a minister ............. just experiment with omitting all of the above ....... and as you fight compressing the oil pump spring ..... and the gasket slips and slides out of place while installing ........... just let out with all of the (4) letter words in your vocabulary.

9. Next, while laying on your back under your Model A, re-install the gasket and pan several times until you decide to "maybe" try the above thread method.
 
Install the gaskets dry but always use a dab of silicone in aLL 4 corners where the cork rail gasket ends.. The above site posted is pretty good
3m spray weatherstrip adhesive is all u need to hold the gasket in place...
Make sure the surface is clean and dry with no oil seeping out of the block onto it
 
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Mitch//pa said:
Install the gaskets dry but always use a dab of silicone in aLL 4 corners where the cork rail gasket ends.. The above site posted is pretty good
3m spray weatherstrip adhesive is all u need to hold the gasket in place...
Make sure the surface is clean and dry with no oil seeping out of the block onto it
Click to expand...
GOOD ADVICE! Spray the block & the top side of the gasket & WAIT until it DOESN'T feel "sticky", then position the gasket.
TIP#381: IF your regular old cork gasket has SHRUNK, spray the top side with 3M spray trim cement, THEN soak the gasket in water, to expand it & you will be AMAZED to find that the adhesive will STILL stick to the block, even though the gasket's still WET!!!
Sticky Dad
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
GOOD ADVICE! Spray the block & the top side of the gasket & WAIT until it DOESN'T feel "sticky", then position the gasket.
TIP#381: IF your regular old cork gasket has SHRUNK, spray the top side with 3M spray trim cement, THEN soak the gasket in water, to expand it & you will be AMAZED to find that the adhesive will STILL stick to the block, even though the gasket's still WET!!!
Sticky Dad
Click to expand...

Just don't let them call you "sticky fingers".:D
 
Mitch//pa said:
Install the gaskets dry but always use a dab of silicone in aLL 4 corners where the cork rail gasket ends.. The above site posted is pretty good
3m spray weatherstrip adhesive is all u need to hold the gasket in place...
Make sure the surface is clean and dry with no oil seeping out of the block onto it
Click to expand...

Just did mine in this manner ---used spray adhesive from Lowes after wiping all contact areas w/ lacquer thinner
 
Spray JUST one side of the gasket, just to hold it in place, the 3M SPRAY, is NOT a SEALER. Tighten the an bolts GENTLY, or you'll "squish" out the cork gasket & it'll leak like a SIEVE!
Bill Gentle
 
Many 80+ year old Model A oil pan mating surfaces will be found not to be dead flat, mainly because some inexperienced Model A owner over tightened the pan bolts while using former soft, cork gaskets; hence, the cork gasket was over-compressed under each pan bolt until it bent the oil pan at each bolt hole.

There are a few advantages as to why conservative 1930's vintage mechanics continued to use cork oil pan gasket with no adhesive:

A. The cork gasket will not tear ..... not if ..... but when ... the oil pan is removed again.

B. This gasket can be re-used several times .... if never over-tightened.

C. The (2) metal mating surfaces will not have to be cleaned of pieces of cork adhered to said metal mating surfaces after removal.

D. The minute oil seeps into a slightly less compressed cork gasket area on a slightly uneven oil pan, the oil comes in direct contact with the cork, soaks into the cork, and swells and seals the oil pan joint in this particular area.

E. Last but not least for this vintage 1930's conservative method, after buying (1) spool of thread, it has enough thread on it to re-install the same Model A cork gasket many, many times in the future.
 
AND, pay no attention to the torque values you may have seen in print. Some of them state 20 foot pounds. Actually all that is needed is 20 INCH pounds (about 5 ft lbs).
 
After reading through all the posts, I've decided not to use the Snyder's gasket and buy a plain cork gasket set.

I've cut the heads off 4 bolts and slotted the ends for a flat tip screw driver to use as guides for re-installing the pan.

Thanks for all the guidance.
 
When I installed my oil pan (on the engine stand) after the motor being rebuilt, I followed Frank Rosin's procedure. In the article he called for the cork gasket over the rear main bearing cap at 6 11/16" which I cut exactly. This number came up short. Happy I had a spare cork gasket.
 
Hi Mitch,

Agree ...... if they used only "cork" to permanently seal those 100 year old vintage wine bottles that sell for $10,000.00 ..... ought to be good enough to seal a vintage Model A oil pan. LOL
 
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