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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => 73-87 Chevy & GMC Trucks => Topic started by: smitty77 on September 07, 2009, 06:58:44 pm
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After much meticulous work replacing the rear main seal, today was spent putting the timing cover and oil pan back on. I bought a new timing cover since the other one had a warped face and was hacked at the bottom (must haven been to fix the leak once, without dropping the pan), and a brand new FelPro rubber one-piece gasket. I also bought The Right Stuff and some 3M "yellow snot" weatherstrip adhesive as Vile had suggested using in a number of threads. I must have read up on how to do this about 5 times. Armed with knowledge, my 7 year old son and I spent the afternoon tackling this. Getting the pan bolts to grab with the thicker gasket was a PITA, which would have been made easier if I actually looked in the bottom of the gasket box and found the new, longer bolts. Doh! It was then that I read the instructions. Double doh!
According to the instructions from FelPro, the gasket is meant to be installed dry with no chemical adhesives. Did I just screw myself out of $30 and an afternoon of wasted time, or should I be okay? I'd hate to put the motor in the truck and find it leaks a year from now when I start actually driving it.
Funny thing is I've been really good at reading all of the stuff that comes with new parts to make sure I do as directed. Missed this one though......
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Naw you should be fine. Even though we all make mistakes and have to do things over sometimes.
Just like I installed the motor in old rusty yesterday and I forgot to install the clutch fork in the bellhousing, OOPs I'll get her next weekend.
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Just make sure you put some RTV in the corners and a small bead along the front and rear of the pan. Once you install all of the bolts torque them 3 times. AS long as the gasket is in the correct position you're good and leak free.
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Just make sure you put some RTV in the corners and a small bead along the front and rear of the pan. Once you install all of the bolts torque them 3 times. AS long as the gasket is in the correct position you're good and leak free.
Then I should be okay. I'm guessing the gasket is in the right spot as all of the bolts lined up perfectly. I didn't have to fiddle with any to get them going straight. I think I torqued them 2x around the pan initially, then again 10 minutes later, and one last time after that. I didn't get but a 1/16 of a turn on the wrench before it clicked on the last go-'round, so I think they're good.
I was mostly concerned with the disclaimer on the instruction sheet that it needed to be a dry installation, yet they did mention some RTV in the corners. Let's hope!
And amazingly I thought it would be the rear main seal giving me fits. That one went in rather easy, IMO.
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Yeah the old sbc and bbc oil pan gaskets are a joke. It's a terrible design and you learn after doing it wrong a few times how to make them NEVER leak again lol.
As far as dry installation this is true. RTV sandwiches are usually a no no but in a few cases you either add some booger snot or you're going to deal with leaks. The pan sealing flanges are the worst parts.