captainmorgan

I replaced my oil pan gasket with a one piece gasket. I also replaced the rear main seal while I was at it. I did not use any gasket sealer and now it it leaking at the rear of the pan . Should I pull the pan off again and use some sealer? What should I use?

rosslato

u were supposed to use silicone sealer at specific points on the gskt, in the front and back around the crankshaft at the corners. also did u use the correct torque pattern and torque? mine came out dry as a bone. it tells u on the directions where to place the sealer and the torque. remove and redo

captainmorgan

Well, I do not have the instructions now and do not remember seeing any. I will pull it back off again. Can anyone tell me what I need to do when putting it back in?

Thanks

captainmorgan

I have the pan off and I'm ready to put it back on. What is the torque pattern and where do I put the RTV?

rosslato

torque pattern is in the form of an X starting w/the 2 middle bolts of oil pan, i think the torque is 16 INCH lbs. put the sealer in the 4 corners where the oil pan loops around the crank

GasketDude

Dabs of oil rated silicone in all 4 corners will seal the interface corners. Snug the 4 5/16 bolts up first then the 1/4 bolts before actually torqueing. Sorry, don't have the torque numbers handy (I should know those but been out in the sun working this morning). The fact that the gasket now has torque limiting features helps if you don't have a torque wrench. You should be able to reuse the gasket, unless it fell into the oil, then it will swell and be useless.

Later.

b71vette

leaking ? I beleive you are suppose to stagger the seal halves so they don't line up with the oil pan rails in the rear and use a special sealant at the joints where the halves meet.

Also the Felpro one piece I used part#1880 said not to use any sealant at all even on the four corners.

GOSFAST

I just installed that particular Fel-Pro gasket on a SB we dynoed. I had a slight leak also, I changed to the Corteco 1 pc. (part #16635) and no more leaks. We do use them all (brands), but we prefer some over others. Edelbrock is using "Corteco's" on all their engines. At least they were to the best of my knowledge. Also, if you order Fel-Pro 1 pc. pan gaskets, you'd be better off ordering from the Std. (Fel-Pro) gasket catalog and not the Perf. one. Those particular part numbers (1880's/1881's) cost twice the price of the Corteco's and Fel-Pro's own perf. ones. The Corteco number covers from 1975 thru 1985, whereas you need two different numbers to cover those years with the Fel-Pro line. Thanks, Gary in N.Y.
P.S. We do place 4 "dots" of silicone in the corners, but I don't know whether it's really needed. You should also consider using Permatex's "The Right Stuff" if it's available. Since we've changed from the "original" silicone we've got no more leaks at all. There's an add'l amount of adhesive in the "The Right Stuff". We use this between the parting lines on the rear main cap also. One more issue on the rear main seal itself, if the crank seems "grooved", Corteco has a rear main seal that is "double-lipped" that works really well. Part #17274.

captainmorgan

That is the gasket that I have. I thought it said not to use sealent but it still leaked a little in both the rear and the front.

GOSFAST

That was why I chose not to reuse that number, I have no leak now with the Corteco. It appears to be little better quality. Thanks Gary in N.Y.

69monzaredbigblock

I plan to install a Fel-Pro one piece part # 1884 R in about a week or so. Brand new sealed box with No instructions or installation kit. I called the tech line at Fel-Pro and they say it's shipped without instructions. I'll dab the 4 corners with silicone. I'd like to know more about the other manufacturer previously mentioned, Corteco ?
Thanks.

GOSFAST

Corteco is the new name for Detroit Gasket. They changed names some years back. As I stated above, Edelbrock has a contract with them and uses them on all their engines sold through the mail order houses. We use both brands, but we're partial to Corteco in the oil pan area and most definitely in the head gasket area. They have "Cold-Seal" head gaskets which are really good. Corteco is not available for the very early timing covers however, the ones with the "narrow" pan seal. They do fit the later (1975/1985) and the same number (16635) fits both right and left dipsticks. They are about half the price of the Fel-Pro's in the Hi-Po catalogs. I believe they are about $26.00 or there abouts. DON'T use regular silicone on any of these (silicone-based) gaskets, you need an "adhesive" silicone as I stated above. We use the Permatex brand called "The Right Stuff". It's available in most auto supply stores. Thanks, Gary in N.Y.