TH400 pan torque specs
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
The factory spec is 130 inch-pounds (about 11 foot-pounds). This is best done with an inch-pound wrench; using a foot-pound torque wrench for this level of torque is risky due to lack of repeatability near the start of that foot-pound scale.
But that torque spec is also for the type of gasket used by the factory (cork or combination cork/rubber). For other types of gaskets, you should refer to the torque requirements specified by the GASKET manufacturer. ie, the solid silicone Fel-Pro pan gaskets have hard plastic spacers installed to 'fix' the amount of squeeze on the gaskets. The torque Fel-Pro specifies may be the same...or different...than factory torque requirements.
More importantly: For oil pans, I'm a firm believer in setting bolt torques in a specific manner. Install all bolts and just bring them to firm contact by hand or with very little torque. Then, tighten all (whatever sequence you want) to 1/2 of specified torque. If you used a sealant on the gasket, let it set overnight with 1/2 torque on the bolts, so that the sealant will set BEFORE full torque is placed on them.
Finally, put full torque on the bolts.
Following that procedure will prevent gasket 'squeeze-out' due to slippery sealant and also prevent distorting the pan rail by putting full torque on individual bolts BEFORE the entire rail is supported.
P.S. If pan and case surface are thoroughly cleaned and dried before installing the gasket, no sealant is needed on Fel-Pro cork/rubber or full-silicone gaskets.
But that torque spec is also for the type of gasket used by the factory (cork or combination cork/rubber). For other types of gaskets, you should refer to the torque requirements specified by the GASKET manufacturer. ie, the solid silicone Fel-Pro pan gaskets have hard plastic spacers installed to 'fix' the amount of squeeze on the gaskets. The torque Fel-Pro specifies may be the same...or different...than factory torque requirements.
More importantly: For oil pans, I'm a firm believer in setting bolt torques in a specific manner. Install all bolts and just bring them to firm contact by hand or with very little torque. Then, tighten all (whatever sequence you want) to 1/2 of specified torque. If you used a sealant on the gasket, let it set overnight with 1/2 torque on the bolts, so that the sealant will set BEFORE full torque is placed on them.
Finally, put full torque on the bolts.
Following that procedure will prevent gasket 'squeeze-out' due to slippery sealant and also prevent distorting the pan rail by putting full torque on individual bolts BEFORE the entire rail is supported.
P.S. If pan and case surface are thoroughly cleaned and dried before installing the gasket, no sealant is needed on Fel-Pro cork/rubber or full-silicone gaskets.
