Is "form-a-gasket" sealant any good for an oil pan?

This is just my opinion without having specific experience on your vehicle. The form-a-gasket product came about as a means of faster production because machines can squirt it out of a nozzle. The product curing and timing are critical. There's an art to doing it and you might have trouble since you don't do it regularly. Gasketing itself is a science. The manufacturers are still trying to find a leak proof method of sealing. I would prefer a quality rubber or cork gasket applied in the manner suggested by the gasket maker, usually on the box. Don't be too inventive like using silicone on one of both sides of a cork gasket because it will squeeze the gasket out. And be sure you start with a pan that is not deformed in the sealing area as nothing will work if it's bent or so weak that it won't pull up flat.

Why would you have to rush to get the pan torqued down? The idea is that the sealer (I assume you're talking about a silicone type sealer) should set up or "skin" slightly before you even install the oil pan. What you *don't* want is to put it on completely uncured, because then you have the possiblity of the gasket squeezing out into the crankcase and possibly breaking off and clogging the oil pump pickup.

nate

|An oil pan gasket is sealed(glued) to the pan and lightly lubed(oiled) on |the block side.That's all.

Even better - glue one side of the gasket and use Hylomar on the other.

|> Does anyone have experience using this kind of sealant on an oil pan? |>

|> Will it last a long time? |>

|> Any recommendations on a brand or type of sealant that will work well? |>

|> Instructions for sealing oil pans always say to use quick-drying |> sealant. Do I have to use a quick drying form-a gasket sealant? If |> so, why? Having to rush to get the pan torqued down is rather |> frustrating. |>

| |

This was the method Chrysler used to spec on their mini-van oil pans. Worked fine. To remove the oil pan, you needed to whack it with a mallet after removing all the bolts. I like the red/orange Permatex silicone sealant.

-Jeff Deeney-

I use the red / orange permatex as well. If you don't over-torque it'll even seal up a crooked pan mating surface. I find that it works so well that it holds the parts together even without the bolts (after it cures). It is not a cheesy repair, IMO. The silicone sealant has always worked great for me, whereas a gasket alone has not always worked for me. So for me, the silicone method is actually more functional than a gasket.

I only use a real gasket on the intake manifold, head gasket and throttle body/carb. Everything else seals up without a leak indefinitely with permatex alone.

I even used permatex alone on my caravan 2.2's valve cover. It's supposed to have 2 rubber end pieces (that are about 1/4" thick). Well... I broke my rubber pieces getting the cover off. A good healthy bead of silicone on the ends and a normal bead on the other surfaces between the valve cover and head, and it hasn't leaked a drop in 2k miles. (I let it cure for a full day before running the engine).

Hello, IX. You stated "but then again I can't get it to stick when I try to do it right." If you feel more confidence in an actual gasket but have trougle getting it to stay in place (stick?), use short pieces of sewing thread--like #50--and tie the gasket thru its bolt-holes and the pan's bolt-holes AFTER applying your gasket cement. When you assemble the pan to the block, the tiny threads can be left, as they will do no damage. HTH, sdlomi

Sometimes even one-piece seals require RTV ("form-a-gasket") at sharp corners, such as around a bearing cap that sticks into the pan, on both the inside and outside corners, or around small plugs, but it's usually a bad idea to apply it all over. It seems that some RTV is better than others, and I've had better luck with factory RTV Permatex/Loctite "Copper" RTV than with Permatex/Loctite clear and black (wasn't Ultra Black).

One thing I've learned is that you have to follow the directions for the particular RTV exactly or the seal can turn out really bad.

I've never done an oil pan but I got an incredibly good seal on a bent-up valve cover one time using a cork gasket drenched in permatex sealant #2. Not only did it never leak, I had a heck of a time getting it off!

David

Well.

Other than head gaskets, exhaust gaskets, and intake gaskets-letter rip.

Respectfully submitted,

Loren Knighton Woodland, CA.

Under the hood since 1964 Member TRNI IATN

Hmmm wonder what I really use then.

I (probably incorrectly) call any curing sealing goo RTV.

I usually use the high-temp red permatex stuff.

I usually call it silicone or RTV.... am I even close?

Yes this is RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing). It is used as a gasket REPLACEMENT and cures in the presence of air. As opposed to anaerobic sealant which cures in absence of air.

Gasket dressings are used to improve the performance of a gasket and to hold it in place.

=46or Permatex product information, see

I think that's the most I've learned in 5 sentences. Thanks!

Yes this is RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing). It is used as a gasket REPLACEMENT and cures in the presence of air. As opposed to anaerobic sealant which cures in absence of air.

Gasket dressings are used to improve the performance of a gasket and to hold it in place.

For Permatex product information, see

No problem.

The site is very useful.

Actually, I use orange RTV (hi temp) on the exhaust headers of my race car, and I've been known to use it on intake manifolds too, both without gaskets. But I do prefer to use an intake gasket if I have one handy.

Brian

Me too. Just didn't want to admit it.

The exhaust seal didn't last and the throttle body sucked small streams of silicone into the intake area. (Not enough patients)

Neither was detrimental to the engine, but I learned my lesson. (For longevity's sake anyway, I'd use it in a pinch)