Oil Pan Gasket advice

[bunnyc]

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.

[Keith True]

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.

[CarlG]

I haven't read the article, but was he saying to use the sealants instead of a gasket?

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Keith True;1273883[B

]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.

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/s...et-Article.pdf

[colin1928]

You have ordered the cork gaskets
with these I normally just use these with just a thin smear of grease

[H. L. Chauvin]

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"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.

[V4F]

don't forget the rail gaskets go on before the end corks

[Mitch//pa]

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

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

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

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

[jhowes]

Bill; why is it that you don't spray both sides of the gasket with the trim cement? Jack

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

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

Just don't let them call you "sticky fingers".

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by jhowes

Bill; why is it that you don't spray both sides of the gasket with the trim cement? Jack

Jack when your positioning the pan in place it would be tough if it stuck to the gasket..

[1Tudoor]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

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

Just did mine in this manner ---used spray adhesive from Lowes after wiping all contact areas w/ lacquer thinner

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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

[H. L. Chauvin]

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.

[CarlG]

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).

[bunnyc]

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.

[Cape Codder]

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.

[Mitch//pa]

Cork is a good choice

[H. L. Chauvin]

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

[William Kelchner]

After reading all of this I have decided to never attempt to replace my oil pan gasket I never make it more than a mile anyway so the oil never has a chance to leak..... Cheers

[denis4x4]

I use blue RTV on the pan and let it sit for 24 hours. I also soak the cork and rope seals in oil for 24 hours. A little 3M spray glue holds the cork gasket in place on the block. To make things easy, I put a stud on either side of the block in the center to hold the pan in place as well as a bolt to hold the oil pump in place. Since I'm running an A engine with a '39 transmission, I also put two studs at the rear of a block to make it easy to secure those "blind" studs with lock nuts. Yet to have a single leak in 25 years using this method.

[ian Simpson]

Originally Posted by bunnyc

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.

I have always used 4 headless bolts and stick the gaskets to the oil pan with a thin smear of rubber cement. The rubber cement is from a quart can that I have had for over thirty years, the label is long gone and I do not know the supplier.

[updraught]

Google "snyders oil pan gasket fordbarn"

Looks like any gasket will do if you have the sump/oil pan straight.

[H. L. Chauvin]

In my humble opinion ............ on a scale of 1 to 100 .......... for Model A serious, overall technical, mechanical installation difficulty ........... oil pan gasket installation difficulty, even though important, might rank a (.03).

Others may have different opinions which should be respected.

[Mike V. Florida]

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Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Tighten the an bolts GENTLY, or you'll "squish" out the cork gasket & it'll leak like a SIEVE!

Follow this advice and forget ANY reference to torque printed any where. Tighten until you notice the gasket just starts to squish and stop.

Of course it goes without saying the pan edge needs to be straight and not wavy from previous attempts to torque the bolts to 20 Ft LBS!

[RonC]

Fel pros answer to oil pan gasket installation
http://www.felpro-only.com/blog/snap...allation-snap/

[Keith True]

Those rubberized/composite cork gaskets are NOT the same as a cork gasket.They work great,and can be used over and over.BUT,when they say install clean and dry,they mean it.That rubbery stuff slithers around and conforms nicely to nicks,burrs,scars,etc.It needs dry surfaces to bite into though.Real cork gaskets work just fine with your favorite flavor of goop,if you use it on the composite gaskets it creates problems.I have fixed a half dozen of these where the owners ignored the directions.They got fed up with crawling under the car and had me give it a try on the lift.I've seen these gaskets hanging out the sides from being squeezed.You can squash them out with just the socket in your hand,no ratchet used.The last one I did on an A pickup came in with the gasket bowed out at every bolt.I took every bolt out with a socket,by hand,no ratchet involved.He had sprayed copper coat on the gasket before installing.Plain cork is a whole different ball game,where the old conventional methods and chemicals apply.

[updraught]

Checking for a warped pan also on a flat surface:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMJ5EXCAqNs

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

The rear cork strip is PURPOSELY made a little long.
Work in each end, then work it in in the middle, then at 1/4 & 3/4 way in, then work in the remaining areas. Then a little DAB of sealer, where the ends meet the pan gasket. YES, it's a PAIN, when you're laying under the car, but you CAN do it!
Bill W.