I went out to change my oil and when I had the car jacked up I saw a coating of oil on the skid plate and oil pan, and on parts aft of said skid plate and oil plan. Since the coating starts very neatly at the point where the oil pan connects to the block, I figure I've got a leaky pan gasket. Upon inspecting the pan, I noticed that it's pretty rusty and whatever was coating it is peeling. What is the guage of steel on the pan and should I consider replacing it with one that's in better shape from a junkyard when I change the gaskets?

 

Thanks,

BB

I went out to change my oil and when I had the car jacked up I saw a coating of oil on the skid plate and oil pan, and on parts aft of said skid plate and oil plan. Since the coating starts very neatly at the point where the oil pan connects to the block, I figure I've got a leaky pan gasket. Upon inspecting the pan, I noticed that it's pretty rusty and whatever was coating it is peeling. What is the guage of steel on the pan and should I consider replacing it with one that's in better shape from a junkyard when I change the gaskets?

 

Thanks,

BB

No, just get a new gasket and replace that. Depending on which car you have, you might even be able to replace it without disturbing the engine mounts. Around here, the local PAP yards, hole the oilpan to drain the oil so if you're picking up a replacement 'pan make sure there aren't any extra holes in it.

that should be a sound investment. i didnt see anything at thepartsbin.com, but a new oil pan would be even better (if theyre still in production that is.)

 

if its just surface rust, then just give it a good sanding and a good coat of paint.

OMG a soob leaking oil???

OMG a soob leaking oil???

You know, come to think of it, it might really be leaking out of the valve cover gaskets. Pretty common on the EA81 and EA82 engines. It would look like its coming out of the oil pan. Much easier fix and less costly too. Replace the valve cover gaskets first, clean it up and wait. If it's leaking around the oil pan gasket you can still do that later. Good luck.

i would make darn sure it's the oil pan first. many other leaks can show up at the oil pan and get it all wet. first step is verifying this more than just looking at the wet pan.

 

the surface rust on the outside shouldn't be a big deal, a visual inspection will tell. the inside and mating surfaces are almost garaunteed to be fine.

 

the tricky part about the oil pan is that each bolt hole is typically concave when you remove it. so the bolt holes want to dig into and crush the oil pan gasket. this doesn't make for a nice and even torque and sealing pressure for the oil pan gasket. so they may want to leak again soon after installing. don't overtigthen the oil pan bolts ever, this can cause them to deform. the flatter the mating surface is (bolt holes not concave *up* too bad) the better. if it's questionable or the motor requires unbolting and lifting at all i'd personally use anaeroic sealant on the oil pan side of the gasket when reinstalling. the ER27 requires unbolting the motor mounts, loosening the trans mount and lifting the motor up to get the oil pan off, i'd want to make sure i'm not doing all that again, so i'd use anaerobic sealant on mine for that reason.

so i'd use anaerobic sealant on mine for that reason.

 

I would be afraid of the cork being somewhat porus enough to prevent the anaerobic sealant from setting up. Anaerobic is generally only used for extremely close tollerance machined surfaces - like the mating between the block halves - my understanding is that it's not at all for use with any form of gasket material. I coat all my pan gaskets with a thin layer of RTV (both sides and the edges) to protect the cork from absorbing oil, and from being cooked hard and brittle. Works good for me anyway, and a LOT cheaper than anaerobic which for similar sized tubes is about 3 or 4 times as expensive as the highest quality Permatex RTV.

 

GD

good point GD, i've never used the anaerobic on the pan gasket but was thinking i would if i ever did one of mine again. i was thinking about a chunk of RV getting into the oil pan, but really the sump screen and oil filter are there so it wouldn't matter and i'd surely be careful in quantity so none would get in there in the first place. guess i'll stick to RTV in the future.

My pan gasket was the first to go...

 

Replace the pan and the valve covers.

 

Isn't a clean driveway worth the price of 3 gaskets?

good point GD, i've never used the anaerobic on the pan gasket but was thinking i would if i ever did one of mine again. i was thinking about a chunk of RV getting into the oil pan, but really the sump screen and oil filter are there so it wouldn't matter and i'd surely be careful in quantity so none would get in there in the first place. guess i'll stick to RTV in the future.

 

Actually I coat the gasket in RTV and then just let it fully cure before I install it. Just a very thin layer rubbed all over the surface with my finger, and let it dry for an hour or so. This way it doesn't stick to anything either. Basically I'm just making my own rubberized pan gasket.

 

GD

Actually I coat the gasket in RTV and then just let it fully cure before I install it. Just a very thin layer rubbed all over the surface with my finger, and let it dry for an hour or so. This way it doesn't stick to anything either. Basically I'm just making my own rubberized pan gasket.

 

GD

 

yah, and i really like that idea. consider it stolen, if you don't mind. with credit, of course.

Please - spread the love. I certainly try to...

 

GD

all i use is the orange permatex on every thing but head,intake,carb

 

trick is to let it set up for 15-20MIN then fingertighten the boilts let set for another 30min or so then tork as needed

but if your like me and didnt get the pushrod lined up the first time after doing the headgaskets its a pain to take off the "tin"

i go with 1/8-1/4" bead that way even if the tin is warped you still get a good seal

 

DO YOUR SELF A FLAVOR

 

let it set up !!!!!!!

i have seen too many people "goop" it on then slam it on and that could/will spooge out not only outside your block but inside as well

 

witch i one of my buddys case in a VW it worked its way in to the lifters blocking the oil and killed the motor about 150 miles later away from his home

 

one last thing on my EA81 my oil filter adapter plate leaks witch kind of sounds like what your talking about might want to look thier also

i didnt find out where my leak was till i presher washed the block

 

good luck in your hunt

 

ryry

Speaking of do yourself a favor... If you pull the pan gasket, you might want to go ahead and clean the uptake screen. You can either pull it and rinse it with mineral spirits, or let it soak in a jar of solvent for an hour or so still attatched. Just make sure the solvent has evaporated completely before you re-install the pan.

 

The RTV coated gasket sounds like a fine idea to me too. DW