Anyone have any tricks for getting the rear of it to seal properly?? I've tried twice now and it just won't seal up at the back of the pan. It was sealing fine with the old GM gasket but the front was leaking, and now after changing it I can't get the back of it to seal up.

 

Rtv...

 

Make sure it is completely clean of oil and old gasket. Use some brake cleaner or thinner to get residue off. Get some gasket sealer called "The right stuff". By the way this stuff also works on the intake leak. Make a one inch bead on the bottom of the block where the timecover meets block in front (2 places). Make a one inch bead on back of engine where oil seal housing meets block. Put some sealer on the 4 corners where the half moon shape begins on the gasket. Torque it in 3 steps. Cleanliness is next to godliness!!

Oh don't forget to put the strength plates on before the bolts. LOL

Make sure your oil pan isn't bent or something. I've never heard of having to replace it 3 times.

 

I've tried RTV, no dice. Can't get up there enough to lay a clean bead of RTV. The oil pan isn't bent because the previous gasket that was on there wasn't leaking. It's an almost brand new GM gasket too. I haven't replaced it two times, just gotten up there and tried to re-seat it a couple of times.

Something was brought to my attention though that may be the problem. The old gasket I removed was a Fel-Pro, and aparrently the corners where the studs are have a metal O-ring in them, and that o-ring likes to stay put when you take the gasket off, basically creating a spacer at the corners. I'm not going to have a chance to get on the lift again until next weekend, so more to follow.

 

You have me worried now. I didnt use any rtv on my oil pan. I am in the process of putting my motor back together and going to put it in the car. I used the felpro gasket, which seems to seal really well just by looking at it. This is a fresh machined block and all new parts, so there isnt any old gasket residue anywhere and the engine is oil free in the gasket areas. Is using rtv a must with the oil pan?

 

black rtv, between the oil pan and the gasket, and on top of the gasket.

then let it sit for a couple of hours

and to show you how well that seals, whenever i have had to take the oil pan off, i usually have to order a new oil pan b/c the damn thing is so fricken hard to get off that i usually just take a hammer to it and bend it all to hell.