oil pan gasket

[mista_sup]

what is the easist, if any, way to change the oil pan gasket...

[92nsx]

Oil pan gasket?????? Since when did toyota put a oil pan gasket on the 7m engine?????

FYI Toyota didn't use a oil pan gasket, instead they used FIPG ;)

And the "easiest" way to fix a leaking oil pan is removing the engine, remove the oil pan, clean all surfaces, use FIPG, then torque down the pan. Reinstall engine

[gofastgeorge]

Ditto !

The only reason why some gasket manufactures include an oil pan gasket with their sets,
is that they are stuck in the 1955 cheesy chevy mind set.
Same goes for sealing the pan on the automatic trans.

[deabionni]

Another alternative for Toyota's FIPG, is "The Right Stuff" by Permatex.

http://www.parkeryamaha.com/ProductImages/nums/25224.jpg

It works great on your pan(s), and doesn't leak a drop.

[RedGT]

Any quality RTV sealant will work, I myslef being a chevy tech used GM RTV.

[gofastgeorge]

I myslef being a chevy tech .......


Sorry about the 'cheezy chevy' comment.

[supersupramk3]

Oil pan leaks are a headache...no easy fix on that topic. But I myself use HONDABOND. Really good stuff! Its a for sure seal every time.

[toyotanos]

Personally, I use Toyota black FIPG, but that's just what I'm used to using. Works great when the surfaces are nice and clean, as do most other RTV's. The nice thing about "The right stuff" is that it's pressurized so your hands don't get sore after 1/3 of the pan.

[nosechunks]

Sorry about the 'cheezy chevy' comment.

Don't worry, Being a former (Thank God) GM tech myself, i think we would both agree with GM bieng "Cheezy" on numerous occasions. :biglaugh::biglaugh:

Oilpan leaks are terrible, Toyota FIPG is amazing stuff though, use at least something as good as that. I havnt experimented much as i know how good it works so i stick with it.

[RedGT]

I agree that the old school GM gaskets and seals were junk, but everyone used cork gaskets and such back in the day. But they havent used that stuff since like 1989. If GM decided to stop subleting parts manufaturing to the lowest bidder they wouldnt have nearly as many problems as they do.

[thedave925]

Its roughly same amount of time to SAFELY suspend the engine and lower the subframe a couple inches as it is to just pull the engine and put the sucker on a stand, which is MUCH safer.

Work your way around the pan on the engine to remove it, don't pick one point to pry heavily at. Take your time.

Get some degreaser and wash that pan. Its easier to work with when its not greasy.
Blow completely dry with an air compressor.

Scrape the sealing surfaces clean with a quality paint scrapper. Take care on the engine to minimize/eliminate debris falling into the block. Be gentle on the aluminum portions at the front and rear of the block. It doesn't have to be perfect, but reasonably close without using a razor is fine.
If the debris falls into the pan, you get to wash it again :) You can't use air alone to blow debris out of the crevices between the pan and the baffles within.

If you bend the lip of the oil pan, you must make it square again. Wood surfaces are your friends. I beat all my bent pans square with a 2x4 on a sheet of plywood.

Mentioned above were a few quality sealing products. I've used 'The Right Stuff' without any trouble, its around 20 bucks a bottle.
Since the surfaces are square and pretty clean, you don't need a lot of sealant as too much bleeds out both ways, and you don't want it contaminating your oil.

There is a diagram of how to lay the bead of sealant on this page:
http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/manual.aspx?S=LU&P=13

Make sure you start all the bolts first without pulling the pan to the block or it will leak.
The edges need to come up evenly for a good seal.

Make 3 passes skipping every other fastener to keep things even.
If you missed it on the link above, you don't tighten the bolts and nuts past 9ft-lbs of torque.

On another note, you have to ask why did the pan not stay sealed? Is it because some uninformed individual used a cork gasket? Is it because you have a lot of crank case pressure? Is it because oil residue was left on the sealing surfaces, compromising the effectiveness of the sealant?