Oil Pan Gasket replacement on a 4.5L

[jamesmdx1]

Hello everyone

I am replacing my engine on my 88 coupe, with a 35,000 motor. I want to replace the oil pan gasket before a put the new engine in. I purchased the gasket from the dealer (ACdelco).
Should I use any gasket sealer?
In the service manual it says to put a 1/4 bead of RTV at the rear main bearing cap and front cover to block joints.
what is RTV and should I use it
thanks in advance

[fj12]

You don't need gasket sealer. Just make sure that your pan is flat. Place your pan up against a window or a door to check and then hammer it flat if you need to. There are two slots 1/4 x 1/4 x 1 inch deep filled with high heat silicone (RTV) next to the rear bearing cap. They are probably still good, but if you want to you can dig them out with a small screwdriver and refill them with Ultra-Copper by Loctite, which comes in a tube with a long nozzle. Put a washer on the tip of the nozzle so you can really force it in. At the other end of the crank where the block meets the outside cover, the cover is slightly rounded over, so putting a bit there too would be a good idea.

[ewill3rd]

A small amount of RTV (silicon sealer) is needed at several spots on this job. Basically when you look at the bottom, anyplace on the bottom of the block that is not perfectly smooth (like seams between parts for example) need just a small amount of RTV.
That should only be a couple of spots on the front and a couple on the rear.
Don't smear it all over the place and make sure the parts are CLEAN and DRY before you put on the RTV.