[tlblack]

I have a mechanic that is going to replace my oil pan gasket for me however I wanted to see if there was any other parts that I may want to replace or look at while he's in there I do believe it is also leaking oil from a few other places

 

[MoistCabbage]

Well the engines going to be out, so there's quite a few things that will be quite easily accessible. Depends how much you want to spend.

Number one on my list would be crossover gaskets. Oil pressure sensor and filter adapter seals are cheap. CPK sensors are guaranteed to fail at some point. Might as well take the opportunity to do plugs and boots, and with the cassettes out, the valve cover gaskets aren't too far from being removed.

 

[tlblack]

I talked to my mechanic and I guess he's not taking the engine completely out he said something about jacking it up really high in order to get to the pan gasket what could be replaced besides the oil pressure switch along with doing this

 

[Submariner409]

He'll have to suspend the engine from the top - there's a GM engine holding rig - hoist the entire car and then drop the mounting cradle - you can't remove/replace the oil pan seal (with the new RTV procedure by GM) with the cradle in place.

There is no oil pan "gasket" - it was a silicone bead seal set into a groove in the pan flange. The GM replacement procedure calls for thorough cleaning of the pan and halfcase faces and use of GM RTV Gray in a measured bead applied to the pan groove.

There's a GM TSB on the procedure - your mechanic should have access to the TSB files. Otherwise, they're all in the subscription for your car in www.alldatadiy.com.

 

[tlblack]

Ok thanks.what is the oil pan gasket they sell at autozone then?I was told to go buy the gasket for him to replace it for me

 

[Submariner409]

That's the original design. As posted, GM changed to the RTV Gray repair system a few years ago. You can use the old style seal if you wish.

Here's your oil pan - you and the mechanic look hard at the seal groove - that's where the measured size bead of RTV goes.

 

[JoeTahoe]

Is your machanic just changing the oil pan. Most of the time the half case leaks as well.this repair requires the engine and transmission to be separated. I my self have never done just the oil pan. When I put the pan back on I use the felpro silicone gasket with gm sealer around the outer part of the pan

 

[samert]

When I put the pan back on I use the felpro silicone gasket with gm sealer around the outer part of the pan

That's what I did also. The silicon gaskets keeps the GM sealer from oozing into the engine.

 

[maeng9981]

When I put the pan back on I use the felpro silicone gasket with gm sealer around the outer part of the pan

Next time I do one of these I should use that method. I just flat out applied RTV into the groove. Now I wonder if some of that has gone into the oil return passage; although I did go easy (and I believe pre-spread it) around the return passages. Engine's been running fine since so I would guess it's okay.

 

[JoeTahoe]

You should be fine

 

[tlblack]

has anyone had any good experience with oil after I replace the gasket I was thinking of going to the Valvoline MaxLife any suggestions

 

[rodnok01]

I wouldn't start an oil war in an oil oan gasket thread. It ain't going to matter to gasket what you run.

 

[MoistCabbage]

:yeah: Oil brand makes as much difference as the brand of compressor you inflate your tires with.

 

[basscatt]

I wouldn't start an oil war in an oil oan gasket thread. It ain't going to matter to gasket what you run.

=========================
I wouldn't start an oil war in an oil oan gasket thread.
but - but - but - we haven't had a good................................

It ain't going to matter to gasket what you run.
but - but - but - on the bottle it says............................................

 

[Submariner409]

Use the slippery kind of oil in whatever brand and type you like, with the viscosity range recommended in the owner's manual. Beyond that it makes not one iota of difference to your engine now or in 2055.

As an aside, one reason I advise using the GM procedure with RTV on the oil pan rail carries over from the same new procedure for the halfcase seam. That is a precision machined face mating surface - because the entire halfcase is also the lower main bearing girdle: ANY excess sealant in that flange and you have large mechanical problems - like loose main bearings and oil distribution plate leaks. That mating surface MUST be dead nuts clean and flat. Because that halfcase is a structural part of the engine block assembly you cannot use a squishy "gasket" there - it must be a precision metal-to-metal contact.

 

[JoeTahoe]

Use the slippery kind of oil in whatever brand and type you like, with the viscosity range recommended in the owner's manual. Beyond that it makes not one iota of difference to your engine now or in 2055.

As an aside, one reason I advise using the GM procedure with RTV on the oil pan rail carries over from the same new procedure for the halfcase seam. That is a precision machined face mating surface - because the entire halfcase is also the lower main bearing girdle: ANY excess sealant in that flange and you have large mechanical problems - like loose main bearings and oil distribution plate leaks. That mating surface MUST be dead nuts clean and flat. Because that halfcase is a structural part of the engine block assembly you cannot use a squishy "gasket" there - it must be a precision metal-to-metal contact.

Sub I only use the gasket on the pan with gm sealant. The half case gets only gm sealant. The new oil manifold gets a small amount of gm sealant around the outer perimeter. I have had no leaks doing it this way

 

[Submariner409]

Always good to get input straight from the horse's mouth.

This is a really eclectic, dynamic website - We have some members who can torque together an engine, drink a beer, scratch, and talk on the telephone - all at the same time. Others (mechanically) cannot chew gum and walk down the street at the same time. I usually try to cover all the knowledge levels in one post, but it's difficult: There are probably car owners reading this thread that that have no idea of what RTV stands for.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/northstar-engines-system-technical-discussion/205756-acronyms.html

 

[rodnok01]

Ready To View? ☺

 

[tlblack]

Anyone have a good tutorial on how to replace the oil pan gasket with the old style gasket without removing the motor .that's what my mechanic is going to do just wasn't sure that was possible.

 

[samert]

As an aside, one reason I advise using the GM procedure with RTV on the oil pan rail carries over from the same new procedure for the halfcase seam. That is a precision machined face mating surface - because the entire halfcase is also the lower main bearing girdle: ANY excess sealant in that flange and you have large mechanical problems - like loose main bearings and oil distribution plate leaks. That mating surface MUST be dead nuts clean and flat. Because that halfcase is a structural part of the engine block assembly you cannot use a squishy "gasket" there - it must be a precision metal-to-metal contact.

If you read the GM procedure closely they specifically advise to clean out the oil return passages and the outer edges of the block at both the half case and oil pan seams after assembly, so they expect the RTV to squish out some. But one can go a bit overboard on the amount used I suppose. I asked Jake about using the OEM silicone seals and a light bead of RTV around the perimeter of the seal to keep the RTV from getting into the engine and he replied that would be fine.