new_climber

I am in the process of replacing my tranny, and decided to replace the rear main seal while I was there. I thought I could get the seal out without pulling the cover, but that was a no go..so I needed to pull the oil pan so I could get the cover where the rear main seal sits off...

The oil pan gasket only looks like it can be reused, I was expecting a felt type of gasket but it is not...more like a valve cover gasket. Can I reuse the oil pan gasket?? Maybe add some RTV to help it out...or should I just get a new gasket before filling up my oil?

Thx

98 EX...replacing the tranny with a HX to get better hwy MPG...

Buckshot870

You sure can, but if you have any doubts in it, just replace it

88_hatch_ls

^^ def can reuse it just make sure its not cracked and brittle, and i always use gasket sealer on it even if its new all the way around.. i don't want it leaking ever lol

slomofo

iTrader: (1)

You can reuse it, but why does the pan need to come off again? Stick a screwdriver in the rear main and pop it out. If you need to remove the cover, then double nut the studs or use a stud remover to remove them.

NVturbo

Not sure why you would need to pull off the oil pan to remove the tranny. The only bracket/cover you have to remove is the dust cover on the bottom. It's between the oil pan and the bell housing of the tranny itself.

Oil pan gaskets aren't that expensive. Just buy and install a new one. Applying RTV is a temporary fix.

new_climber

ummm.. Maybe I went to far. I tried all the trick I read here and other you tube videos on the web that I watched before starting this job. I screwed a screw into the seal and using vise grips on the screw tried to hammer the seal out...I tried a screw driver of which I was scared to death to scar the crank shaft...finally decided to pull the cover. the cover I talk about has the main seal in it....hopefully I am describing the correct part.

The cover had 4 bolts, and then 2 studs that come down though the oil pan. I tried just to take off the nuts on the studs and then the 4 bolts but I could not get the cover (with the seal around the crank) to move up enough to get the studs out of the oil pan....again I was afraid I was going to bend or scar something...so I just pulled the oil pan.

After getting the cover off...I needed to really pound on the seal to get it out...and then found i did scar the cover where the seal sits. I scotch brited the cover as best as I could, and then decided to use a thin layer of RTV around the seal....the crank was not damaged or touched at all.

I have the tranny mounted now, and just put the oil pan in place being I was supporting the engine with a jack while the tranny was out.

Hopefully all is OK, and I will not have any leaks....I really didn't know how else to get the seal out....I spent 3 hrs trying to get it out...before I just decided to pull the oil pan and take the cover off.

strategy400

The correct way is to remove the seal housing and install the seal in the housing with the correct clearance behind it. You can remove the housing without removing the pan by double nutting/removing the studs as described in a previous post. Pulling the pan and installing a new gasket will usually end up with better results as far as leaking goes. You can also check other things while the pan is off and give it a good cleaning (beware the pan has razor sharp edges inside). Torque the screws to spec or be ready to re-do the job.