so my uncles friend has a DC gsr. he had his oil pan gasket changed during his oil change. he told me that the dude that did it said a "certified" mechanic told him to use gasket maker (rtv) with the new gasket and then installed it. plus it wasnt torqued either.

so his oil pan is still leaking and he wants to me to fix it. when i took classes at my college last semester i remember a speaker from permatax said to not use any sealer with a new gasket cause it will just leak through it.

is this the problem in here? would i solve this leakage if i re-drain his oil, take out his pan and remove the sealer used and reinstall it then torquing it down? what is the torque spec for the oil pan 10mm bolts/nuts?

any help is greatly appreciated.

 

it may be that the mechanic over tightened it i had the same problem with my rex till i looked in the manuel and found out its only to be torqued to 7ft lb so youll probably have to replace the gasket again

 

so he probably over tighten'd it? its been like 2 days, really requires a new gasket?

 

yeah when you over tighten it usually it tears the gasket i changed mine drove it for 15 min and saw it was leaking pulled the pan and the gasket was all tore up all from overtightening

 

Or maybe the tech did not put the sealer where he should have. After you prep the block surface you put sealer where the rear main seal housing meets the block and where the oil pump meets the block. Then you install the gasket with proper torque. Also make sure your not chasing another leak from above. The leaks could rundown the block and then along the oil pan gasket, making it look like its leaking. Also, when the oil filter is removed for an oil change the dirty oil runs down the back of the block. If this is not cleaned off properly it could look like a oil pan leak. My .02 cents. Good luck.

 

this is basically it although you don't really need the right stuff to seal these areas. not a bad idea though, if you use it, use small amounts. not tightening the pan in the right sequence or going over 15-20ft/lb generally causes problems. 7-10ft/lb is normally where you take them.

 

I replaced my oil pan gasket last May, and used NO sealant on it whatsoever. It does not leak a drop.

Helms ALWAYS specifies where sealant should be used, and it does NOT say to apply any to the oil pan gasket.

 

QFT. Usually you should use gasket maker on seams like the oil pump to block but this case is an exception. I think due to how thick the rubber gasket is you don't need any

 

Mine has been leaking out of the blue lately as well....Looks like I'm going to have to replace it again. :/

 

does anybody know what page in the helms manual explains the tightening pattern of the oil pan?

 

I have a 95 Helms and it's on 7-25

 

perfect...I have the same helms manual at home. I'll check it out....appreciate it

also, does anybody know if the non vtec (LS) vs. the gsr oil pan gasket tightening sequence is different from eachother?

 

Should be the same. The Helms lists only one torque sequence and the differences in the pan are just how deep they are. That shouldn't effect the torque

 

I would use a Factory Honda gasket. They need no sealant and have crush resistant spacers.

 

I found this image in the FAQ sticky in this forum...


And this is what's in my 1995 integra helms manual on pg. 7-25


The image that I found in the FAQ is shaped more like the GSR oil pan...and has the same type of pattern for holes for the bolts. The one in the helms manual is slightly different than my GSR oil pan...and both images require different torque sequence.... :/ so which one do I use?

 

the helms picture works better. it helps prevent the ends from walking out. took me two gaskets to figure this out on my own.

 

This is gospel.

I just went through the leaky oil pan nightmare myself. I finally broke down and went to the local stealership to ask how their techs do it. They apply a VERY THIN COAT of HONDABOND (this stuff is not cheap, but it works for everything as both a gasket maker AND a sealant). The hondabond should only be applied to the mating surface of the block and the gasket at the points where the oil pump and the main seal bolt up to the block (corners). Make sure all surfaces are PERFECTLY clean.

Also, you have to understand that there is a difference between SEALANT and GASKET MAKER. Gasket maker should never be used in conjunction with a gasket, and a sealant is only to cover for potential gaps that a gasket cannot cover. Hondabond is amazing because it is not only better than any sealant/gasket maker out there, it also will work in place of both.

 

hondabond is extremely similar to the import version of the right stuff. they even smell and feel alike. i'm still split on if it's needed or not. when i switched the oil pump out of my JDM ITR engine i noticed no hondabond was used on the pan gasket from the factory. of course i used it when i installed the pump to the block but i haven't needed to on the pan. the torque sequence and how tight the bolts go are so extremely important on these. my advice is to go in baby steps when you tighten. as in go around the whole pan at least twice if not 3 times going slightly tighter each time till you reach right about 10 ft/lb. if you have access to a 1/4" torque wrench i think the factory spec was something like 90-100 inch/pounds which is basically 7-8 ft/lb. you 100% will not get an accurate reading if you just hit em hard on the first run. the gasket pulls in and squeeshes just a little. go very light and make multiple rounds.

 

That's really odd. My 94 Helms shows the picture from the FAQ. The GS-R oil pan looks nothing like in that picture.

B-series oil pans have a completely flat mating surface, unlike D-series that go AROUND the ends with the rear main seal and the oil pump. The bottom mating surface of the block is lower than the crank centerline on a B-series compared to a D-series, so there are no corners like the valve cover gasket where it goes over the camshaft holder caps.

 

you only need a small dab of RTV on the area where the oil pump mates to the block and the rear main seal cover mates to the block. you are just supposed to put a small dab along the lines between those area's.

i always do them hand tight. the manual says something like 10ft/lbs but it is way over tight. the gasket always squeezes out. i use my 1/4 drive socket and ratchet to hand tighten them until i start to see the gasket compress then i stop.

oh yea i also apply blue loctite to the threads of the bolts to they do not back out or loosen. since the torque is so little i have lost a few oil pan bolts over the past few years. so blue loctite FTW!~

 

yeah what i would do is drop the pan, clean it up with some parts cleaner and install just an oil pan gasket. The torque specs are 9 ft pd. And for best results tighten them in sequence. That should stop the leak.

 

Thanks Patrick for confirming this. I'm going to go with the FAQ picture and tighten the bolts in that sequence rather than my 95 helms manual....

 

Let me know how that works. When I didn't have a Helms and did my pan I just did them from the inside out and no hondabond and never had any leaks for like 3 years that I know of

 

just make sure the pan and block are really really clean when you do the install. it's best to let your car sit overnight and pull the pan in the spot it's sitting. if you fire it up to move it & then pull the pan oil will be dripping more than you want it to be.