will be doing this in the driveway or street.... so before i get pissed off and just slap it on, just curious for those who do these for a living.

clean both surfaces, toss gasket on, and torque to spec??? or from what others have said..... use sealant all around.. use sealant on just the corners.... use sealant on just the oil pump side..

plan on just slapping it on and torquing to like 9 ft/lb

appreciate any input as far as using rtv sealant or similar products

 

providing year, model, trim and engine info (4cyl, V6, SOHC, VTEC...) will help you get the most accurate information.

though in general, assuming you have one of the common 4cyls:

grey RTV is the go-to. it's the most similar to the factory "Hondabond." wipe a little on the engine-side gasket surface over the seams (oil pump to block and rear main seal plate to block) and then on both sides of the gasket where it goes over the crankshaft "hump." most gaskets have several ridges in this area, I just coat the ridged area.

you can look up your torque spec. if you want to be particular. I normally just watch for the gasket to compress and spread just shy of the pan flange. if that doesn't make sense... use the torque spec.

 

for b series..... just debating on using a sealant or not. already got a clean oil pan to toss on and save myself the trouble of cleaning up old 1. just up in the air about trying my luck with no sealant vs trying my luck with sealant ha

 

well I just did a full rebuild myself used factory oem gasket torqued in sequence to spec and its seeping at the flange.... I used no sealant

so with that said I just went ahead and ordered a my Honda habit gasket gonna try it out .. its pricey tho

 

ive always done pan gaskets the same way from chevy to Nissan to Honda(did my d series last week)

after cleaning and prepping for the new gasket is done, run a 1/8 inch wide (pretty small) bead on the pan surface making sure to run the bead on the inside surface around the bolt holes.

spread it thin with your finger. then lay your gasket on the pan and lightly press it to the pan to keep it in place.

run another bead the same size on top of the gasket in the same fashion as before, spreading it thin with your finger.

you will want to have these steps completed quickly so the two beads you laid can begin to set up kinda at the same time. don't do a messy job, go slow enough to be tidy.

let it set for the time it specifies on the package for the sealant you used (I used ULTRA black permatex) then bolt her up and torque to spec using the correct schedule for your engine.

havnt had one leak on me yet...

-chris

 

If you have a flat rubber gasket surface, no sealer is required other than minor dabs to hold the gasket in place as you guide it onto its mating surface. Gasket sealer should be placed at any transition in the surface. IE If your gasket has dips in it to clear the rear and front bearing caps, place sealer at these points. The same goes for valve covers which must clear the cam caps, sealer should be placed at these points as there is not guarantee the rubber alone will seal it off. Place the sealer on the mating surface, not the part you are installing.

9/10 times the reason a leak appears is because of prying on the pan to remove it or any other damage that would result in a non-flat surface.

Do not use cork gaskets if you can source a GOOD rubber one. There are a lot of cheap rubber gaskets that harden in less than a few years.

Permatex ultra grey would be the sealant of choice. Be cautious of the set-up time to avoid distorting the sealer during installation.

 

I use some of the gasket adhesive to anchor the gasket in place first, then it doesn't shift during installation, it's usually the opposite of the valve cover gasket, a little sealer where the corners of the gasket meet the end bearing caps, were it goes from flat to round, just like on top, but upside down

 

I suppose you are right to some degree. I haven't had any problems with ultra grey, and I use it on almost all surfaces high torque or not with no problems. The real problem is flange damage and waiting to long to install.

 

the stuff i actually glue the gasket on with was made by versachem, but I cant remember the number, it has to sit and cure first, i used old bolts to line up all the bolt holes when it was sitting, then nothing slipped or shifted while it was being installed

 

There would be no harm in using sealant WITH a gasket is deemed necessary,although it generally is NOT necessary if the mating surfaces are true and clean, except for thosespots that are called out in the FSM



As another user mentioned,Permatex: The Right Stuff is far superior to any other gasket available and is commonly becoming OEM gasket of choice. (It is factory Honda,Nissan,and Yamaha currently)

 

the versachem I was talking about isnt really a sealer, but a gasket adhesive to help keep the gasket in place during installation, I suppose it seals some, but it's not RTV

 

Sure,Gasgacinch.(another brand of adhesive) I use it frequently. Best adhesive around. It can be bought at most local autoparts stores....

 

For those who stated it's best to install dry, Im curious if you used any sealant on the studs or "inner threads" as stated in the manuals. Sorry to bring back an older thread like this, but I'd really like to make sure my pan is sealed while I still have the engine out of the car on a stand. I used some Permatex grey "the right stuff" on the areas stated in the manual, but didn't use any on the inner threads of the studs and someone in another thread recently stated that it's needed. I'd just like some other opinions on this. I feel like I got a good seal and would hate to have to redo it.

Thanm you

 

With out knowing the details of your engine,I can only say there are not any Hondas that I can recall off hand that require sealant on the threads

 

The only purpose I could think of why someone would put a little sealant on the threads is more of a thread lock so the nuts and bolts don't back out while also not being a bear to get off later down the road.

Doubt it was for sealing issues.

 

ive had two d16y7 cars in my shop in the last couple weeks, felpro gasket, ultragrey on both sides of the gasket, both engine leaking like crazy. when i do a pan gasket, i only put the sealant on the four spots the fsm recommends. and torque to spec.

 

Inspect the pan rails/block for major issues (gouges or deformation), rtv at the T-joints (block side) and torque to spec.

If that doesn't work and you have one of the Hondas that has the raised bumps in the oil pan it's likely that someone overtightened the pan and flattened those bumps out. Likely need a new pan although Fel-Pro just released a gasket that doesn't use those bumps as load limiters: Federal-Mogul eCatalog Resource Center
Are you talking about the studs that thread into the block? And using a little sealant on the block side of the threads?

Probably wouldn't hurt to keep them from coming out later when the pan is removed but it's not necessary. The oil pan bolts on every Honda I can think of are blind holes and there is nothing to seal.

 

I noticed the area where the oil pump meets the block, under that there is a small gap that needs a bit of hondabond, I think it states that in the FSM as well.

 

I appreciate all of the replies. I have the D16Y7 engine and my pan has the bumps on it. It's a '96 with 286k mileage and this is the first time the oil pan has ever been removed. The engine was leaking from nearly every gasket and it was tough to tell if the oil pan was leaking, but it was never over-tightened and it isn't warped. I loosened the bolts in three rounds to make sure it didn't warp from removal and I gently tapped it was a rubber mallet on one side, then the other until it loosened up enough to wiggle it off. I installed the new genuine honda gasket with a torque wrench using a star pattern and used the sealant exactly as stated in the manual snippet attached here. I'm not exactly sure why sealant on the "inner threads" is necessary, but I didn't do it and I am going to leave it that way. If it leaks, I will let everyone know. The "inner threads" section is underlined in red with a arrow, you can't miss it.