Transmission Pan Gasket?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
295
Location
TX-Texas
Did a pan drop yesterday on my 07 flex fuel Impala. Put in 7 quarts of Castrol Dex VI along with Lubriguard Red and I think the Impala appreciated it. I exchanged the filter with a Hasting premium but the rubber gasket seemed very flimsy and was difficult to work with . Curiouser what gaskets others prefer be it rubber, cork, or whatever form you like.
 
I use a gasket and this: High Tack It has never let me down, and gasket removal for future pan drops or filter changes are very easy. I was never a big fan of RTV, unless it had to be used as a last resort. Opinions vary.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
RTV. Superior to any gasket you can use.


What he 🖕said. I just did my valve covers with permatex ultra black and zero leaks.
 
If this is the 4T65E the best gasket is the reusable one you took off, you can reuse that one a few times. The floppy rubber ones with the filter kits are not very good, the OE is rubber coated steel. RTV is my least favorite gasket material, I don't use it for much anymore, it is inferior to a physical gasket in almost every application.
The last time I used it was for the intake ends on a GM 3400. If a gasket is available I use it with a little High Tack Demarpaint mentioned.
 
RTV is only for stuff you never want to take off ever again. For something like a transmission pan where you want to service regularly, then you'll want to go with a gasket.
 
Trav just to let you know I did reuse the OEM gasket that was on the pan as it was still in good shape and much easier to work with when laying under the car trying to line up and bolt in the pan, RTV I would think make that difficult keeping the pan aligned without messing up what you applied.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Trav
If this is the 4T65E the best gasket is the reusable one you took off, you can reuse that one a few times. The floppy rubber ones with the filter kits are not very good, the OE is rubber coated steel. RTV is my least favorite gasket material, I don't use it for much anymore, it is inferior to a physical gasket in almost every application.
The last time I used it was for the intake ends on a GM 3400. If a gasket is available I use it with a little High Tack Demarpaint mentioned.

thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted by mctmatt
Trav just to let you know I did reuse the OEM gasket that was on the pan as it was still in good shape and much easier to work with when laying under the car trying to line up and bolt in the pan, RTV I would think make that difficult keeping the pan aligned without messing up what you applied.


Take one of the bolts to your local hardware store and find a bolt or threaded rod with the same pitch and diameter. The idea is to make 2 or 3 lugs to put in the pan holes. You may need a hacksaw and file to deburr. Once you put the lugs in, put the pan back on and go around in a star pattern hand tightening bolts, once you get to one of the lugs you put in, take it out w/pliars and replace it with the bolt.

This is how I put my oil pan on using gasket maker, laying on my back under the car. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by atikovi
RTV. Superior to any gasket you can use.

Never use RTV for a transmission pan gasket. Once the excess is squeezed out, it will wind up caught in the filter. Any impurity on the surfaces and that RTV won't stick. Good luck if you ever had to tweek the pan bolts, it won't work. Best bet is get an OEM gasket, it likely will be reusable.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Lubener
atikovi said:
RTV. Superior to any gasket you can use.

Never use RTV for a transmission pan gasket. Once the excess is squeezed out, it will wind up caught in the filter. Any impurity on the surfaces and that RTV won't stick./quote]

Not if you a) don't over apply and b) let it cure for 24hrs before adding fluid and c) use a wire brush and brake cleaner. It's not like Niagra falls in your transmission or as if you have little gnomes in there hammering away. Once that stuff sets, it ain't going anywhere. And Permatex actually makes an anaerobic gasket maker that comes off relatively easy, where nothing more than a steady hand and a putty knife gets it open. It's specifically designed for use on oil/transaxle pans where servicing is required.

The nice advantage of a set in place gasket maker is it will fill in any undulations or surface imperfections in the pan, something preformed can't do.
 
Last edited:
Nobody mentioned Felpro gaskets. Besides a quality OEM one, Felpro tranny gaskets tend to be very stout. They are made of a very dense composite rubber material and come packaged flat in a box. I prefer a gasket in most situations of repair work.
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Lubener
atikovi said:
RTV. Superior to any gasket you can use.

Never use RTV for a transmission pan gasket. Once the excess is squeezed out, it will wind up caught in the filter. Any impurity on the surfaces and that RTV won't stick./quote]

Not if you a) don't over apply and b) let it cure for 24hrs before adding fluid and c) use a wire brush and brake cleaner. It's not like Niagra falls in your transmission or as if you have little gnomes in there hammering away. Once that stuff sets, it ain't going anywhere. And Permatex actually makes an anaerobic gasket maker that comes off relatively easy, where nothing more than a steady hand and a putty knife gets it open. It's specifically designed for use on oil/transaxle pans where servicing is required.

The nice advantage of a set in place gasket maker is it will fill in any undulations or surface imperfections in the pan, something preformed can't do.


Who has 24hrs to leave it? That would really jam up the works if you work on multiple cars a day.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Lubener
atikovi said:
RTV. Superior to any gasket you can use.

Never use RTV for a transmission pan gasket. Once the excess is squeezed out, it will wind up caught in the filter. Any impurity on the surfaces and that RTV won't stick./quote]

Not if you a) don't over apply and b) let it cure for 24hrs before adding fluid and c) use a wire brush and brake cleaner. It's not like Niagra falls in your transmission or as if you have little gnomes in there hammering away. Once that stuff sets, it ain't going anywhere. And Permatex actually makes an anaerobic gasket maker that comes off relatively easy, where nothing more than a steady hand and a putty knife gets it open. It's specifically designed for use on oil/transaxle pans where servicing is required.

The nice advantage of a set in place gasket maker is it will fill in any undulations or surface imperfections in the pan, something preformed can't do.


Who has 24hrs to leave it? That would really jam up the works if you work on multiple cars a day.


^this.
I always use OEM gasket if available, or Felpro if the OEM price is too high. Both are top notch. Other brands may be fine but rarely much lower price than felpro. I would consider RTV only as a last resort, for the reasons mentioned above.
 
Originally Posted by Lubener
Originally Posted by atikovi
RTV. Superior to any gasket you can use.

Never use RTV for a transmission pan gasket. Once the excess is squeezed out, it will wind up caught in the filter. Any impurity on the surfaces and that RTV won't stick. Good luck if you ever had to tweek the pan bolts, it won't work. Best bet is get an OEM gasket, it likely will be reusable.


And I suppose most of the car manufacturers have switched to RTV because? You do have to know not to lay it on too thick but that's not rocket science, and to wipe down both surfaces with solvent before applying. Anything that gets squeezed out will remain attached to the pan and go nowhere. Example on a rear end cover:

[Linked Image]


Cut gaskets are to RTV like lock washers are to Loctite. 50's or 60's technology that has been replaced with chemical thread lockers.
 
I think we're talking a few different scenarios here. A machine at the factory that's applying an ultra consistent bead of RTV on a brand new part and mashing these parts together in a precise manner is going to be a reliable seal for a long time. On a home or shop job where some of the mating surfaces aren't new/clean, an actual gasket should be better every time. You could take your time and make a super nice bead of RTV, then shift the parts together and ruin it anyway.
 
Rubber coated steel gaskets all the way. I hate cork, and recommend a modern replacement with better material if ones available. For instance, fel pro makes rubber coated steel valve cover gaskets for the pre '87 small block Chevy v8, and I see no excuse to ever replace them with anything else any longer. They also make a one piece rubber oil pan gasket for the pre '86 small blocks, which replaces the old four piece jobbers that were the stand by for years.
 
Rubber coated steel on pans and covers that are meant to be easily removable (trans/diffs) and RTV for stuff that is not frequently serviced (engine oil pans/timing covers).
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top