Had a AT oil pan leak on my 15 Grand Caravan

[KrisZ]

Someone at Chrysler transmission assembly plant sure messed this one up.
When I did a cooler line ATF exchange over two years ago I did notice a very small wetness on the ATF pan. Well, that recently developed into a small leak. Enough to stain my garage floor.

During the pan removal, once the bolts were loosened a bit, ATF started to leak and the pan dropped without any signs of being adhered by the RTV. To me it looked like the RTV was applied and let sit over an extended period of time, instead of being installed on the transmission. I used a regular gasket on this instead of RTV, since it came with the ATF filter and I hate removing old RTV, which was the most time consuming in this whole process. So hopefully that wasn't a mistake on my part.

On the plus side, I did get to change the ATF filter and clean the magnet, which had a usual amount of break-in, gray sludge.

 

[clinebarger]

That's been a Chrysler issue since they started RTV pan sealing over 25 years ago. Don't be surprised if the gasket weeps fluid over time!

 

[Nick1994]

Happened to my grandma's 14' Grand Caravan. I let the dealer reseal it under warranty. That was after we had the engine oil pan and timing chain cover re-sealed under warranty.

 

[demarpaint]

That's why I won't use RTV sealant, smart move using a gasket.

I'd get a gasket too and this. Permatex High Tack That combo hasn't let me down yet.

 

[Lubener]

That's the reason I always use a gasket and never RTV. If the surfaces aren't perfectly clean and the process is not done right, it will leak. RTV doesn't belong on a automobile. Heck, it did last 5 years for you.

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted by demarpaint
That's why I won't use RTV sealant, smart move using a gasket.

I'd get a gasket too and this. Permatex High Tack That combo hasn't let me down yet.

Have never used High Tack . But I learned to use Permatex non hardening ( #2 , I think ) 50 years ago . I use it to attach the gasket to the removable part . The pan , in this case . Let it set for a short time then bolt it up .

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
Originally Posted by demarpaint
That's why I won't use RTV sealant, smart move using a gasket.

I'd get a gasket too and this. Permatex High Tack That combo hasn't let me down yet.

Have never used High Tack . But I learned to use Permatex non hardening ( #2 , I think ) 50 years ago . I use it to attach the gasket to the removable part . The pan , in this case . Let it set for a short time then bolt it up .

I had good luck with gaskets as well. RTV is fine for assembly lines where robots apply the sealer and surface is new and clean. For a shade tree like me though, they are horrible. Horrible to remove, horrible to apply, and good luck getting the surface clean of oil.
I used a little bit of Permatex Ultra Black on the pan to hold the gasket in place. Even if it starts leaking again in five years, at least it will be much easier to deal with... if that time comes.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

This is a confusing topic. Fel-Pro says many of there gaskets have a sealer made into them and the Permatex High Tack will mess it up. On the other hand, I've not heard anyone complain that actually used a sealer.

 

[andyd]

My Brother showed me about the same time as Wyr.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

If you use high tack or a sealer just to get the gasket to stick to the removable part of the AT pan, would it effect the part of the gasket that connects to the mating surface?

 

[sloinker]

When I bought a new transmission pan for my Pentastar van for its drain plug I also used the gasket which came with the new filter. The OE pan also had a gasket, this is a '14 model I purchased with 11 miles on it. When I pulled the top and bottom intake manifolds to replace the leaking oil pressure sender everything was gasketed and/or O ringed. Are there multiple engine/transmission assembly plants that would cause this discrepancy in manufacture. I will never use RTV if there is a OE gasket alternative.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by TheLawnRanger
This is a confusing topic. Fel-Pro says many of there gaskets have a sealer made into them and the Permatex High Tack will mess it up. On the other hand, I've not heard anyone complain that actually used a sealer.

I haven't run across one of those yet. As always I'd make certain everything was spotlessly clean and oil free, then more than likely follow the directions. Given a choice, I'd probably opt for a gasket that doesn't say not to use a sealer until I see a lot of positive feedback on the gaskets you're referring to. I've had such good luck with High Tack it would be hard for me to gamble with anything else.

 

[JTK]

I don't recall if the pan on the 62TE in our 2013 came from the factory with a conventional gasket or RTV. When I had a local transmission shop do a pan drop, filter and fluid refill on it, they used gray RTV and a not so pretty job of it. I think I had the pan drop done at around 40K miles and we had about 75K on that van when we traded it in. No issues with it. Great van.

It's about impossible to do a quick turnaround pan drop and reinstall and not have some ATF on the mating surfaces by the time you get the pan re-installed. It's hope for the best with RTV I guess.

Another reason that makes the newer plastic pans with the gasket built into it like on the ZF8's great. No worries.