Quick oil pan question.

[mauibarber]

I have a aftermarket Milodin Oil Pan that the previous owner put on.  However, it appears to be leaking a little bit and I would like to replace the gasket.  Is there anything else to replace while the pan is out?  Any other seals?
Thanks,
Alex

[aifilaw]

just check the oil pickup tube and make sure its secured and the screen is intact, and if the engine has lots of miles now would be a good time to swap the rear main bearing...

Put in a windage tray if you don't have one...and make sure you use high temp RTV pamela in addition to the gasket... torque down to 10 ft lbs, let sit for 1 hour, torque to 15 ft lbs, let sit for 24 hours, torque to 20 ft lbs and then start it up, not before then, or you will end up redoing the job over...and over.... and over again.

[mauibarber]

Thanks for the help but one more question.  what is, "high temp RTV pamela "  What is pamela?
-Alex

[Ghoste]

Pamela is the infamous consort of rock stars and alleged actress who came to the US from Canada, enlarged her good parts with lots and lots of silicone and somehow became wealthy for it.

[Nacho-RT74]

Pamela is the infamous consort of rock stars and alleged actress who came to the US from Canada, enlarged her good parts with lots and lots of silicone and somehow became wealthy for it.

[Steve P.]

I have often wondered if silicone floats??   

[mauibarber]

ah, got it. thanks.   

[Ghoste]

I have often wondered if silicone floats??   

Remember Baywatch? 

[4aThrill]

foot pounds on a oil pan, won't that be too much? inch pounds sounds more like it. if you do that much torque on that oil pan  your gonna tear that gasket and warp the pan

[Ghoste]

The factory recommendation is 15 ft lbs.

[aifilaw]

if I'm making a gasket and using that method, the final torque I do is 20 ft lbs, works well...
if your using a ready-made gasket, then I would reduce all those numbers by 5 ft lbs

[mauibarber]

Two more follow up questions.

A)  On a 1969 Charger with a 440 and a Miloden deep oil pan, will I be able to drop the pan by just moving the idle arm or do I have to lift the engine.

B)  How common is a small oil drip from the pan on these cars?  (At least I think thats where its coming from)  Mine drips a couple drops everytime I drive it.  Should I try to fix this or is this something that is very common on 69 chargers?

-Alex

[Charger_Fan]

A) You'll need to lift the engine to clear the pickup tube, unless you get really lucky somehow. Just make sure you remove your air cleaner & fan, so they don't break things, then raise it VERY slowly & carefully so you can keep an eye on things like stretching hoses, shifter linkage binding, etc.


B) It's fairly common...some say they were born to leak. Depending on where it's leaking from, it could also be coming from the rear main seal, or the timing cover seal/gasket.

[mauibarber]

Maybe I won't worry about it then.  It only drips a couple drops everytime I drive it, and only under pressure.  If it sits for a week it doesn't drip. 

I could use the money to do something more fun like replace the guages.

[Ghoste]

It isn't leaking, it's just marking it's territory.

[Charger_Fan]

It isn't leaking, it's just marking it's territory.

Yep!

[Chryco Psycho]

if it is just dripping from the drain plug , replace the plug gasket next time you change oil
it seems like a lot of work to pull the pan  just for a couple of drops

[mauibarber]

I don't believe its dripping from the drain plug.  It appears to be coming off the edge of the oil pan.  The engine has 1000 miles on it and the oil pan is brand new.  It may not have set perfectly.  It literally drops about 2-4 drops everytime I drive it.  Probably not enough to worry about right now.

I had a 57 chvy that did the same thing.  I asked the Chevy guys and they told me that it was a design flaw and that many of the 57's leaked from the dealership.  I was just wondering if the 440 engine had a similar design flaw.  And by flaw I mean, not designed very well to seal tightly.

[aifilaw]

there's no such thing as a design flaw that can't be fixed with a little silicone... if there was truly a flaw it would be evident, such as a main bearing that didn't seal properly, or a place on the oil pan that was not flat which created a gap...but once again, can be fixed with silicone.

It's also possible the oil could be coming from somewhere else up top.

[mauibarber]

The car also has one of those billet timing chain covers.  I know those are notorious for leaking too.  It could be coming off bottom corner of the timing chain cover.  I'm not willing to pull  all those pullys and radiator out for two drops of oil. 

[aifilaw]

timing chain cover leak could probably be solved by just dabbing your finger in silicone and running it along the outside edge of the timing cover gasket.. may fix your leak and you won't have to take anything apart...
but for me a cover is cheap, and pulling off the fan and the timing chain cover and harmonic dampener are a snap.