ELLSSUU

Used the same and no bulges on the sides BUT when under the car last I could see a small split in the front hump of the pan gasket. Not leaking but I'm keeping an eye on it.

bebbetufs

I just removed the pan again. I am convinced that the silicone is causing this. Wherever there is silicone sealant on the gasket the gasket was squished out giving the gasket edge a concave shape. Wherever no silicon has been used the edges of the gasket have been retained and the middle bulges out giving the edge a convex shape.

I will try again without, or with a tiny bit of sealant in the corners of the hoops and perhaps a tiny bit in the dimples around the four "hoop" bolts not on the main gasket surface (in the corners). If I can I'll use a sealant called Epple 33 which is silicon free and made for rough, absorbing surfaces. I think it will stick better to the rubber.

Duke

I use Loctite 3020 which is a gasket adhesive, over the whole gasket. Finger tight, let the adhesive dry and then do the final torque steps. The gasket won't bulge out and no leaks.

bebbetufs

Excellent tip. I contacted my local Loctite rep and he has agreed to gift me yet another of their products He has supplied me with every single Loctite product I've ever needed. He even delivered them to my garage. It helps that Loctite sponsors Porsche's racing team, but you got to love a real to-the-core Porsche enthusiast....

peanut

the problem with using silicons is that small beads swished out into the inside of the sump can get carried round in the oil system causing blockages.

I have always used Red Hermatite on troublesome gaskets and mating surfaces. It might be worth gluing the gasket onto the sump with all the bolts just dropped through the holes from the wrong side to locate the gasket until the Hermatite has set. Then the gasket should stay in place when offered up and torqued. No wet hermatite or silicon can get into the sump either.
Sounds like a similar product to the Loctite product Duke mentioned

ritzblitz

+1, it is especially easy in the aerosol can.

M758

Why not do it dry? I have never had an issue and have done more pan gaskets that most of you will ever do. 100% success doing it dry and it costs nothing. Nothing to buy and it works.

peanut

presumably because of the problems the op has been experiencing (read first post) the sump flanges may be distorted due to accident damage or over -tightening etc

M758

He has done it wet every time and best I can see the gasket moves around because it is wet.

I have installed pans with missing fins due to hitting stuff and never had any issues. There not much concern for distortion of the metal on a pan due to installation. The gasket will always crush in different ways to compensate rather then bending the pan. The only physical damage there could be are gouges in either block or pan sealing surfaces caused by rough removal of old gasket glue that should never have been used in the first place.

vette951s

The gasket should be installed dry except for a small dab at the four transitions from the flat rails to the front and rear rounded areas.

John

bebbetufs

Thanks to all of you. A lot of nice tips here. I might try it dry and see what happens. If not the Loctite is free, so I might just test it out.

Ponda

I started reading this thread because I'm about to install my first pan gasket, so I'm no expert, but one thing I noticed about my Victor Reinz pan gasket is that it seems to have the mold release agent still on it. Obviously, that was intended to keep it from sticking the the manufacturing equipment, but it will also keep it from sticking to anything else. A very small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel seems to remove it and make the gasket a little sticker.

bebbetufs

Good luck and well done for spotting the release agent.

hamlin

Thanks for the Tip Ponda!

Ponda

Thanks guys for your tips, the gasket went on without any creep in the rear, and it's out just a little (1/8" to 3/16") on one side of the oil pump. I used the Dow 730 very sparingly on the four corners, but my block had some (factory) sealant on the joining lines between the block and the oil put, so I also put some there.

One other observation that may be useful is that the factory surface finish on the pan and block mating surfaces seem to show machining marks. By that I mean, they are flat and smooth, but there are obvious surface marks (scratches). After the gasket flexing for thousands of miles and me cleaning up the surfaces, they were much smoother. I'm wondering if the relatively rough surface wasn't intentional, as a way to hold the gasket in place while it was compressed. If that's true, it might help to re-roughen the mating surfaces in the area where the squeeze out occurs.