"To Seal, or not to Seal,--that is the question:--
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The drips and leaks of not using sealant
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by applying sealant end them?"

Should I use sealant when replacing my dented lower oil pan and gasket? Are sealant and adhesive the same thing? If not, should I use adhesive or sealant or nothing?

What does everyone think? Please share your experiences. What brand is best?

Thanks
James
Philadelphia PA
79 300CD 234000
My First Benz - I Love It!


[Edited by jpl on 07-18-2001 at 01:01 AM]

A sealant is not necessary on the pan gasket, but cleanliness is. I’ll never forget the first time I removed the pan gasket from a 117 V-8. I don’t think anyone would! It takes perseverance to get it off, and that is a huge understatement. Even gasket remover needed several soakings to work. That is what happens with good OE gaskets. Do not use anything other than OE or OEM.

The mating surfaces need to be in good shape & you need to get down to *clean* bare metal. When I say clean, I mean that I will use a solvent such as carb cleaner, and then do a final rinse with brake cleaner so that there is no residue on the surfaces at all. Torque to spec a little at a time & you’ll have a happy driveway (or wherever you park).

RTH

I'll be watching this one.

I just replaced my gasket last month after switching to synthetic and caused the new oil to flow. So....., I still have the oil leak and need to pull everything apart again and get "things right".

I will probably use the Permatex "The Right Stuff", it comes in a can like cheese whiz, so its easy to apply a nice clean bead.

Side topic question, do these sealant/gasket materials affect torque values?

Roas: If you are hell-bent on using a sealer the seemingly most common mistake is using too much. The other is using a suitable product. Using an RTV sealer will make it easier to remove that gasket in the future, but somehow I don’t think that it’s your intention to be removing it again.

Again, the most common mistake is using too much. When used in conjunction with a gasket, the gaps that a sealer is intended to fill are *very* small, such as scratches or small gouges or other imperfections in the mating surfaces. It does not take much sealant to do the job. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought a car to discover that sometime in the past someone has used too much sealant, which causes an excess amount to ooze out & which can cause some serious problems in certain areas if chunks of it become detached and are floating around.

People like to use a ‘bead’ such as you mentioned. Not a good thing & not the right way. The best thing that you can do is to apply a *thin* bead, then using your finger smear the bead into a *very thin* film on the entire surface (both sides) of the gasket. And I mean VERY thin – remember that the majority is going to be squeezed out.

Again, the cleanliness of the metal is important. Any grease or oil is not going to allow the sealant to adhere properly.

RTH

Good points RTH, maybe I'll try to reseal the oil pan gasket this weekend.

And I thought only toothpick sized runway models lived by that philosophy.

RTH - that approach using the VERY THIN, if any, application sounds like the best bet. The logic is flawless. I dont think I am going to use sealant.

Thanks for the tip !

__________________
James

85 300SD 285k
Charcoal Gray/Grey MB-Tex

79 300CD 142000mi "Rabenshwarz"
Black / Black MB-Tex, Burlwood Int. TOTALLED - 10/24/02 --

Good thread.

In this thread there was a reference to two different products. I'm not certain that I will use "any" sealant, however should I opt out and use sealant, which is the better of the two products to use, RTV or Permatex? And too, when RTV is mentioned, is this of the same varity that I would find at say Home Depot (GE brand RTV)?

Pardon my ignorance, I just want to get it right the first time.

Thanks,
jeric

RTV is an acronym for Room Temperature Vulcanizing. It can be applied to any sealant that cures by itself, i.e., without adding a catalyst or using heat. This does not mean that you can use any product that is an RTV sealant. Using bathroom caulk from Home Depot is not a good idea, to say the least.

Permatex makes several different varieties of RTV products, as well as other glue type sealants. Use a product that is intended for use in your specific application.

RTH

The best, in my opinion, is Ultra Copper available at the parts stores.

__________________
Jim

You can use some Wurth Sensor Safe. It's basically a black RTV silicone. I use just a slight amount when resealing anything oil-related. For instance, I resealed the area between the oil filter housing and the block on my '80 300SD last year and used a little Sensor Safe on the new gaskets, and it's still nice and leak tight. The problem with Wurth products is that they are not available at your local Pep Boys or Auto Zone. Wurth is a German company who sells to European car repair shops and some dealers. But if you have a good connection at your shop, ask the manager to order you a can of Sensor Safe. Highly recommended.

__________________
Regards,
Aaron

I agree 100% about the Wurth products. I have used their products many times, but like Aaron said, they can be tough to find. Perhaps PartsShop may want to consider carrying their line of products?

RTH