Oil pan bolt torque

[DJ]

OK all you brainiacs out there. What's the proper torque for the small bolts on the oil pan (sump)?

I can't seem to find it anywhere.

[davidb]

Me neither. I just looked thru two Lancia Beta shop manuals, nothing.
Haynes said tighten to "proper value". Gotta luv that, they don't have
the value! Looks like you're in the Goldielocks mode: not too loose, not
too tight, just right. Big help. How's snug enough sound?

[Jim Fierst]

DJ... I have never seen a published torque setting either. i have done several pan gaskets recently and have been using anywhere from 36 to 44 inch pounds. I think the type of gasket material ,flatness of the pan lip etc,etc comes into play. I just watch the gasket around the bolt holes and when it just begins to swell out I stop. Not very scientific but .....

[KeppelmanJ]

I think the rule of thumb here is one I found in a Jaguar 120 shop manual for the torque on head bolts: "a number eight spanner in the hands of a reasonable man." Don't we use that most of the time?

[Jim Fierst]

Or a similiar Brit torque for the locking bolt on the wristpin for an MG TD..."Take up smartly on the gudgeon pin clamping screw with a one foot tommy bar." That will probably work too.

[DJ]

"Take up smartly on the gudgeon pin clamping screw with a one foot tommy bar."

Is that a 1/4-inch drive or 3/8-inch drive tommy bar???

I did that and the damn thing STILL leaks. :confused: Not nearly as bad as before though so progress has been made.

[Will]

Personally, I don't think lack of torque is the problem.

I would pull and clean the gasket (and use the rubber one, not the cork one) and clean the pan lip and block bottom with acetone and then carefully hylomar all the surfaces.


Then once the washers are fitted to the bolts CORRECT SIDE UP. the bolts can be evenly tightened until either the gasket starts looking like it want to extrude, OR the pan lip begind to exhibit a slight curvature between the fasteners.

At this point, the pan should not leak.

However, I've never had much luck in retightening a gasket that was leaking. They always seem to weep until I finally take them off and clean, dress, and reinstall.

Maybe you'll be more fortunate than me.

Good luck.

[davidb]

Yeah I was curious about that too. What sealant did you use D.J.?

[Wallace]

A leaky sump p*ssing oil over the back end does a pretty good job of stopping it rusting !

[DJ]

Personally, I don't think lack of torque is the problem.

It's not. I just wanted to know the correct torque value.


I would pull and clean the gasket (and use the rubber one, not the cork one) and clean the pan lip and block bottom with acetone and then carefully hylomar all the surfaces.

Currently on the third iteration of this with three new gaskets and three different types of sealant.


At this point, the pan should not leak.

Correct. But SHOULD NOT is the operative phrase here. :mad:

[DJ]

Yeah I was curious about that too. What sealant did you use D.J.?

First time upon initial engine assembly I used Hylomar. The second time I used a Permatex spray type sealer. The third time I used Permatex Motoseal which never leaks. Well, almost never...

Strangest damn thing I've ever experienced.

[cthargiss]

DJ,
It sounds as if you might have a warped pan. (caused by a PO over tightening the bolts to try and stop a leak) Check the gasket surface with a surface plate or straight edge. The gasket surface can be straightened with gentle use of a plastic hammer followed by 400 grit sandpaper on a surface plate. Motoseal on a new gasket should be leak proof.
Craig

[Will]

OK, well with that new information DJ- I'd concur with Craig, there is also one other possibility. You may be hanging up the pan on the edge of a main seal carrier. You really need to be careful on installing the seal carriers that they are dead flush with the lower lips of the block. As you may recall, there is no positive key for alignment and if they aren't in the right place you can struggle with the oil pan and gasket all day and it'll never seal.