Gasket sealer questions

[AlfaNeely@domain.elided]

       I think it is very important to drop the lower sump of the bat wing 
oil pan on the four cylinder Alfa engine periodically - like every fourth oil 
change.  Also pull the valve cover every other oil change to make sure you 
change all the dirty oil.
       The baffles of the lower sump collect all sorts of grunge (technical 
term).  The baffles keep the oil around the oil pump pickup when cornering 
hard.  The baffles also slow the return of oil to the oil pump and drop any 
collected dirt and grunge in the corners of the baffles.
       The difficult part of replacing the lower sump is not tearing the 
gasket.  There are a bunch of holes that must all line up.  If the hole is 
not lined up, the bolt will tear the gasket and cause a leak.
       I have found the back corners are the hardest as the cross member is 
in the way and you cannot see between the main pan and the sump.  A small 
hook is helpful in pulling the gasket into alignment for replacement of each 
bolt.  That means you insert each bolt only a couple of threads as you work 
your way around the pan.  That lets the pan hang down so you can push or pull 
the gasket into alignment.
       Gasket sealers are personal preference.  I have used Permatex Aviation 
gasket sealer, but it is hard to clean off for the next replacement.  Spray 
gasket remover seems to work OK for removal.  
       I have used the red Permatex gasket sealer in a spray can.  That has 
the advantage of being easy to apply to the gasket - lay it on newspaper and 
spray.
       And I have put the pan gasket on dry.  And I have soaked them in water 
to make them more pliable.
       And I have used silly cone sealer or Aviation Permatex with no gasket 
at all.  Just make sure you use extremely small amounts of sealer.  And make 
sure the sealer is evenly applied.  You do not want the silly cone to squeeze 
out on the inside where it could dislodge and get into the oil pump pickup.  
I like the Permatex Ultra Blue sealant or Hylomar.
       The bottom line is, it does not seem to matter what sealer you use or 
do not use.  Making sure the gasket is flat and fits all the holes is the 
main concern.

Ciao,
Russ Neely
Oklahoma City



In a message dated 09/08/2002 4:09:09 PM Central Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:


> Date: Sun, 08 Sep 2002 12:23:35 -0700
> From: Jon Pike <jhpike@domain.elided>
> Subject: Gasket sealer questions
> 
> Hello Group..
> 
> I'm about to pull off my lower sump pan on the Spider,  and was 
> wondering what gasket treatment
> would be reccomended (and not reccomended).  I do have a paper gasket 
> (from IAP) to replace the original.  
> 
> Any other gasket info would be welcome..  I'll probably be getting thru 
> many of them in the future!
> 
> Thanks..
> 
> Jon
> 
> 77 Spider
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided