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2G Oil Pan leaking after numerous attempts

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Slo2gn

Proven Member
68
6
Apr 27, 2014
Honolulu, Hawaii
Alright I recently rebuilt a 97 Gst (7 bolt) and have installed the Oil Pan at least 4 times.. at first it was leaking near the oil pump then, it leaked on the pump (fixed that with OEM mitsubishi pump gasket from STM) now it leaks by the Flywheel.. I am fallowing it to spec I think.. I am using Permatex "the good stuff" is there any tricks or Ideas with the install that I may not see according the haynes manual? thanks
 
Solution
I highly advise torquing the pan right after installation and not let the rtv harden at all before tightening the pan. You are not using it as a gasket, you are just using it to fill in any imperfections. When you torque it immediately you squeeze out all the excess than what remains seals. Most all service manuals, including mitsubishi, honda, and so on recommend doing it this way. If you let it skin over like some like to do than you are not getting full adhesion to both sides. The most important thing here is to clean both surfaces well. A little left over rtv isn't a real big deal, but oil on the surface will totally kill the seal. What i do is drop the pan and let it sit for a day or 2 for all oil to drip out. Than i will take a...
The Good Stuff...The Right Stuff...close enough LOL

Just make sure you have a big enough bead and keep it towards the outside of the flange. Then just follow the instructions on the tube, make sure you torque all the bolts down to the proper spec, and give it enough time to fully set. Also, make sure the flange on the pan is flat and mates up perfectly to the block. Having it slightly warped can cause issues.
 
That ^ and...

1. Use a putty knife to carefully remove any debris from the mating surface on the block
2. Let the bead of sealant get tacky before bolting up the pan
3. Snug the bolts up evenly

Use a good sealer that remains semi-flexible and is heat resistant. The OEM gray is the best, but the others should work.
 
I have also tried the Permatex black rtv which says its more heat resistant than the gray... I am thinking about ordering the "mitsu-bond" from STM... but its really expensive but seems worth it at this point considering how much oil i have had to replace.. thanks ill try all of the above and let you guys know if it works.
 
All good advice. If you don't want the oil pan to leak, use Mitsubishi's sealant "MD970389." It's pricey, but if you seal the tube after use, you will get much use of that sealant for multiple engines (and parts).

But, in any case, make sure you add sealant to the tips of every 10MM bolt before they go in and just snug (no specific torque) all the fasteners evenly so the oil pan is floating on a layer of sealant (use a nut-driver with a 10MM 1/4 adapter). Each bolt will have a halo of sealant around it too/leave this intact (I think the Hayne's manual has a picture of this). Wait 10-15 minutes. Then gently and evenly torque all the fasteners (I'd still recommend a nut driver and confidence or a dial indicating torque wrench only). The wait time allows the sealant to expand. This method should work with an off-the shelf equivalent sealant, but the Mitsu stuff is really strong and glue-like/more so than the best parts store stuff. Make sure to let it cure as per the sealant's specs.

The key is that you never tighten the bolts to a point where they stop, if they stop, the oil pan is flush and all the sealant is squeezed out (the "5 ft/lb spec" is very misleading and should really be a "run-on" torque spec/and lower in my opinion/when using "MD970389").

Good luck and I never got it right the first time. Also, make sure to verify the oil isn't coming from above the oil pan too (front main seal, dipstick, the simple stuff, etc.)
 
I highly advise torquing the pan right after installation and not let the rtv harden at all before tightening the pan. You are not using it as a gasket, you are just using it to fill in any imperfections. When you torque it immediately you squeeze out all the excess than what remains seals. Most all service manuals, including mitsubishi, honda, and so on recommend doing it this way. If you let it skin over like some like to do than you are not getting full adhesion to both sides. The most important thing here is to clean both surfaces well. A little left over rtv isn't a real big deal, but oil on the surface will totally kill the seal. What i do is drop the pan and let it sit for a day or 2 for all oil to drip out. Than i will take a rag, wipe all the rest of the oil from the lower inside of the block. After you get the surfaces clean make sure to wipe them down with clean rag and some form of fast drying solvent. Make sure that you clean the rtv from the valley on the pan sealing surface also. If you clean well, use good rtv, and torque the bolts properly with a torque wrench than this thing will never leak again, and you will have great difficulty removing it next time.
 
Solution
Thanks guys Ill post results as soon as I re install the pan this week
 
There never was an oil pan gasket for this car. Felpro finally made one, is what I'm guessing. But if you're going to use RTV, for sure use the advice above, and get the tube of Mitsubishi stuff. We used to call it "super grey".
 
There never was an oil pan gasket for this car. Felpro finally made one, is what I'm guessing. But if you're going to use RTV, for sure use the advice above, and get the tube of Mitsubishi stuff. We used to call it "super grey".
Felpro and other companies have been making an oil pan gasket for these engines for a long time. Don't use a gasket regardless, they suck with these engines.
 
The 4g63 oil pan is NOT designed to be sealed with a gasket! That is why there is a slight indent on the sealing surface of the pan for the liquid sealant. That type of gasket would be used for an oil pan with a flat sealing surface. It would have also come on the OEM pan if it were designed that way. You will continue to leak with that gasket.
 
The 4g63 oil pan is NOT designed to be sealed with a gasket! That is why there is a slight indent on the sealing surface of the pan for the liquid sealant. That type of gasket would be used for an oil pan with a flat sealing surface. It would have also come on the OEM pan if it were designed that way. You will continue to leak with that gasket.
Close, Most pans that use a gasket actually have a ridge down the center of the sealing surface to dig into the gasket so that it doesn't get squished out. But you are 100 percent correct, the groove in the pan surface was engineered for use with rtv.
 
I do agree, I never used a gasket. And hopefully once you put that pan on RIGHT, you won't need to take it off again *fingers crossed*
 
I had the same problem. Heres what I did might work for you. I used a cork gasket cleaned everything good with a wire brush on a drill, scotch bright and some brake cleaner. let the the car drain for a few days spraying the mounting surfaces with brake cleaner here and there. Use some black rtv on the oil pan filling the indention and wide enough to spread to bot sides, and pressed the gasket on not missing any parts. Used a piece of plastic to clean the inner and outer edges making sure the covered from gasket to pan while doing so. Took a drill bit or anything and stuck into each bolt hole to clean the rtv out and wiped it with a rag before bring it back out of each hole. layed down a piece of cardboard and some mechanics paper towels, and put the pan on it gasket down, put some blocks on top of the an and let it sit for two days, cleaned the block and installed the pan. will it work for you?
 
I had a fight with turbo drain lines and a friend with his sump 3 times with various aftermarket sealants.
Then we bought toyota black sump sealant and it worked, also put sealant on bolts.
So using an OEM sealant like the others have said with trying the mitsibishi stuff is the way to go.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I just fired up my Talon last night for the first time in a year and oil leaks are the plague of me right now. My pan is leaking pretty badly and I'm pretty sure it is because I didn't use enough grey stuff when I ran the bead on the inside. Annoys the hell out of me since I have to drop the t-case and all that crap to redo it. I am also having issues with the valve cover leaking through the bolts. Not sure if it's crankcase pressure related or just not snug enough(which it should be. 3-4ib is all that's required for the VC).
 
I use the black Toyota f-pig for any of that stuff. Its the best. Their is a spec of how big of a bead to use also, if you use to little it won't seal up the scratches and if you use too much it will expand and cause leaks as well. I know that a lot of people don't follow the spec and just glob it on there thinking the more, the better. But that's not true and causes still more problems.
 
A couple things I've seen people have issues with that caused leaking.

1. Excessive crankcase pressure. I modify my valve covers with a 3/4" NPT barb from Lowes. If your dipstick is popping out under boost, your crankcase pressure is too high and oil will push out the main seals, pan gasket, any point it can.

2. Make sure the pan is flat and the flange is flat and doesn't have groves. Many guys get angry and shove a screwdriver between the pan and block, ruining the pan. There are a couple pry points on the pan put there to aide removal, use them to lit up the pan and slide a putty knife in there. If absolutely mandatory, like when breaking the OEM seal which is usually very hard, you can use a chisel which is wider and flatter than a screwdriver. You will have to bend the pan back though so spend the time to take it easy so you don't ruin the pan.

3. Let the RTV cure for 24 hours when it is above 60F. Also don't apply much, I only run 1/16" bead and run a circle around each bolt hole. The permatex ultra grey rtv works fine for oil pans, transmissions, etc. Also the turbo drain bolts will leak if you don't apply NEW crush washers under the head of the bolt OR RTV the cap of the bolt to the drain flange. DOn't apply too much RTV to the pan flange, it will seep out the inside, dry, and break off and lodge in the pickup. Most of the engines I have gotten have the stock pickup 1/2 or 2/3 plugged up with old RTV from people who think more is always better.

I've done a couple pans now and they are all leak free.
 
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