Cheating oil pan gasket. Downsides?

['70 521 L16]

I've been having a lot of trouble getting my oil pan gasket in place. Nothing that hasn't been covered on here before and I'm sure with enough time I could just maneuver it into place without doing anything more than popping the pan itself off but I'm just wondering if there's a downside to doing this. I've heard about metal shards in the pan and such but I spent a good two hours last night getting the crossmember out of the way before I even though about the steering stuff in the way. Just trying to get a feel for what I need to do as this is the first car I've ever worked on and I'm having a lot of trouble with it. I just want to drive this beautiful machine! Thanks folks.

[izzo]

Take your time, lay the gasket out overnight so it has time to flatten out, set a book on top of it.

 

Make sure you use a THIN bead of red or gray RTV, THIN bead... Make sure there is NO oil or contaminates on the surface, get some gas on a rag and clean well, or you will be doing it again. No old gasket, no oil, etc. Brake cleaner would work good as well.

 

Some people cheat and use spray glue on the gasket

[banzai510(hainz)]

I loosen the engine mount bolts that go to the fram and jack ed up on the engine from the trans.

it was enought to slip my skinny hand under the pick up tube and get the gasket in place. I never did looen the steering or anything.

 

PS is the gasket leaking?

I had a oilpressure sender that was bad that made it look like my pan gasket was bad.The diaphram was bad. slowly leaked and ran to the pan gasket thus running along the seem then down on ground

['70 521 L16]

Nah not leaking, I actually had another thread on here looking for a front cover because the one that was on the truck when I got it had a nice lil hole in it. So i figured re-do the timing and slap it back together with new gaskets and see what I've got when the dust clears. I post a link to the other thread if I wasn't on my phone. I'll get on at home later on and feed the picture-starved masses and post that link later too.

['70 521 L16]

Just wondering if it's worth taking the steering junk out to see what shape the engines in from underneath or should I just do it?

[banzai510(hainz)]

If the oil pan wasnt leaking I would have not taken it off and remove x memeber and steering (whatever that means)!!!!!!!!

 

I would have just loosen the oil pan bolts to get a a new front cover On. If the front part of the pan gasket tears you(removing or installing) just splice in a part of the gasket from a new one.

 

http://www.guba.com/watch/3000024223/Hainz-Datsun-L-Series-Engine-01-Timing-Tare-down-and-Rebuild

 

 

You wrote:

Just wondering if it's worth taking the steering junk out to see what shape the engines in from underneath or should I just do it?

 

 

who cares.Its a L motor. If it runs, it runs.YOu saved alot of work and time

If not and makes a noise/knock .pull motor!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Be honest you might have went 5 steps backwards

[deadmonkey]

should be able to take the passenger side steering linkage off (two bolts) that attatches it to the frame and set the tie rod and linkage on the ground. If you put it on ramps first it should drop down enough to pull the pan off w/ out an issue.

 

Also, when putting the pan and gasket back on, don't tighten all the bolts until you make sure all the bolts are in all the gasket holes and the gasket is lined up all around.