I am buttoning up loose ends and, per usual, have a couple questions... I am going to put fresh fluids in the car. While it's dry, I want to change the gaskets on the oil pans. I remember reading about a nut/washer upgrade to prevent seepage from the studs: some people say acorn nuts, some people say nylon lock nuts, some people say Nylock Brand (which are cool cause the inner-nylon part is red), some people say Stat-o-seal washers... Are the Nylock Brand + Stat-o-seals overkill? Can I get a nylon nut at home depot and have the same end result...? For the gasket, I am going to use Hondabond: It seems to be "the people's choice" for the pan gaskets. What is a high-quality gasket I should be using?? And, finally... It appears that my pan will have studs missing (looks like there are bolts in place of the fasteners - see pic). Do I give a s**t? Is this something I should even worry about? Something that COULD be addressed if and when I drop the tranny? Feel free to correct me on ANY of the above. Thanks folks!! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
If I were in the area and I see bolts replacing studs, I would replace them just to feel good about myself. Once you remove the bolts, you may find that there are other problems like stripped threads, maybe.
I like the idea of bolts bacause you could maybe better seal things but there must be a reason that studs were used in this application. I would replace the stud. How much could that cost?
If you gonna remove the eng/trans pan you should have the face of them machined flat by milling them or the slow way. I had issues with oil leaking short time after replacing the gaskets, so i started over removed both pans and refaced both pans at home 6mm thick piece of glass 400 mm x 400mm sq and 2 pieces of 120 grit sandpaper to start with taped the 2 sheets of sandpaper (underside) together with ur everyday clear office tape then layed the s/paper flat on the glass sprayed some light lube on paper then working the (transpan) back/forward and then round/round till it was close to being flat then change to softer s/paper it took a while but i got there in the end i no longer have leaking issues. The engine pan i used a long 2 inch steel block wrapped s/paper along it.
I don't have any significant leaking. In fact, I am confident that any leaking I am experiencing is from using harsh chemicals to clean the underbelly of the beast, when I first got the car; prolly compromised the integrity of the seal. While I'm in there...
Just curious, but why are you replacing the gaskets? They look pretty clean to me. Are they leaking significantly? In my humble opinion, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless you've got a really good reason to open them up, leave them alone. Just change the oil and be happy. Both the engine and transmission pans have their issues. With the motor, you have to remove the dip stick unit, if I recall, which is a PITA with the engine in the car. And the tranny cover has some little ball bearings and springs that fall out when you remove the cover, and are a PITA to get back in. Have fun if you do go forward with doing the gaskets, take lots of pictures, and let us know how it goes.
I have enough of a leak that I would like to address it. It is more than what came with the car. In my previous post, I cite the possibility of using a harsh cleaner that "broke the seal".
I had no problem after changing the pan gasket with the exception of three studs still maintain a drip. I used ny-locs and that seemed to do the trick for awhile but on those few the oil still wicks its way around the threads. I'm going to add stat-o-seals to the ny-locs and see if that works. This way I won't be removing the pan unless I meet with failure. I am in no hurry to do this since fall is aproaching and the snow will be here too soon. Lost
