Will my oil pan gasket leak or should I re-do it?

[islandboy47]

I'm putting together a rebuilt Mercruiser 3.0 motor and it's one of the older style ones from the 80's that has the 4 piece oil pan gasket. Two of the pieces are cork and two are rubber. When I put them on I put some Permatex Ultra Black on the block and some on the pan itself, going around the entire thing on both of them (after cleaning them with acetone). Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes, then I put the oil pan on and hand tightened the bolts down. After letting it sit for an hour I tightened the bolts down and now it's been a couple of days since then.

My friend, who is much more mechanically inclined than me, asked me if I put silicon or anything between the gaskets where they overlap, like when the cork goes over the rubber gasket for about 1/2" or so in 4 places. I did not do that. He is under the impression that we should remove everything and re-do it to make sure we don't run into any leaks, because replacing that gasket after the motor is installed is going to be much more of a PIA.

The thing is I'm really hoping to get the boat running within the next week and ordering a new gasket will delay this timeline. I wanted to get somebody's opinion here - how likely am I to run into issues here? I was thinking that because there isn't a ton of pressure inside the oil pan then it's unlikely to leak unless there's a pretty serious hole or weak spot in the gasket. Thoughts?

 

[Scott06]

I'm putting together a rebuilt Mercruiser 3.0 motor and it's one of the older style ones from the 80's that has the 4 piece oil pan gasket. Two of the pieces are cork and two are rubber. When I put them on I put some Permatex Ultra Black on the block and some on the pan itself, going around the entire thing on both of them (after cleaning them with acetone). Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes, then I put the oil pan on and hand tightened the bolts down. After letting it sit for an hour I tightened the bolts down and now it's been a couple of days since then.

My friend, who is much more mechanically inclined than me, asked me if I put silicon or anything between the gaskets where they overlap, like when the cork goes over the rubber gasket for about 1/2" or so in 4 places. I did not do that. He is under the impression that we should remove everything and re-do it to make sure we don't run into any leaks, because replacing that gasket after the motor is installed is going to be much more of a PIA.

The thing is I'm really hoping to get the boat running within the next week and ordering a new gasket will delay this timeline. I wanted to get somebody's opinion here - how likely am I to run into issues here? I was thinking that because there isn't a ton of pressure inside the oil pan then it's unlikely to leak unless there's a pretty serious hole or weak spot in the gasket. Thoughts?

I think you are supposed to trim the 1/2" where they overlap, not double them up with silicone in between. For me I would redo them as there is no way they can sit flat.

I would run it on the ground before you put it in it is easy to do and look for leaks

 

[jimmbo]

If there is any Doubt, it is far easier to redo it now, than once it is installed and running at the Lake, River, Ocean

 

[islandboy47]

I think you are supposed to trim the 1/2" where they overlap, not double them up with silicone in between. For me I would redo them as there is no way they can sit flat.

I would run it on the ground before you put it in it is easy to do and look for leaks

That would make sense! I couldn't really find any info on using these 4 piecers anywhere, so was mostly just guessing.

 

[islandboy47]

If there is any Doubt, it is far easier to redo it now, than once it is installed and running at the Lake, River, Ocean

Valid point for sure

 

[flashback]

Looks like the flange on the pan is bent now. You cannot over lap a gasket and expect it to seal. Trim the cork to fit and use a sealant at the joint.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Time to take a ballpeen hammer and a block of wood and straighten the pan flange. Trim the cork as needed

 

[tank1949]

I'm putting together a rebuilt Mercruiser 3.0 motor and it's one of the older style ones from the 80's that has the 4 piece oil pan gasket. Two of the pieces are cork and two are rubber. When I put them on I put some Permatex Ultra Black on the block and some on the pan itself, going around the entire thing on both of them (after cleaning them with acetone). Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes, then I put the oil pan on and hand tightened the bolts down. After letting it sit for an hour I tightened the bolts down and now it's been a couple of days since then.

My friend, who is much more mechanically inclined than me, asked me if I put silicon or anything between the gaskets where they overlap, like when the cork goes over the rubber gasket for about 1/2" or so in 4 places. I did not do that. He is under the impression that we should remove everything and re-do it to make sure we don't run into any leaks, because replacing that gasket after the motor is installed is going to be much more of a PIA.

The thing is I'm really hoping to get the boat running within the next week and ordering a new gasket will delay this timeline. I wanted to get somebody's opinion here - how likely am I to run into issues here? I was thinking that because there isn't a ton of pressure inside the oil pan then it's unlikely to leak unless there's a pretty serious hole or weak spot in the gasket. Thoughts?

oil is cheaper than pulling motor. Hopefully, no rust on pan?