Bout 6 months ago I redid my rear main seal and of course my oil pan gasket. We used a blue rtv and rubber gasket. Couple days later I noticed it leaking still. A few months go by, dealing with other problems, and I change it again with a new rubber gasket and black rtv. Still doesn't stop. So yesterday me and a friend change it again. Cleaned up my rubber gasket and used anaerobic sealant. Still hasn't stopped. When it leaks it comes down the oil pan from the starter area as well as covers the starter. Is there something in that area that's prone to leaking oil that I'm missing?

 

The oil filter adapter is pretty much right above the starter and they are known to leak. I believe there is an O ring kit available to take care of the filter adapter leak.

 

Could be coming down from the valve cover gasket or front tranny seal

 

If memory serves me, I believe my oil filter adapter was ok. But my VC does have signs of leakage but I wouldn't think enough to reach the bottom. Front tranny seal? Like where the torque converter is?

 

Hello all. First post here however I read alot. Finally joined. My friend has a 96 Cherokee 4.0L. I replaced the fuel pump the other day and decided to do an oil change as well. The oil drain plug nut on the inside of the pan broke loose and the drain plug wouldn't come out. So I buy a new Dorman oil pan and Felpro one piece gasket. I cleaned it up well. I am an ASE master tech so I've been working on cars for 25yrs. I installed it and it leaked at the rear of the pan after it had been run a while. I pulled it back off and the gasket had slipped inside at the one end of the bearing cap a bit. OK, my fault. I replaced it again. No sealer except the 4 corners as advised by Felpro. Had an extra hand holding it up while I installed the pan and bolted it up. IT LEAKS AGAIN! UGH..what should I do here?

 

Being a professional mechanic I assume I don't need to ask these questions but I will anyway. Are you 100% positive it is coming from the oil pan? There are a couple other places above it that can leak, causing it to drip down and appear to be an oil pan leak. These places are the valve cover, the CCV grommets, the oil pressure sending unit, and the oil filter adaptor. Also, ensure that the bolts are torqued down correctly. If you did, do it again. It is possible (although not very likely at all) that the bolts were knocked loose with time.

 

I just did this..all this week. The valve cover gasket is new. The distributor is newly sealed. The rear main is DRY. The thing didn't leak until I replaced the oil pan. Anyone had a problem with a Dorman pan? I used a Scotchbrite disk to gently remove the paint from the new pans sealing surfaces. I cleaned the block and rear main cap with a razor blade and brake cleaner. It is CLEAN. The first time I did it I put RTV over the whole groove in the rear main cap which the gasket sits in. I shouldn't have. I feel that this pushed the gasket out of the groove. When I pulled it back apart I could see about 3/4" where the gasket was out of place. The second time I used no sealer at all except the area where the cap meets the block and where the front cover meets the block as the instructions say to. I am assuming my issue when I tear it back off will be that the gasket is not in the rear groove correctly once again. How to remedy this I don't know. HELP. It is impossible to see once the pan is up. Also I am positive it is the pan. Once all the bolts were in finger tight, I started in the center and made circles toward the outer bolts a little at a time as I should and I only used a 1/4" ratchet to tighten them, plus they have the metal insert that should to a point prevent over tightening.

 

Did you straighten out your flanges, and flatten the bolt holes. Stop the rtv(except where needed an use only a small amount it goes along way's) and just glue the gasket on let it set up, so it wont move when you install it, clean all your threads out (in the bolt hole's) won't hurt to get new bolt's either.g/l

 

Gluing it in place is an amazing idea. Definitely keeping that in mind for when I do mine.

 

oil coming out dip stick tube maybe?

 

Classic oil filter adapter leaking symptoms.

 

I recently did my VC gasket and it stoped the leaking entirely. I was gonna do the OFA too but I couldn't get it off

 

Thanks for the replies. It is a NEW Dorman pan. I will however flip it over and tap the rails down when I do this again, just in case it was deformed from new. The bolts were parts washered and brake cleaned. I think also since I have the old pan, I am gonna cut the front and rear off of it and use them as a tool to hold the new gasket in place when I redo it. I'll apply the 4 dabs of rtv in the corners and some hi-tack along the long rails and then bolt the pieces of the old pan in place and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then remove them, the gasket will stay (in theory) and I'll put the pan back on gently.