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I recently change out the oil pan gasket because it was having a small leak. That leak would leak down to the exhaust manifold and cause it to smoke. The reason it was leaking in the first place is because I over tighten the bolst and squeezed the gasket. So in my recent attempt, I tried not to over tighten the oil pan bolts. I first hand tighten all bolts using a 10 mm socket, then I used the ratchet to tighten it down some more till I got some resistance. I also use some Honda bond between the gasket and the oil pan to help it stay.
Help !…. there must be something that I am doing wrong… can some one shine some light?
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The gasket surface MUST be clean befor new gasket is introduced. Torque specs MUST be adhered to. Make sure fastners are clean as well prior to instillation. Start from the center of pan and work clockwise towards the outer perimeter if the pan. Do this in two stages, first stage is finger tight, second is to torquespecs.
Drop pan and clean off all honda bond. Find your torque specs. Use a SMALL amount of gasket adhesive to stick gasket to pan. Then stick pan to block in place with no twisting amd tighten as posted above.
First check that there isn’t some other leak from like the valve cover, the oil filter, or the crankshaft seal.
Then remove all the old gasket and sealant from the metal surfaces, both on the engine block and the oil pan.
Then take a ruler to the oil pan and make sure the surfaces are flat. You may need to do some creative leveling with a hammer to get the bolt holes flat with the intervening areas.
Use a new gasket and use sealant and tighten things up using a torque wrench, to half, then 75%, then 100% of spec.
It almost sounds to me like there is some other issue here.
I am big on using a torque wrench and doing things right, but when I did my oil pan gasket, I did not have a torque wrench that measured inch lbs, so I did the job by feel, and it hasn’t leaked a bit since. I’ve done many oil pans, and valve covers this way over the years, with very few problems.
I would say that it is more likely there is some damage to the mating surface on the oil pan, or there was a bunch of silicone sealer in there from a previous job that wasn’t properly cleaned off. I know the first time I put my new oil pan gasket on, it leaked, because I missed a bit of silicone near where the holder for the rear main seal is. Second time around, I spotted the bit of sealer up in the corner between the block and that cap, and got it scraped / cut out of there, and everything sealed up fine. I tightened the bolts by feel with a 1/4″ drive ratchet.
Of course, given the option, I would absolutely use a torque wrench, tightened first just to touching the oil pan, then to 1/3 final torque, followed by 2/3, and then finally full torque spec, and always starting in the center, and working out in a spiral pattern, but I truly suspect that there will be some debris near that rear cap, or an issue with the pan that is causing the leak.
Honestly, those oil pan gaskets are a PITA. I don’t recommend using Honda bond to hold it in place as that may contribute to a leak. All the suggestions above about the proper torque are good, but you’re likely going to have to go back and retorque everything after a couple of months. Even then, it may not seal completely.
It’s also a good idea to check the distributor ‘o’ ring and the valve cover gasket to make sure they are not the source of the leak. Oil will travel and run along the oil pan gasket and make it appear that the leak is coming from there. Also, if the rear main seal is leaking it can also be perceived as an oil pan gasket leak.
In short, make sure you don’t have any other leaks that may appear to be an oil pan gasket leak.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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