Oil pan gasket replacement - added oil too soon?
 

So *a friend* of mine just replaced the oil pan and gasket on my, I mean his car. He added felpro 226 RTV sealant to both sides of the gasket and then I, I mean he, tightened everything down. Within about 10 minutes I, that is he, went ahead and poured new oil into the engine. Starting it briefly for about 10 seconds to help it get all up in that shit..

After a few moments of after-thought it occurred to him that maybe the RTV is supposed to cure a bit before it is put into service or has oil added to it.

Now I'm wondering if I just screwed myself up.


Q 2, extra credit:

In his haste I managed to pour about 1/4 of a cup of oil outside the funnel and it pretty much went all over the fan and various hoses. Is this going to be a real problem?

A related question from the Fel-Pro support site:
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Q: Is the Fel-Pro P/N 226 RTV compatible with synthetic oil?

A: Our RTV is compatible with synthetic oils. Just always allow it to cure fully for best results. RTV requires 24 hours to fully cure.
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As for spilled oil, I just get as much as I can off with a rag so it won't splatter or migrate into places it shouldn't be like electrical connections. Dirt on the engine will probably absorb whatever's left.

Yeah, that didn't happen. I got a lot of the spilled oil up but some of it is in places ureachable

Get a spray can of Gunk foam engine cleanser. Don't get the biodegradable kind. Let it set, might use a brush, wash off with water. Cover the alternator with a plastic shopping bag.

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Depend on how much RTV you put on the gasket. If you just buttered it so it doesn't squeeze out in side the engine, it won't be a problem. If you put it on like toothpaste it probably won't be a problem. Getting oil on the inside of the gasket seam won't keep the RTV from setting up, but if there at big globs on the inside they can drop off and be sucked up by the oil sump.

More buttery.

Tell him I said good.

Your friend probably did a tidy enough job not to get in trouble, if I know the type...

:thumbsup:

Seems OK to me.


New question:

The car has sat for a couple of months, when I started to drive it the brakes were pulsing like mad, as though one of the rotors was a potato chip. It was fine before it parked it, and the rotors have fewer than 1000 miles on them.

I'm gonna check for sticky calipers and or broken pads. Any other ideas?

I could speculate, but pulling the offending wheel off and looking at things will tell you a hell of a lot more than I can speculate about.

Unusually rusty rotor?

I got nothin'...

Could be the caliper isn't sliding on the pin/bolt like it should. Due to rust, perhaps.

Were you feeling this through the brake pedal? Like when your anti-lock brakes kick in and push back on the pedal? That might mean anti-lock issues...Still not the end of the world.

I vote rust likely and should be eliminated first. If you're also feeling it through the wheel then it's the front. If not it could be either.

According to the mechanics who service my brakes, cars need to get up to highway operating temperature for a little while to keep some of these things from happening. You may save yourself some trouble in the future by not letting it sit so long. Take it out and up to highway speed for a bit every week or two if at all possible. Perhaps do that once you've determined it's safe to do so.

Any car that sits outside for a month (exposed to rain) will have rust on its rotors - except where a brake pad protected it. It will take time for rust to wear off. And then that rotor will be same dimension all around - no more pulsing.

Highway speeds are unnecessary. Best is an open road (no traffic) and do much light braking. Best that way so that rust does not embed into brake pads.

Should a car sit for over a month, best is to cover all disc brake wheels with a garbage bag. Keep rain out.