changing a sump gasket on 1994 100L

[paj]

this will be my fourth attempt at the sump gasket in two weeks!.. i strip everything down ,remove all traces of old gasket,apply new gasket sealent fit the gasket refit the sump.usually starts leaking from front of sump after a day (which is where original leak was) then after about 3/4 days its pouring out.when i strip it down the gasket is split in quiet a few places,dont not what i am doing wrong. i have previously used silicone sealent but after a bit of surfing on net found out that its not advisable to use silicone on rubber gaskets because this can cause the splitting,when i tighten everything up i do them finger tight at first then go round with wrench i dont tighten too much but my torque wrench doesnt go as low as the settings stated in manual,so i must admit then final tightness is guess work.i have just done it again today but after a good run it started to leak a little from the front again i did check the sump for distortion and with a second opnion found it to be ok.can anyone offer any advice on what i may be doing wrong or if anyone has had similiar problems,any advise would greatly be apperciated.
cheers
paj

[Luke]

Hi mate welcome to the forum!!

Ive never had any experiance of this but from what you say the gasket is split it sounds like its been over tightned!

Forgetting torque wrenches - if you were to tigtnen the bolts up with a 'T'bar spanner that would be plenty tight enough!

do you think you could have mabe over tightned the bolts?

[Boner]

Hi m8
Strange one!
If the sump aint deformed then sutin else is/
Were about exactly on your old gasket is is splitting when it fails??? check these areas again on the engine block and sump and i bet there a deformation.. reakon more the sump like maybe a bolt overtightened in the past.
The gasket splitting sounds to me like the sump is not tightening down exactly level...
Also if evrything does seem ok then its the gasket and them splitting could be cause their not the real deal basically not oil resistant rubber.
Ever put oil in brake system... lasts about 15 mins befor full seal breakdown...
Good luck anyways man.. kin nightmare when oil bleeding.
Boner

[paj]

not 100% sure if i have over tightened bolts the setting stated in manual is 16 to 20 nm i just use wrench and extension bar, the gasket i fitted today is genuine ford part no difference in price compared to any where else.sit thinkining it over makes me wonder wether to price up a new sump and totally eliminate this..could start to become an expensive oil leak..will prob have another go tomorrow. tricky when bolts are such a low torque

[Luke]

Mate - i never use a torque wrench on sump bolts!! my torque wrench starts at 10Nm which is about the torque on the sump bolts (i doubt the torque wrench is accurate at such low torque) just put plenty on gasket sealent like Hylomar or equivlent and tigten them from the centre out - you could almost do them with a socket on a screwdriver attachment but i use a T bar with about a 3" handle - that does the trick for me!!

[Boner]

Dont know if this any help to you m8 noticed they sell sumps when i was browsing for panels..
http://bap.dominohosting.biz/bap/bapdb0 ... 8/91-08/94).
Really cool guys fast delivery aswell. helped me oot last month to avoid the LAW.. go on

[gazza]

here is another tip for you boys and girls, sometimes when you fit a sump gasket with the engine in situ you can accidently push it back where it fits round the crank seal, causing an oil leak, the trick to this is to go out and by some M6 grub screws say 30mm long, wind these into the block, fit the sump gasket to the block rather than the sump, fit the sump and hold it in place with some M6 nuts, you then have to go round taking out each grub screw and replace it with the correct sump bolt, do this in the order given for tightening the sump but just nip them up, once you have removed all the grub screws and replaced them with the proper bolts (including the ones you used to keep the sump in place) you can tighten the sump up to specified torque or by feel if you prefer, hay presto no leaks. also if you strugle to get a bolt in without it dropping of the socket, put a blob of grease in the end of the socket, its just enough to hold it in place while you get it in the hole

[FredTransit]

Just thinking after reading Gazza's post, what about 'glueing' the gasket in place with gasket sealant on the block, for the same effect?

[gazza]

trust me this is the best method, i had an orion that i had 2 goes at before i did it this way, i try to avoid using sealants on gaskets as they seldom have a man squirting goo over mating serfaces at the factory these days, grub screws are not dear to by and you can always keep em for use on another motor

[madmark]

this is very strange myself i always use silycone with new gaskets and infact my mk1 has sump and front cover that is silycone as i cant get the gaskets for it ,when you look at the rubber gasket after you have fitted it is it pokeing out in some places? or nice and streight in line? as bonner says you could have a bent sump !
and also no traces of oil when you put it back together cleen it with some thinners ,

[mowgie]

make sure that the sump hasnt bulged up at the bolt holes...if it has..hammer it flat again,aginst a suitable piece of steel.also chech that the oil filler cap and breather pipe are not blocked up....it may be presurising the sump...itll soon start pissin out if thats the case.hope this helps.

[jay]

just a thought is the oil coming from the sump it self (is the sump cracked??)or could the front oil seal be leaking.