I will be replacing the oil pan gasket in my 1098 Midget. I
would like any thoughts as to what might be an appropriate adhesive for
this task, if I need one. This also has the added problem of a cork
gasket at the front and back. Those familiar with this engine will
know what I mean by the corks. It would also be nice to know what
people use as a final cleaner on the faces to ensure that the gasket
goo will stick. Does carb cleaner work well to get rid of the last
bit of oil, etc?
Clean it with Brakleen or Berryman brake cleaning spray (or an
equivalent of another brand). It will get you down to bare metal
and leaves no residue.
There's also a gasket remover by the people who make Permatex.
It comes in a spray can and works well on the old gasket crud
if you have any of that to contend with. It's said to strip
paint, though, so watch out, and it's also fairly toxic. (Are
you planning to do this with the engine in place, or are you
going to pull the engine?)
As for reassembly, the manual says Hylomar jointing compound.
Anybody know where this miracle substance can be purchased?
I'd try the Permatex goop used to assemble VW engine cases
and other similar things -- sometimes called "virgin's blood"
for its color and thickness (about like half-congealed blood).
Can't remember the call numbers on it, but it comes in a can
instead of a tube. Ask your best serious auto parts shop.
There's also supposedly a new Permatex compound that you spray
on the *outside* of a joint to seal leaks. It appears to work
by capillary action, flowing into cracks from the outside and
then sealing them when it cures. You need to clean the area
fairly thoroughly before spraying.
What we need, of course, is a tank of this big enough to dip
whole engines into...
"Thus Thetis gripped her infant by the heel,
And, praying at the Acherontian shore,
As proof against a mortal wounding blow
She dipped Achilles in the boiling Styx;
His baby's skin aglister, thus baptized
She drew him headlong out, and never saw
The pallid crescent, where her gripping thumb
And finger, holding her dear child aloft,
Had kept the water's miracle at bay,
Leaving, as though a mine beneath a wall
Proof against myriads otherwise, a flaw,
A fatal spot that sealed Achilles' doom."
-Scott "In that case, seal the pan with plaster of Paris" Fisher
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