Amc 304 oil pan gasket

I am new to the forum and really excited to be here! I have a question about my oil pan gasket. I have tried to do the oil pan gasket twice on my AMC 304 v8 and can not get it to seal correctly. I would appreciate any advice before going for my 3rd try. Thank you in advance!

Where is it leaking?
Does it leak right away?

I am new to the forum and really excited to be here! I have a question about my oil pan gasket. I have tried to do the oil pan gasket twice on my AMC 304 v8 and can not get it to seal correctly. I would appreciate any advice before going for my 3rd try. Thank you in advance!

Make sure everything is nice and clean. Get all the old gasket material off and clean the surface with a good thinner of some sort.

Use some Permatex Black Ultra Silicone, or if you want to spend the money, Permatex "Right Stuff" is probably the best product on the market. I've used it on my boat and had great success. Put a nice even coat on each side of your gaskets, and put them in place. Put your pan on with a couple bolts just snug enough to hold it in place, and start putting in the rest of the bolts. Make sure you tighten them all up evenly and torque them down to the factory specs. You'll have to look on the web for the correct ft/lbs, I can't remember off hand.

If your engine is out, it helps to rotate your engine stand around so you are on top of it all.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

Ugh...that green and red engine makes me a little nauseated. :drool:

OP, are you sure it's the oil pan gasket, and not the rear main seal that is leaking?

Also, the oil pan lip/mating surface needs to be perfectly straight and flat or it will never seal.

Good luck,

Matt

Come on Man!

Ugh...that green and red engine makes me a little nauseated. :drool:

OP, are you sure it's the oil pan gasket, and not the rear main seal that is leaking?

Also, the oil pan lip/mating surface needs to be perfectly straight and flat or it will never seal.

Good luck,

Matt

Matt... I'm trying really hard to like you, but you're comments are making it more and more difficult:laugh: I keep telling you to give it a chance, and hopefully it will all come together in the end.

Just yanking your chain, O-Man. No offense intended.

:tea:

Matt

Make sure everything is nice and clean. Get all the old gasket material off and clean the surface with a good thinner of some sort.

Use some Permatex Black Ultra Silicone, or if you want to spend the money, Permatex "Right Stuff" is probably the best product on the market. I've used it on my boat and had great success. Put a nice even coat on each side of your gaskets, and put them in place. Put your pan on with a couple bolts just snug enough to hold it in place, and start putting in the rest of the bolts. Make sure you tighten them all up evenly and torque them down to the factory specs. You'll have to look on the web for the correct ft/lbs, I can't remember off hand.

If your engine is out, it helps to rotate your engine stand around so you are on top of it all.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

Did you paint the balancer yourself? It sure looks good. It's not so easy keeping the numbers crisp and detailed. :thumbsup:

Just yanking your chain, O-Man. No offense intended.

:tea:

Matt

I know, I was just doing the same. I'll have to admit though, sometimes the pictures make me want to hurl too. :laugh: It looks better in person, if you know what I mean. LOL :cheers2:

Did you paint the balancer yourself? It sure looks good. It's not so easy keeping the numbers crisp and detailed. :thumbsup:

I did paint the balancer. Most of the engine (greens) are powder coated. Thanks.

I did paint the balancer. Most of the engine (greens) are powder coated. Thanks.

Nice job on everything :thumbsup: Sorry to get off topic on your thread OP. By the way welcome to the forum :2thumbsup:

Like Mat said make sure your oil pan lips are straight and level. One way of checking them is to lay a steel ruler and look to see it contacts all the way on the surface.

I'm sticking with AMC Blue.

Thanks so much guys for responding. I really appreciate that. Excited to join the group and learn from you guys!
Mortgage payer: yes it starts pouring out immediately. the 4 piece gasket is giving me a hard time. I added some dye tonight to find out exactly where it is coming from. I think it is coming from the front and back where the rubber gasket pieces are.
Olympic Mountain: It's still in the jeep and I did get the surfaces clean but I think maybe I need to glue the gaskets to the block first before putting on the pan?
Matt and Jim: I am going to get the ruler out and check when I get the pan off again, that's great advice thank you.

What do yall think about glueing the gaskets to the block first after I clean everything since the engine is still in the jeep? And I am guessing it should still use a bead of RTV around the oil pan before I put it on or should I just use it at the corners?

It can be a real bear. After you determine the pan is true, and everything is clean, your going to want to use some Permatex High Tack spray a gasket sealant on the oil pan (following the directions). Place the new gasket on your pan, and while it's setting up. I'd silicone the front and rear gasket (seals) in place. One in the front at the timing cover, and the other at the rear of the engine. Then place a nice even bead of silicone at the same location the seals go at the pan. Then put a nice even layer of the Permatex Ultra black silicone on the gasket. This way your not fighting all the items trying to keep them in place. Be careful when you position the pan to the block, not to knock the gasket off the pan. Get some bolts in it and snug it up to hold it until you can get them all in. Then snug them all up evenly and torque them down. It can be tedious, but I know you got it this time. Good luck.

Hey Matt and Jim, chime in if you disagree with this method.

Go get your self a one piece oil pan gasket,
Felpro and Victor Reinz (Dana) make them I also prefer the Victor Reinz its beefier than the Felpro

Go get your self a one piece oil pan gasket,
Felpro and Victor Reinz (Dana) make them I also prefer the Victor Reinz its beefier than the Felpro

I don't think they make them for the 304 do they? The one he has uses the two rubber seals at the front and rear, with a two piece cork gasket on either side.

I just replaced a 304 oil pan gasket and wasn't able to find the one piece online. Good luck!

I don't think there is a one-piece oil pan gasket for the AMC V8.

You mate three different components to the oil pan on a AMC V8 (block, timing cover and rear main bearing cap), hence the reason for the multi-piece design.

It's important to use Ultra RTV at the 4 points where the side pieces meet the end pieces.

Matt

Sadly there is no one piece gasket. I have another question. Does the cork on the sides or the rubber pieces on the ends go underneath. To be more clear, where they meet, which one sits under the other? Hope this makes sense. Just want to make sure I get it right. And one more, when I add RTV to the 4 points where the gaskets meet, do I just put a nice size dab on top of there at those points? Cashcrazy how did yours do? No leaks? I am going to get everything off and ready again either tomorrow or Saturday and I will try and post some pics if I can. Thanks again guys.

did the cork go under the rubber gasket or vice-versa?