Installing Oil Pan Gaskets With Snapups®
A DIFFICULT REPAIR
Some repairs are inherently harder than others, such as installing oil pan gaskets in-chassis. When replacing an oil pan gasket with the engine in the vehicle, it is difficult to align the gasket and the oil pan and then try to get a bolt started without a third hand. It’s also not uncommon to encounter clearance issues when removing/installing the oil pan, especially since there is little space to work with.
In the case of most Fel-Pro® oil pan gaskets, they are to be installed dry. When installing PermaDryPlus® and PermaDry® gaskets, they must be installed clean and dry. RTV is only necessary at the “corners” or where there may be a stepped area such as an RMB retainer to block joint. Keep the following in mind:
- Adhesives should only be used on “paper type” or cork/rubber type gaskets.
- No adhesive will stick to silicone.
- Molded silicone gaskets must be installed dry.
- Adhesives or RTV used in excess can potentially get into the crankcase and oil galleys and cause engine damage.
Fel-Pro has developed an innovative and easy solution to these issues. Fel-Pro oil pan SnapUps are the clean, simple and effective way to speed up an oil pan gasket replacement. Simply thread them into the block where the oil pan bolts go, snap the oil pan gasket in place, followed by the pan itself, and start threading the bolts in. Once the oil pan is secure, the SnapUps are easily removed and are reusable.
SnapUps are included with all PermaDryPlus and most PermaDry oil pan gasket sets, but may also be purchased separately. They are an excellent tool to have because of the time and trouble they save, and take up next to no space in a toolbox. SnapUps can be used on oil pans, transmission pans, differential covers and other similar applications and are available in three different sizes:
