Would it be better to make a gasket or use RTV sealant?

[BlueOvalStangGT]

I need a gasket for my oil pump to pickup tube and was wondering if it would be better to make one out of that gasket stuff or to just use RTV sealant. What do you think.

 

[Daggar]

I'd use the gasket material. An RTV "booger" sucked through the oil pump doesn't sound like my idea of a good time. Just cut the stuff out to size and use a paper hole punch for the bolt holes. Piece of cake.

 

[vristang]

I'd use the gasket material. An RTV "booger" sucked through the oil pump doesn't sound like my idea of a good time. Just cut the stuff out to size and use a paper hole punch for the bolt holes. Piece of cake.

It is always better (and faster) to take the time to do the job right the first time than to have to do it twice.

With that said if you do end up just using silicone here is how I would do it, and have done it in the past. Smear a thin layer on each surface and let it cure almost completely. Once it seems to lose its tackiness and is somewhat solid, I would smear some more silicone on each part then mate them together. Snug up the bolts and let it sit for a while, before the final torque. To avoid the "boogers" described above make sure you use as little as possible to cover the metal and get a good seal. I also press my finger on the inside edge to wipe away some of the silicone near the inside of what I am sealing. This creates less squeeze out on the inside of the seal.

I would not recommend this for the oil pump though due to the pain in the @$$ that it would be to fix it if the seal was bad.

Just throwing out my thoughts to see what you guys think.

 

[thumper460]

Gasket... gasket.... gasket!!!! DONT let that RTV touch that oil pump!! you will be amazed when the pump locks up with " just the small amount of RTV!!" cool??

Just me.........................

Thumper

 

[BlueOvalStangGT]

Made a gasket and it came out pretty nice. Thanks

 

[TheUser]

Ok, I feel like a moron, but what exactly did you make your gasket out of?

The RTV I have is gasket maker, but obviously the "boogery" kind.

 

[Modular2v]

u should be replacing the oil pump everytime you tear into the motor! just go buy an oil pump (50$) and it will come with new gaskets, think of it as a cheap insurance policy