Title pretty much says it all....
When putting my rear back onto the truck my gasket tore apart and was rendered useless. I was told by the guy at Autozone to just use silicone..."it holds up just as well."
I went ahead with it seeing as to how I was desperate and didn't wanna go all the way to the dealer to pay another 9 bucks for a piece of paper that'll prolly fall apart again.
So far, it's been a week and a few good outings and so far no leaks. Does silicone hold up well over time or should I look into a gasket in the near future?

 

I got silicone on mine....

 

When we were working on my clutch we couldn't get NAPA to find the rear main seal gaskets so we just used a whole lotta silicone.

So far so good

 

Sounds like I need not worry...thanks guys!

 

Just be sure to use a lot.
The guy who helped me on mine pretty much slathered the area.

 

When I have to use silicone, I try to get the "ultra seal" stuff. It was more money, but it resists more chemicals.

DON'T use too much! The extra squeezes out to the outside and the inside. If chunks break off on the inside (of the engine/transmission) they can plug up passages and cause oiling or cooling issues. Surfaces must be clean and dry first. I use brake clean on a rag to wipe off oily residue.

I used grey ultraseal on the oil pan of the 22RE and on the transmission oil pan on the Landcruiser with no problems yet. You should let it cure before adding oil (1 day.....sucks if you're in a hurry).

 

Yeah, I should amend my comment - there was a lot of silicone slathered BUT the part was put back on at an ever so slight angle pushing the extra silicone a bit outward

 

RTV silicone Blue....I used it on my jeep multiple times for years....I find it works better then a gasket but let me tell you...that stuff is a MESS trying to get off when you need to do it again....for that reason I probably wouldnt use it on my taco but since you were in a pinch and had too it will work just as well if not better then a gasket....

 

i like the red/orange non sensor safe silicone for 3rd member gaskets, it seems to resist the oil better than the others

 

Silicone Rules...write that down.

 

Using silicone is not a problem for most applications. When using it for an oil pan, valve cover, or differential cover, the two most important things are to make sure the sheetmetal cover is straight and flat, and that both surfaces are REAL clean. When using it for an oil pan, I make sure to circle each bolt hole with a bead in addition of the connecting bead between holes.

 

Word of caution,
Do not use silicone on your transmission pan. If it gets into the tranny it will destroy it.

 

Many OEM applications, including Toyota, come with a silicone gasket instead of the traditional cork or paper. If you install it properly, there should be no problem.

 

If you're using a paper gasket don't put RTV (silicone) on it, use this stuff instead. I used this on the gaskets when I assembled my crawler, it seals great! I pulled the tail cover off this weekend to replace a bearing on the output and once I removed the bolts it came loose without any fuss and absolutely none of the gasket material was stuck to the aluminum. It also cleans up very easy so reassembly is a breeze.

 

I'm assuming that by Silicone they are talking about RTV Silicone that comes in a tube, Not a rubber gasket that is now used instead of cork.

Every Tranny guy I have talked to says that the transmission fluid will break down the RTV and then the small chuncks will cycle throught the transmission and plug it up, thus burning it up.