Hi,
Installing a remanned 3vze and I am down to puttin the oil pan on. The gasket kit with the motor provides cork, chilton's talks about using FIPG. Will the cork leak, or should I take it apart and use Form In Place Gasket stuff.

 

i would do ultra grey. make sure you prep and prep again your surfaces with brake clean. DO NOT OVER TORQUE OIL PAN BOLTS or it will cause a big headache.

 

FIPG is what the factory uses.

 

FIPG, the cork gaskets are a joke. i'm speaking from experience

 

Thanks guys, FIPG itis!

 

use FIPG and remember you will need to do the pan AND reseal the baffle plate

 

I had a local shop install a rebuilt 3.0 last year. The reman people had used a cork gasket which I questioned--they gave me a long song and dance about how they have to do that with rebuilt stuff to compensate for a possible warpage of the oil pan, so I bought it, my son took it to Portland and back and it was gushing oil, pan was about to fall off. I made them re-do it, they used cork again, 500 miles, same thing happened. I said to H--- with them, had the front diff out anyway so I pulled the pan used FPIG like the factory manual sez to do, 3000 miles later, no problems. Never use cork on a 3.0 IMNSHO

 

cork is 'okay' but not the best thing to use. However it can work if installed properly... you have to clean the pan and block very well (you have to do that anyhow), use a high quality oil resistant sealant such as (my favorite) hylomar and not over-torque the bolts... not to mention that the bolts will likely not be long enough to hold very well so some sort of thread-locking compound such as loctite blue or red needs used too.

Or you can use a FIPG (form in place gasket) sealant, which again, my favorite is Hylomar. Gotta love that stuff... you can use it almost anywhere, 'cept exhaust gaskets.