What is the preffered method to re-seal the oil pan? RAVE says to apply sealant to the block and globs of sealant on the cruciform and then to sandwich the gasket between pan and sealant. I did the "sandwich method once before on an old 302, it worked, for about 5 minutes! I have read a few posts that say don't use sealant and have read some that say only use the gasket. So I'm reaching out for some real life hands on expierience here. What works the best?

Thanks, pwaltrip

 

you will get both answer use it and dont use it, Real life expierience "use it".
Get a tube of Black form-a-gasket put a fine/thin layer on the gasket let it setup 10-15 minutes lay it in the pan and raise it up. Be sure to do the corner around the front and rea seals and torque it to spec.
Real life expierience: i had to regasket my motor front to rear, top to bottom because of a melt down. I used a thin layer of Form-a-gasket almost like a gasket cement, in 16 months truck has never leaked and i have never had to retighten anything.

 

Yep. Normally I HATE gasket marker, except in places where it's required, such as 90 degree pointy corners that a rubber gasket cannot get into and seal well.... but there are times when things don't work like they should... and a little RTV or gasket maker does a great job of gluing the seals into place.

 

Ok, I will use it then, doesn't sound so bad now!