Originally Posted by tomgraz

I'm going to need a little help on this one.

Rationalizing that it was faster to just change the gasket myself, I got the new gasket and got it changed.

It was the 15 bolt variety. For my truck there were 3 possible variations of the transmission pan. Two had 14 bolts and one had 15. The gasket I took off was the correct one, and was new a few weeks ago. Oh well, since I bought a new gasket AND pulled the pan, the newer one went on.

I asked for the best quality gasket available. The result of the conversation was that the rubber type was all that was necessary. On the advice of the guy at the parts store, I also picked up a tube of silicone gasket sealant that is designed to work with oil applications. I cleaned the edge of the pan per the directions. I put the pan back on and tightened the bolts without going gorilla on them. I have a torque wrench but do not know what the proper setting is for these bolts.

And you guessed it. This morning I had a spot in the driveway about 5" across. Not a lot, but still a leak.

Is the installation of a gasket all that difficult? Should I have sacrificed an F-150 or rearranged my chicken bones to say "Jr."? This really should be simple, but I'm just not getting it. Any advice will be most appreciated. And if you happen to know how many foot pounds are indicated for the pan bolts, that would be great!

I'd also like to know if there's a "super" gasket that's better than the rubber I'm using? Is there a pan with a oil drain bolt that would make this job a whole lot easier?

-edit- Found a pan here: www.yourcovers.com/transpan_10304.php Don't know if I want to spend that much though.

Thanks,

Tom