I just bought a used Dakota SLT 2001 crew cab, got a great deal but it has a couple minor things wrong with it, and I'll need to repaint it. It has a very slight leak from the transmission pan gasket.

I did some research and it seems most people say that the rubber gaskets are pretty garbage and the cork ones are not much better.

It seems that the mopar OEM gaskets are the best and they are reusable and less prone to leaking. Some people seem to use just RTV instead of gaskets altogether. What are your thoughts?

Is this the correct gasket part number for my 2001 Dakota with 42RE? 4295875AC

For some reason the Amazon part finder says its not compatible, but eBay part finder seems to say it is. Also what about filters. Should I replace the filter? If so what part number? Or is aftermarket fine? The maintanance records show the ATF was replaced 12K miles ago, 4 years ago. So can I assume that it had a recent filter change and doesn't need one? Or do sometimes shops not change the filter?

 

Just get a Fel-Pro filter and gasket kit for your trans. Specify you want the rubber (viton?) gasket. Check and make sure it isn't the cork feller before you leave the store. They do indeed suck.

Most folks problems with the trans gasket leaking is because they over-torque the bolts, and dimple the pan. While you have it off, make sure the mating surfaces are flat. If they aren't, massage them with a hammer, and a block of wood. Do NOT crank the bolts down tight, torque them in sequence and use a frigging torque wrench.

 

I used a rubber gasket and smeared with RTV on both sides. I also installed an aftermarket drain plug. No leaks and I don't have to drop the pan for 25K tranny drains.

 

Replaced the gasket with a Fel-Pro and added a small bead of RTV so the gasket would adhere and stay properly positioned when placing the pan in place. I hammered the pan flat as best I could and used a straight edge. But it's leaking slightly still! I torqued each bolt to 12.5 ft pounds and did opposites first then went around the whole thing like twice to double check it was torqued properly and no bolts were missed.

Not good. I'm thinking of buying a new drain pan and maybe trying the OEM gasket. Thoughts?

 

Are you tightening the bolts too tight? Is it a viton gasket? Or cork?

 

125 inch pounds each bolt. Fel-Pro TOS18667 is what I used. Not sure what the exact material is. It's not a rubber one, nor a cork, its some kind of hybrid material.

 

Yeah, that's synthetic rubber. (viton.....) That *should* seal without a problem.......

 

If I get another pan, I guess I might as well get one with a drain bolt built in. Then the question is, reuse the same gasket with 100 miles on it, or try the Genuine Chrysler 4295875AC part. hmmmmmmm

I'll also try to reuse as much fluid as I can because it has like 100 miles on it!

 

According to theory, that gasket is supposed to be re-usable...... If you can clean the RTV off, without damaging it, you could try it, but, it was what? 6 bucks? Just buy a new one. (and skip the rtv.)

 

Well, hammering would ruin it. Why did you feel the need? Well, now you can get a pan with a built in drain plug and extra fluid capacity. Check Advance Auto. Reuse the gasket with more RTV. Finger tighten and wait an hour before torquing in a crisscross pattern.