LS regasket question

[K5Rob]

Hey guys I have a 2004 5.3 LM7 that I want to regasket the oil pan, timing cover and rear main seal. I know they align with eachother and I have the timing cover tool. Wondering if its better to do this in a certain order, such as, covers first, then oil pan, or vise versa. Or should I just take them all off together. I know corners get a dab of RTV. Any thoughts?

 

[TotalyHucked]

I JUST did this on my daily's 5.3 (2005 LM7, same thing). I've done them in the past but I bought a book about rebuilding an LS because a simple regasket and cam job turned into a full ring and bearing. The book wants you to do the rear main plate first, then the front cover, then the oil pan.

A few notes that I have not done in the past and I think that's where my oil leak struggles on my C10's 5.3 have come from:

Go ahead and change the barbell while you're there, it's o-ring is likely flat

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Put the rear main plate on with the bolts barely hand tight, I actually backed them off a bit from hand tight. Then spin the crank a couple rotations to help it find it's natural center

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Then take a nice quality straight edge and check the alignment of the rear plate vs the oil pan rails. The book specs the rear plate be no more than .020" lower than the oil pan rails. Then torque the rear cover bolts down to spec, 18ft lbs.

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Then do the same thing with the front cover. Put it on with the bolts still loose, put the balancer on to help center it and turn the crank a couple rotations to help it find natural center. Then check it's alignment to the oil pan rails with the straight edge. Same spec here, no lower than .020" below the oil pan rails. The torque the front cover bolts down to 18ft lbs as well.

Then put the pan gasket on and drop the pan on. The book calls for a healthy glob of RTV in the corners where the front and rear covers meet, I put a light coating of RTV all the way around on both surfaces. You decide how you wanna do it. Then put the bolts in to get the pan roughly located, don't tighten them down yet

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[TotalyHucked]

Then the last step is checking the alignment of the back of the pan to the back of the block. I used the same 12" straight edge for this and held it at an angle out to the bellhousing mounting surface to get them flush. This is something I have not done in the past and I think this is why my oil leak came back on my other truck. I had to bump the pan forward a tad. You've gotta go out to like a 45* angle from the flat part of the oil pan out to the ears of the bellhousing mounting surface.

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All that said, don't take this as absolute gospel cuz I haven't gotten it in the truck yet. But that's what the book spelled out and I was not as careful/didn't know about that the 3 times I did my C10's 5.3 in the past and it's leak has come back each time. So this has to be better

 

[Drauka99]

What he said /\

 

[TotalyHucked]

Here's what I mean by holding the straight edge at an angle, you wanna get as much on the pan itself and the out to the ears of the bellhousing mounting area and have that true as possible

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[Hunter79764]

Note, if you are using it in front of a TH350 or other older transmission that doesn't have a full bellhousing and use the 2 bellhousing bolts in the oil pan, the front to back alignment isn't critical.

And as I'm reading this, I realized that I installed the front cover aligned to the pan on my wife's 6.2 I just went through, not centered on the crank pulley... I haven't started it up yet either, I'd probably better do that before I install the water pump etc.

 

[K5Rob]

Then the last step is checking the alignment of the back of the pan to the back of the block. I used the same 12" straight edge for this and held it at an angle out to the bellhousing mounting surface to get them flush. This is something I have not done in the past and I think this is why my oil leak came back on my other truck. I had to bump the pan forward a tad. You've gotta go out to like a 45* angle from the flat part of the oil pan out to the ears of the bellhousing mounting surface.

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All that said, don't take this as absolute gospel cuz I haven't gotten it in the truck yet. But that's what the book spelled out and I was not as careful/didn't know about that the 3 times I did my C10's 5.3 in the past and it's leak has come back each time. So this has to be better

Thank you for the help, I really appreciate it. Will be doing this as soon as my rear main seal alignment tool comes in.

 

[Bextreme04]

Just save yourself the trouble and buy the tool set. They are like $20 on amazon. You should have a front, rear, and pan tool. Bolt the pan tool on the back and then slide the rear tool over the crank, it will center the cover on the crank and let you push it down flat against the pan rail tool. Then torque the rear cover on and pop the rear main seal in. Same thing for the front. Makes it fast and easy. I put four small dots of gray right stuff where the front and rear seal meet the pan gasket. Zero leaks at all. Years ago I tried to do a rear main seal change and did the barbell at the same time without a pan alignment tool in the truck. I just eyeballed it and thought it would be fine. Had a slight weeping leak for years after that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BRK9D9X/

 

[K5Rob]

Is that amazon kit any good? I already have the mr gasket front tool from doing a cam swap years ago, and the rear tool i have coming is from summit ($45 - looks like its made by mr gasket) I was looking at some ebay stuff that had bad reviews. Amazon stuff like this i am always skeptical about. I know mr gasket isnt the best but at least they are owned by holley. I am trying to do this on the cheap but I do agree on using alignment tools. I do think i will be ok with a straight edge though.

 

[Bextreme04]

Is that amazon kit any good? I already have the mr gasket front tool from doing a cam swap years ago, and the rear tool i have coming is from summit ($45 - looks like its made by mr gasket) I was looking at some ebay stuff that had bad reviews. Amazon stuff like this i am always skeptical about. I know mr gasket isnt the best but at least they are owned by holley. I am trying to do this on the cheap but I do agree on using alignment tools. I do think i will be ok with a straight edge though.

I have the mr. gasket crank seal tool and a different front tool I ordered. I just made a flat bar to bolt on for the oil pan. I suggested that tool set because it was cheap. If you already have all the other parts I would just make a flat bar you can bolt across the surface, because trying to hold the straight edge on there while holding the aligning tool in place and tightening bolts all at the same time requires a few more hands than any of us actually have.

 

[K5Rob]

I have the mr. gasket crank seal tool and a different front tool I ordered. I just made a flat bar to bolt on for the oil pan. I suggested that tool set because it was cheap. If you already have all the other parts I would just make a flat bar you can bolt across the surface, because trying to hold the straight edge on there while holding the aligning tool in place and tightening bolts all at the same time requires a few more hands than any of us actually have.

Okay, good idea. Thank you for the advice

 

[TotalyHucked]

My buddy brought me his alignment tool set. Just a note, the rear alignment tool doesn't work if you bought the Dorman or GM plate with the seal already installed, it's designed to align the plate AND THEN install the seal. Same with the front, at least in this kit. I don't like the idea of trying to install the seal after the plate's been mounted. I'd rather buy the rear main plate with the seal installed and do the front one on the bench. I did use the flat bar of the alignment tool to help align the rails up front though

 

[Bextreme04]

My buddy brought me his alignment tool set. Just a note, the rear alignment tool doesn't work if you bought the Dorman or GM plate with the seal already installed, it's designed to align the plate AND THEN install the seal. Same with the front, at least in this kit. I don't like the idea of trying to install the seal after the plate's been mounted. I'd rather buy the rear main plate with the seal installed and do the front one on the bench. I did use the flat bar of the alignment tool to help align the rails up front though

Yeah, I'm not buying new front and rear plates for no reason. 99% of the time you are replacing old gaskets and reusing the old covers. If you DID buy new covers and they came with gaskets pre-installed, I would personally try to just push the seals out without damaging them and then properly align the covers using the right tool. I don't trust that the seals will self align the covers.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Yeah, I'm not buying new front and rear plates for no reason. 99% of the time you are replacing old gaskets and reusing the old covers. If you DID buy new covers and they came with gaskets pre-installed, I would personally try to just push the seals out without damaging them and then properly align the covers using the right tool. I don't trust that the seals will self align the covers.

I didn't buy a new front cover, replaced that seal on the bench. But the rear cover, there's way more failures replacing just the seal than buying the cover with the seal already installed. Several of my performance shop buddies WILL NOT do a rear main without doing the whole cover. The Dorman one I used has a great reputation

 

[K5Rob]

I JUST did this on my daily's 5.3 (2005 LM7, same thing). I've done them in the past but I bought a book about rebuilding an LS because a simple regasket and cam job turned into a full ring and bearing. The book wants you to do the rear main plate first, then the front cover, then the oil pan.

I see you removed both covers and the pan at the same time.

Wondering if i should remove and reinstall my front and rear covers while leaving the pan untouched. THEN do the pan last. Thoughts?