3.0i Oil Pan Gasket - Gasketless Anaerobic Seal?

[nick325xit 5spd]

So, given how poorly the oil pan gasket lasts on the M54, has anyone looked at an anaerobic sealer *instead* of the gasket?

It's worth noting checking oil pan pickup to pan clearance is critical with this. I don't see going gasketless as a shortcut around dropping the oil pan out and all that disassembly. The goal is just to avoid future leaks. BMW actually did a gasketless seal on the E30 325iX, which might be why none of ours ever had oil pan gasket leaks.

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by nick325xit 5spd

So, given how poorly the oil pan gasket lasts on the M54, has anyone looked at an anaerobic sealer *instead* of the gasket?

It's worth noting checking oil pan pickup to pan clearance is critical with this. I don't see going gasketless as a shortcut around dropping the oil pan out and all that disassembly. The goal is just to avoid future leaks. BMW actually did a gasketless seal on the E30 325iX, which might be why none of ours ever had oil pan gasket leaks.

I'll be replacing my OPG in a few months. I'd like to know if anyone has done sealant instead of, or in addition to the pan gasket too. I know sealant goes in the corners at the parting lines, but wonder if using it along the entire pan wouldn't eliminate it from ever leaking again as it is effectively "glued" to the block.

[aheckenast]

You could add rtv engine sealant to both sides of the gasket instead of just the parting lines, but it will be a pain to clean down the road if it ever leaks eventually. I wouldn't use anaerobic sealant.

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[nick325xit 5spd]

Originally Posted by aheckenast

You could add rtv engine sealant to both sides of the gasket instead of just the parting lines, but it will be a pain to clean down the road if it ever leaks eventually. I wouldn't use anaerobic sealant.

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My experience with RTV on the oil pan gasket has been poor. I've tried it. Will never do it again.

Why wouldn't you use an anaerobic sealant?

[aheckenast]

Originally Posted by nick325xit 5spd

My experience with RTV on the oil pan gasket has been poor. I've tried it. Will never do it again.



Why wouldn't you use an anaerobic sealant?

You're using poor quality rtv sealant then, typically the cheap black stuff found in stores. In the dealership I work we use this gm grey stuff that's super thick & lasts long.

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[nick325xit 5spd]

Originally Posted by aheckenast

You're using poor quality rtv sealant then, typically the cheap black stuff found in stores. In the dealership I work we use this gm grey stuff that's super thick & lasts long.

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I mostly use dreibond these days for RTV.

What is the benefit of RTV-gasket-RTV sandwiching vs. just RTV? The sandwich just seems like it adds extra points of failure.

[aheckenast]

Originally Posted by nick325xit 5spd

I mostly use dreibond these days for RTV.



What is the benefit of RTV-gasket-RTV sandwiching vs. just RTV? The sandwich just seems like it adds extra points of failure.

You could try straight rtv'ing although I wouldn't recommend that as they designed it for a gasket clamped between the surfaces.

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[nick325xit 5spd]

Originally Posted by aheckenast

You could try straight rtv'ing although I wouldn't recommend that as they designed it for a gasket clamped between the surfaces.

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So why RTV instead of anaerobic?

[bcredliner]

From past experience of the failures of workarounds I never try them anymore, just too many things that can go wrong. IMO the best practice is to use OE or OEM parts and don't try to reinvent the wheel for convenience.

[nick325xit 5spd]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

From past experience of the failures of workarounds I never try them anymore, just too many things that can go wrong. IMO the best practice is to use OE or OEM parts and don't try to reinvent the wheel for convenience.

This isn't a workaround. It's at least as much work to do. The OE pan gasket is garbage, or this wouldn't be a discussion in the first place.

Yes, when the OE options are good, I use them. (And I rarely use OEM - people don't understand how loose the definition of OEM is. If you sell a light bulb to BMW, anything that you make qualifies as OEM.) But the OE option is this case is known bad.