# Oil Pan Sealant?



## sgoti (Feb 3, 2019)

So apparently on the Gen2 models, the lower oil pan has no gasket between it and the upper pan, is this correct?

What type of material is used to create a seal between these two parts?

Where do I get same said material, and are there any application instructions?

Backstory: I _just_ purchased a used 2016 Cruze LT with 24,000(+) miles. Car was a lease vehicle, and it is just out of the original manufacturer's warranty.

Two days after I purchased the car, I noticed a small but very fresh spot of oil in the driveway. Being the curious and watched-way-too-much-CSI type, I added some fluorescent dye to the oil, ran the engine to circulate, and put the car on ramps.

Sure enough, a small leak along the joint between the steel lower pan and aluminum upper one glowed nice and pretty in the beam of my UV flashlight.

Bolts were checked with a torque wrench at 89-inch pounds and all found to be good.

I did *not* find any evidence of leakage from anywhere else, so I'm fairly confident the oil is leaking from the top of the lower pan.

I did notice some red... gunk along the edges of the pan that seemed to have the consistency of red molybdenum bearing grease. Is this the sealing compound? Seems like it's way too soft to be effective.

Anyway, since the pan is so easily accessible, I figured I would drain the oil, pull the pan, clean both surfaces, reapply the sealant, and reinstall the lower pan (torquing the bolts to 89-inch pounds).

Any tips, pointers, warnings, supply sources, etc *greatly *appreciated.

Thanks, ya'll!


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## Iamantman (Sep 24, 2018)

Ya got a picture? That'd help us confirm!

Red RTV is a pretty common gasket material though. I'm not sure if that's what's used on our cars though


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## sgoti (Feb 3, 2019)

Iamantman said:


> Ya got a picture? That'd help us confirm!
> 
> Red RTV is a pretty common gasket material though. I'm not sure if that's what's used on our cars though


No picture, hard to juggle phone with one hand and UV light in other. Plus, as I mentioned, the *only* place the dye fluoresced was along the seam of the lower and upper pan, at one corner. No drip from above, or in front, etc. 

This was *NOT* red RTV- as I mentioned, it had the consistency of moly grease: Soft, smeared off, not sticky... 

I know what cured RTV looks like, and this was no cured RTV. (I also know what *uncured* RTV looks/feels like, and this wasn't uncured RTV, either...)


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## HatchLifeRS (Oct 3, 2017)

GM uses a gray rtv sealant/gasket maker. Someone may have already tried to reseal it with something else. It isn't to expensive even if you buy it from GM. Probably around $15-$20 tops. You just put it in a caulking gun and apply.

These pans can be a little pain to get off especially if they aren't leaking and result in them bending. You may end up needing a new one. Depending on how easily it comes off. 

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk


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## sgoti (Feb 3, 2019)

HatchLifeRS said:


> GM uses a gray rtv sealant/gasket maker. Someone may have already tried to reseal it with something else. It isn't to expensive even if you buy it from GM. Probably around $15-$20 tops. You just put it in a caulking gun and apply.
> 
> These pans can be a little pain to get off especially if they aren't leaking and result in them bending. You may end up needing a new one. Depending on how easily it comes off.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk


Copy, and thanks!


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

That's a funky looking oil pan. Looks like it bolts to the trans also.


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## sgoti (Feb 3, 2019)

snowwy66 said:


> That's a funky looking oil pan. Looks like it bolts to the trans also.


*LOWER* pan:

https://www.findlayautoparts.com/oem-parts/gm-oil-pan-12637773


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

That's more like it.

Rockauto has something different


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## HatchLifeRS (Oct 3, 2017)

I'm confused how this is out of warranty. Powertrain is 5 years is it not? Or did you mean 240,000 miles not 24,000 miles?


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

As above.....this is a no charge repair covered under the powertrain section of the cars warranty.
Coverage is well beyond the base 36/36 warranty.
See a dealer.

Rob


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## adamc91115 (Sep 22, 2018)

The pan on my 2016 Gen 2 had oil seeping along that seal since day 1. At 105k it finally started actually leaking enough to cause drops. I replaced the lower pan using Permatex Black One Minute Gasket. No seeping or anything now at 118k.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Bumper to bumper is 3/36

Powertrain limited is 5/60. 

Assuming it's the same as others I've been shopping.


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## sgoti (Feb 3, 2019)

Ok, I misunderstood the warranties. Didn't realize the powertrain was 5/50...

Mileage was 24,000, NOT 240,000 (just out of lease, remember?)

-BUT-

To take it to a dealer, I would have had to go in late to work or leave early to drop off, then do same to pick car up.

Translation: I lose more money than the ~$20 a tube of sealant would cost. Since this was something I could take care of (and just did last night), it was more cost-effective to do it myself. MUCH more.


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## sgoti (Feb 3, 2019)

Forgot to add-

When I dropped the pan, someone at some point had obviously used the red Permatex sealant. There was a thin section that, not surprisingly, corresponded to the area my leak was coming from.

Removed all traced of the old sealant, cleaned up the pan, and resealed with the AC Delco stuff. Let set 12+ hours, then refilled the oil and leak-tested. Nothing so far.

Thanks, ya'll!


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## Iamantman (Sep 24, 2018)

Nice!

I understand it's definitely easier and quicker to fix it yourself but now you're repsonsible for the repair instead of GM. It's not about money, it's about responsibility.


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## sgoti (Feb 3, 2019)

Iamantman said:


> It's not about money, it's about responsibility.


Respectfully, I disagree.

Yes, if this were brand-new, off-the-lot at 5 miles, I would definitely hold the dealership responsible.

The sealant I removed was obviously non-GM, so obviously a non-GM person did the faulty application. Also, the oil pan was absolutely _pristine_. As in recently replaced.

My theory is that at some point, a maintenance gorilla er, tech, over-torqued the drain plug. Threads stripped, etc. (Reading through threads here, that is not an uncommon occurrence.) Pan needed replacement. Person replacing pan didn't apply sealant completely, and used non-GM product to boot.

How far back the chain do I chase this? How much time/effort do I put into holding someone responsible, versus fixing it in an hour and being back on the road? I've helped my parent chase down repairs on a Grand Caravan in the name of "holding someone responsible", spent waaay to many coupons on that ride!

I have been wrenching on cars for 25-30 years, so to me it was a no-brainer: What fix will cause the least amount of down-time and cost me the least amount of money?

Besides, I trust my own work!


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## Mikeysikey (Apr 17, 2020)

Hello I have a question to ask if I change the oil pan would I still use the 4.5 qts of oil the owners Manuel says to use when doing a oil change?


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## HatchLifeRS (Oct 3, 2017)

Mikeysikey said:


> Hello I have a question to ask if I change the oil pan would I still use the 4.5 qts of oil the owners Manuel says to use when doing a oil change?


If you're still replacing the filter, which may as well do a full oil change since you're there, then yes. You may need an extra .2 or something. Just check the level when done. 

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## Mikeysikey (Apr 17, 2020)

HatchLifeRS said:


> If you're still replacing the filter, which may as well do a full oil change since you're there, then yes. You may need an extra .2 or something. Just check the level when done.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk


If I do everything and still get a leak what should I look at


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