Are cork gaskets for oil pans OK?

[robroy]

Good day!

Today I received two gaskets for my FE from Proformance Unlimited. Unfortunately, they don't match--one's made of cork (a Mr. Gasket cork gasket, Made in USA), while the other appears to be made of a rubbery felt material.

I think the rubbery felt one is made by Milodon, but I'm not certain.

I have no idea why they sent me these different gasket types instead of two of the same. Other than the material, they're both the same FE gasket.

So should I go ahead and use this cork gasket or insist on a better material?

Thanks very much!
Robroy

[ToughOldFord]

You mean they gave you two different gasket sets or one side of the pan's rubber and the other is cork in the same set? If they gave you a mixed set that's just weird and I'd insist on a matched set.
Cork's fine though as long as you seat it correctly and don't over tighten. I prefer rubber for reusability as in valve cover gaskets, but there's not much since in reusing an oil pan gasket so I have no problem using it there. They tend to seal better anyway.

[fordman]

i am guessing they gave you a two piece ol pan gasket. and thats ok. i think cork will work for quite awhile but will seep after some time has lasped. i am going to use cork on mine so im not going to worry aboutit leaking or not. its a easily replaceable gasket.

[DuckRyder]

They gave you two one for the pan to windage tray and the other for windage tray to block?

There is nothing wrong with cork, but I would not use two diffrent materials. They aren't expensive, just go pick two of the same up...

The oil pan is on of the few things Fel Pro makes a nice gasket for.

[convincor]

topic say's "oil pans".
how many pans are there?

[ToughOldFord]

topic say's "oil pans".
how many pans are there?

250 million in the US.

[robroy]

Hey ToughOldFord, Fordman, Robert, Convincor, thank you very much for replying!

You mean they gave you two different gasket sets or one side of the pan's rubber and the other is cork in the same set? If they gave you a mixed set that's just weird and I'd insist on a matched set.

Sorry I didn't explain this more clearly!

As you know, when installed with a windage tray, the FE oil pan takes two gaskets: one between the windage tray and the oil pan, and the other between the windage tray and the engine block. So with this in mind, Proformance Unlimited sent me two separate gaskets. The only problem is that they're made of different materials--one is made of cork and the other is made of a composite, rubbery material.

I think you're right that I should install them as a matched set. I don't like the idea of putting in two different types. Even though it might work, it's pretty Micky Mouse. And those gaskets aren't easy to change if one of them starts leaking!

Cork's fine though as long as you seat it correctly and don't over tighten. I prefer rubber for reusability as in valve cover gaskets, but there's not much since in reusing an oil pan gasket so I have no problem using it there. They tend to seal better anyway.

Okay, thanks for this advice!

i am guessing they gave you a two piece ol pan gasket. and thats ok.

Hey Fordman! You know, it's actually two separate gaskets (one under and one over the windage tray).

i think cork will work for quite awhile but will seep after some time has lasped. i am going to use cork on mine so im not going to worry aboutit leaking or not. its a easily replaceable gasket.

Do you think it's really easy to replace? As I understand it, most folks believe the engine must be lifted an inch or two off of its mounts to get the oil pan off. Is this not the case in your experience? Or perhaps compared to other repairs, this is an easy fix regardless of needing to lift the engine?

They gave you two one for the pan to windage tray and the other for windage tray to block?

Yes indeed; exactly.

There is nothing wrong with cork, but I would not use two diffrent materials. They aren't expensive, just go pick two of the same up...

The oil pan is on of the few things Fel Pro makes a nice gasket for.

Okay, thanks for this advice! I like the idea of installing a matching set. If for no other reason, just so that I don't need to scratch my head years down the road when I remove the pan and try to understand why they don't match.

Thanks also for letting me know about the quality of the Fel Pro gaskets! In this case though, I think I already own a Milodon gasket (that's the composite, rubbery one I think), so I'll probably only need to pick up another Milodon gasket (about $20 from Summit, with shipping).

topic say's "oil pans".
how many pans are there?

Hey Convincor! Sorry if my pluralization was confusing! I used the plural form of "pan" to imply that the context of my question was general, not necessarily specific to my exact pan. I was guessing that the pros and cons of gasket materials would be shared for all oil pans, not specific to my exact pan model.

For example, in question "a" I'll use this form to indicate the general nature of a question about apples, while question "b" will use the singular form, indicating that the question is specific to my particular apple:

1. Is it okay to wash apples in gasoline?
2. Is it okay to wash my apple in gasoline?

Thanks again for the super fantastic replies! I may wait until Monday to talk to Proformance Unlimited about the mixed gaskets. If they confirm that the composite gasket is indeed the Milodon 40450, I'll simply order another 40450 from Summit to get the job done. It sounds like mixing the gasket types would be less than ideal.

Robroy

[averagef250]

I prefer anything else over cork myself. Cork tends to leak and is especially difficult to get a good, longterm seal when you stack them up with FE windage trays.

Hope this helps.

[robroy]

Hey Dustin, thanks for replying! It sounds like it would be best to avoid using the cork gasket.

Thanks again Dustin,
Robroy

[robroy]

I just spoke with Steve and Proformance Unlimited about the mixed gaskets.

Steve said that he actually sent me those mixed types on purpose. He said that in their experience, that engine will be the least likely to leak if I install a cork gasket between the engine block and the windage tray, and the rubber gasket between the tray and the oil pan. He said that's the way they always do it, on purpose, for that engine. Go figure.

Steve also recommended that I use 3M weatherstrip adhesive to tack the cork gasket to the bottom of the engine block before putting the other parts on. He said that's what they always do when they're building engines, and they have great results that way.

Welp, since Steve's recommendation is their official word I'll go with it and use these mixed gaskets!

If anybody has any new information that might indicate that this is especially unwise, I'd be very curious to hear it.

Thanks very much to everybody for replying!
Robroy

[fordman]

i have no experience with a windage tray for the oil pan. i was think ing of the timing cover and oil pan gaskets as two seperate gaskets. i dotn know much abotu moddign things. i just know stock truck stuff. sorry i misunderstood.

[robroy]

Hey Fordman thanks for replying, and no problem about misunderstanding my question in any way! Your advice is excellent and much appreciated.

Robroy