Oil pan gasket procedure?

[johnstewart]

In my pump surgeries, apparently I didn't do so well in putting the oil pan gasket back on; it's leaking.

I can't seem to find any torque specs in the Cymer or Yamaha shop manual for oil pan bolts... so I just put it on guessing at the torque.

Also, I'm not sure I did the right thing in putting it back on. Someone had suggested spraying Pam on the gasket so it would not stick as much to the metal, in case I needed to take it off again. However, now that it is leaking I'm not sure.

Also, I've heard about people using some sort of gasket sealer.

Can anyone lend me a clue for best practices on putting the oil pan back on to make sure it doesn't leak?

thanks!

[xssiveone]

I'm sure you will get many varied opinions on this so here's mine: I don't think there is a torque value specified for the oil pan, but if there was, it wouldn't be too much... no more then 6-8ft lbs. As for the Pam spray, on the alternator and timing cover gaskets, I think this is a good idea as this gasket is just to keep water and dust out so it's OK to re-use it. Any other gaskets, I use RTV sealant or some other non-hardening gasket maker in addition to the gasket. I know, lots of people claim they NEVER use gasket maker/glue and NEVER have a leak.... guess I was just born under the wrong sign or something. Sure, it's a PIA to clean it off the next time you take it apart, but with the normal reliablity of these machines, that will probably be a long time, if ever.