Replaced the oil pan gasket on a 2002 7.3 Powerstroke 3 times before I got it right

Kept slapping RTV on both sides like my old mentor taught me back in '08, but it always leaked at the rear main seal area within a month. Took a trip to a shop in Lubbock last fall and watched a guy put a thin bead on just the pan side and let it tack up for 10 minutes before torquing down - been dry ever since. Anyone else have a simple habit they had to unlearn after years of doing it the same way?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim_johnson5118d ago

10 years of leaning on my grandpa's "more is better" approach with silicone, and it took one crusty old timer in a Lubbock shop to show me less really means less headache. It's funny how that carries over everywhere, like how I used to overcomplicate my fishing knots till I learned a simple Palomar holds just as good. Old habits get comfortable, but sometimes the fix is just pulling back and doing the easy part right.

the_christopher18d ago

Hold on there, let's not knock the Palomar knot too hard. That knot does exactly what it's supposed to for most hooks and swivels. But comparing it to slapping RTV on both sides isn't quite the same lesson. A Palomar is actually a solid, simple knot that rarely fails if you tie it right. The real issue with overcomplicating fishing would be like using a six-turn surgeon's loop when a simple clinch knot gets the job done in half the time. You're right that less is more with silicone, but that Palomar is already the simple fix, not the overcomplicated one.

ivanross18d ago

Good point, but nobody's talked about how the Palomar handles braid compared to mono.