Gasket sealent on oilstrainer gasket and lugnuts

[Neil Bardsley]

Hi, I believe Curt Dansby is making rubber gaskets for the sump. Take a 1/2" flat punch, and hit the holes in the plate, not too hard, just get them flat. The 2 - rubber seals do not leak. You will need NO sealant.

I have these on my 356 and it has never leaked. Someone put sealant on my 912 slump plate which I cleaned off as it didn't leak even with normal gaskets.

I'm sure I will be shot down for this but losing a few drops of oil from the slump plate isn't so bad? Not ideal but not a serious issue?

[Lars Hvidsteen]

what type of loctite do you use on the the threads? I thinks is must a sealant type only as it might be difficult to de asemply the nuts again without taking the pinol bolts with out again...

[Wes Bender]

The Loctite mentioned for the Precision Matters plate is only used on the studs where they are screwed into the bottom of the case. It wouldn't be used for the nuts.

[Dave Wildrick]

what type of loctite do you use on the the threads?

I used ordinary Blue Loctite, but as Wes said, only on the threads that enter the bottom of the aluminum case.

[Al Zim]

When the car bottoms out, the sump plate area (steel) is usually what takes the initial hit. Since it is flexible and does not crack, It serves two purposes. Over the years the sump plate has been tightened excessively to stop the leaks and is usually distorted beyond reason from this. Spend the money and purchase a new sump plate! You cannot fix the one you have. There is no need to replace the magnet on the sump plate, it is as useful as the bypass oil filter located on the fan shroud. The screen should be tight on the oil pick up to hold it in place. Since there is no other way to stabilize the pick up. I prefer to use a dri-bond sealer on the gaskets since cleaning the screen is not necessary at each oil change. If there is material on the screen, it is in the main and rod bearings and will be present in the oil signifying that the engine has major problems and needs to be rebuilt. NOW THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!!! THE TORQUE ON A 6MM NUT IS 6 FT. LBS ON A LUBRICATED NUT AND 8 FT LBS ON A DRY NUT. Even with a 1/4 inch socket you can easily exceed the torque specifications. Put a small washer under the nut to eliminate wear on the sump plate. al zim

[Wes Bender]

Those torque values seem a little high Al. Over-torquing is the reason the plates don't seal well. I use a 1/4" ratchet, but hold it so the center is in the middle of my hand and then twist. If I had to guess, I'd say the torque value I use is about half of your 6 or 8 ft lbs. Do you have a reference for those torque values?

It's also beneficial to "sneak up" on the torque gradually. Don't just tighten it in one step.

Thanks,
Wes

[Jim Liberty]

So true Wes. Harry Pellow always said to sneak up on torque values, and criss/cross the bolt pattern as well.

[Al Zim]

The factory is grossly negligent in torque specifications in their shop manuals. With the German precision that we have come to expect how come this happened. If you were going to be a mechanic, you would be trained to be one. As part of that training you would learn about torque. Thus it would not be necessary to publish something that was already understood. Special applications such as holding the two case halves together would have a diminished torque so it would not distort the aluminum. Unfortunately most mechanics in our country do not have extensive formal training. Possibly only one year in a high school shop with 30 other kids. ** To answer your question about how we determined the proper torque for a 6 MM nut, we looked it up on the internet. they gave a reading for lubricated threads and dry threads. ** without the use of a dial inch pound torque wrench you have no way of knowing what you are doing. Using a nut driver on lubricated threads we were able to obtain 50 inch pounds of torque. From this reading, I would suggest that 6MM nut be snugged up on then turned 1/3 (one third) of a turn to obtain the close to proper torque without a torque wrench. al zim only the 356 Carrera's had disc brakes when I started working on 356 Porsche's 817.267.4415 my personal after hours phone.

[Gary Koehler]

When I bought my SC, the FO had these installed, w/ permatex on the studs in the case. Reduced the ground clearance by about 1/8”. The o ring just needed a scratch free surface and never needed replacing even after 10 years. They were called low crown acorn nuts. Tighter than a bull’s ass at fly time.