Should I use Crankcase Sealant?

[Ruben Farina]

Some background info is that I am part of a formula one team for college. We use a dry sump oil system with a custom oil pan manufactured on campus(we plan to manufacture it outside soon) and have been experiencing oil leaking. We plan on using gasket sealing on top of our gasket to solve or help our problem hopefully and I just wanted to seek opinions on this solution.

 

[Ruben Farina]

I forgot to mention we do use a Yamaha engine

 

[CaptChrome]

It can't hurt. That custom sump mating surface is probably not completely flat after all of the welding that was done on it, unless you milled it after fabrication.

 

[drewpy]

i'd get a flat engineers ruler and check for trueness.
cork gaskets were really common back in the day to take up mating surface inaccuracies as the cork deforms when tightened and swells when "wet"


im not a fan of silicone sealant as bits always break off as i tend to find them in the oil strainers of engines

 

[tstidham]

Back in my machine shop days, we used permatex super 300 on certain "problem child" seals/gaskets to avoid oil leak comebacks. It's a sticky product and the bottle has a built-in brush. Paint it on both side of the gasket, wipe the sealing surfaces with a degreaser and assemble. It stays flexible and really sticks. But taking stuff back apart is messy and cleaning it off everything to reseal it does suck (for example, if you used it on a valve cover and have to go back in later to readjust valve lash).