I some oil leakage on my 998cc engine. I need to replace the rod seals and some other gaskets on the transmission housing (not between the engine & transmission).

I have had some differing opinions on repair process... 1) Use liquid gasket in lieu of installing the paper type material gaskets or 2) Replace the gaskets and use some type of compound between the gasket and metal surface.

My questions are..

Which process is preferred? - I am leaning towards replacing the gasket - after all it came with one - make sense to replace it!
Has anyone used "liquid" gasket and what was your experience?
What products would you recommend between the gasket and metal surfaces?

Thanks for the help!

One other question - I just acquired this car an it is in good shap - I have found one rust area at the bottom of the door where it meets the sills right on the seam. What is a good product to use after cleaning up the rust - there are a number of "rust converters" or "rust inhibitors". My goal is to keep the car as is for a few years then undertake a tear down and respray. Its a '79 with 29,800 miles and is in good overall condition.

Thanks again...

 

ok .. first: British Cars Don't All Have To Leak Oil ...

I've had great luck over the years with Aviation Form-a-Gasket - the brown liquid goo that you brush on both sides of the paper gaskets; You have to make sure that the metal faces are clean and dry and all old gasket mater is scraped off first. Then the paper and form-a-gasket will keep it from leaking again. It also cleans up easily with mineral spirits (unlike the "liquid" void fillers that don't seem to be able to even be scraped off with a razor blade ...).

As far as the rust goes, the "rust coverters" or "inhibitors" all do a fairly good job, but you are talking about a place that gets water from behind; Eventually you are going to have to buy a couple of repair panels and head for the body shop.

 

OKMini,

You might try contacting BusterBrown by PM
He is Spencer
theminifarm.com
770.258.3543

Good luck.

 

Is the Aviation Form-a-gasket a hardening or non-hardening material. I have heard that the hardening types are difficult to remove if taken apart at a later date, where the other type cleans up more easily?

 

Check Permatex for the uses of No.1, No.2, No.3 (aviation) , but each type stays sticky and when a cover needs to be popped off at a later date, gasket and remains of form-a-gasket can be scraped with a razor blade.

 

I have heard good things about the Aviation form a gasket but have never used it. I have always used a good quality grease to soften up the gaskets and then used a small layer between the gasket and mating surfaces. I think the key is to have the surfaces clean and the gasket soft so that it conforms to any small inperfections. Before undertaking the gasket job, look over a few items that may be the cause first. Look around the oil filter housing seal, the oil pressure takeoff, and the oil plug. It is typically neccessary to replace the copper washer under the plug with every change. If not, a small leak will develop that is hard to trace. Also, make sure your crankcase breathers are working correctly. If not, believe it or not, the pressure of the engine can cause a small oil leak. Most importantly, it is a British car. If it isn't leaking oil, it is out of oil!

As far as the rust goes, it really depends on the extent. Surface rust is easy to treat but is typically an indication of more rust.

I would recommend joining the Mini Mania message board for advice and tips, etc.
http://www.minimania.com/msgthreads.cfm

Also feel free to contact me if I can be of any help. I am in Orange County, CA.
appraiser_rick@hotmail.com