Ok..it was supposed to be a simple starter replacement...however the aftermarket exhaust and the way the fuel lines are ran made it impossible to remove the starter....i could get the bolts out but i did not have a way to actually pull it out...So being the genious that i am i thought i would drop the oilpan so i might could get another1/4 to 1/2 inch...and guess what after pulling it through as much as i could then tapping gently with a rubber mallet i got the old one out and the new one in. Keep in mind though i did not actually remove the oilpan i just removed the bolts. You cannot remove this oilpan without removing the engine or atleast lifing it... (thats the chilton manuel talking not me.) i thought i would just drop it to get a little more play then tighten it back up. Heres the problem when i go to put the pan back in place it will not seat correctly.And a big piece of what i thought was the gasket drops out. On close inspection it does not appear to be part of the "pan gasket" but instead a kind of rubber half circle with some grooves in it. it fits between the pan and the "block " this is on the "deep" side of the pan it kind of acts like a collar on the rounded fitting on the back of the pan. I cannot figure a way to get it reattached....i mean space it incredibly limited due to the flywheel. I am afraid i might drop that thing over the lip into the pan. The pan does not move out of the way enough to actually see where this piece goes.Any ideas or suggestions this is on a 79 camaro with a 350 block. is there a seal or putty that i can apply to take the place of this "thing...i thought about tying some sort of string around it and trying to use a adhesive to put it back in place although it would be almost blind work...Any ideas would be appreciated.

deperate, any help would be appreciated.

the 1/2 circle is the rear main seal gasket that comes with the gasket set , why didnt u just crack the exhaust and move it aside to drop the starter??? thats what i did

I hate to say it dude, but it sounds like you screwed up big time.

Yo! You'll have to lower the pan as far as you can and reset the rear main seal in place. Gasket sealer between it and the pan before you place things back in position. It may be best to jack the engine, remove the pan and seals, and replace all with new as intended origonally, to prevent leaks. Best of luck, Todd.

Gaskets like the oil pan side rail gaskets and front/rear main rubbers seals don't like to seal back once that bond has been broke..

You could probbly get the rear main seal back in there but I'm willing to bet you the oil pan will always leak somewhere be it sides, rear seal or front afterwards.

You made a mistake, we all have done the same.. Now you fix the prob and you lernt a great leason..

I say your best bet is to jack/lift engine up, pull the pan all the way off, scrap old gasket from block and pan, wipe block and pan dry and install a new oil pan gasket, front seal and rear seal.

To make it somewhat easier on yourself spend alittle extra money and buy the fel pro 1 pc oil pan gasket.. It's made with the front and rear seals hooked to both side gaskets so it all goes up as one unit.

Unlike the reg oil pan gaskets thats 4 pc. (two cork or rubber side gakets, front seal and rear seal)

Not sure if you use a gear reduction starter or not. Too late to worry about it now anyway. Smaller and saves a few pounds, just cost more. Fits in and out of tight places better. Use one on my V8 S10 and Camaro.

To make it somewhat easier on yourself spend alittle extra money and buy the fel pro 1 pc oil pan gasket.. It's made with the front and rear seals hooked to both side gaskets so it all goes up as one unit.


Yeah, I think it's time you get acquainted with one of these. You can install it without removing the engine, laying of your back under the car.

I hate to say it dude, but it sounds like you screwed up big time.


+2 so instead of unbolting the exhaust, you unbolted the oil pan? http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/doh2.gif

All is not lost, I'm sure it can be fixed.

You can replace the oil pan gasket with out pulling the motor, just a pain in the a$$. It can be done. I did it on my 78.

+1 on the one piece.

Welcome to the school of hard knocks. You have completed only one course so you are a long way from graduating. LOL!

Like was said above, your mission now is to pull the pan out by removing the horizontal engine mounting bolts on both motor mounts, jack the engine up (I cut semi circle into a 2X4 that is the same the same diameter as the harmonic balancer--8"), put that block against the harmonic balancer with a bottle jack and jack the engine up. Then remove the pan and clean both the pan and the block pan rail of all old gasket material plus clean whole pan off (inside and outside) and paint the outside of the pan.

While you have the pan off, check he oil pump pickup depth. I use a 12" square. Measure the depth of the pan with the square. Subtract 3/8" from that dimension. Put the rule of the square on the engine pan rail and the adjustable part of the square on the oil pump pickup. The move the pickup to match that dimension. Buy a oil pump pickup to screen retaining bracket (like this one from Jegs : http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product2_10001_10002_751362_-1 ) so that the pickup won't fall off.

Replace the oil pan gaskets (there are four pieces to the old sets: right side, left side, front timing chain seal, rear main cap seal) with the Felpro one piece seal. I like to use Permatex #2 (others like RTV but make sure that the RTV is compatable with hot engine oil) SPARINGLY on both the pan side of the gasket and the engine side of the gasket or better yet, follow the directions that come with the gasket.

BTW, I've been attending that school of hard knocks for fifty years and have yet to get close to getting my diploma.

Cardinal, thats exactly the way I did it, few more items though

I would also remove the dizzy cap as well. You will munch it on firewall.
Disconnect exhaust and fuel lines.

Also if you go with the one piece you may need longer pan bolts. I did.

Step #2
Now that you got everything unhooked, back up the cherry picker and pull the damn engine/trans. Start making a list of things you always wanted to do when you pulled it. Now's your chance. Clean and paint at least. New gaskets. Make your mistake payoff.

i'm with 71 camaro,and prolly do it in the same amount of time,it sucks lying on your back(most times;)

If you go with the Felrpo one piece, and install it while the engine is still in the car, You might want to invest in an oil pan stud kit. It may make life a little easier while laying on your back. If you don't get the studs at least have a helper to help you start the bolts while someone is holding the pan. I agree, its probably easier just to pull the engine. +1 on watching the dizzy if you choose to just raise it.:bowtie:

Jeeze, I forgot to tell him about pulling the distributor! Thanks. Nothing more frustrating than bending a perfectly good dizzy and thereby ruining it.

Hell, I have had the little 'moments of clarity' every step of the way - usually about 5 minutes after the realization of my retardation has sunken in! I dropped a washer down the distributor hole within 10 minutes of getting my engine home!

How much time do you have...?

To make it somewhat easier on yourself spend a little extra money and buy the fel pro 1 pc oil pan gasket.. It's made with the front and rear seals hooked to both side gaskets so it all goes up as one unit

+1 ^^^^Live and learn

Hindsight is 20/20, so I won't go into specifics on what you could have done instead of dropping the oilpan (I'm sure it's already been covered)

Sorry if it's already been said, as I only read through your first post. From the sounds of it, it seems like the "rubber piece" you are referring to is the rear main seal.
If that's what it is, do the following (for the easy fix). Drop your pan down as far as you can, and put some gasket maker on it and seal it back up. (Hard/proper fix) You'll have to use a jack and tilt the engine so you're able to pull the pan out. Then put all new seals in it. Sucks, but I'd do it the proper way. FIRTFT (Fix it right the first time).

-Nate