Transmission pan glued on with rtv

It's a dodge. Came from the factory with rtv. I'll look into the pan gasket. Genos sold one for the 4x4 model but not the 4x2 like I have. I did install a drain plug a while back so I just drained the fluid and put new fluid in. Couldn't change the filters. I want to say it seems like it made a difference in the shifting. I would have thought it would have went into limp mode driving it as hard as I did, but I didn't seem to have trouble keeping up with traffic at all. Still has a little hesitation going from 3rd into forth where it kind of throws you forward a tad, but even that is about 50 percent better. Someone else is going to get the pan off. I don't have the strength. I have an irritated nerve/pulled muscle in my hip that hurts when I strain too much.
 
Nonsense. Most all car manufacturers switched to RTV years ago. It's superior for sealing compared to a physical gasket. I would use RTV to replace a gasket in most cases.

And that's your call, But I absolutely despise RTV being used on Transmission Pans, Sure I'll do it on Chrysler Units that call for it....But never on something that calls for a gasket.

I build transmissions professionally....The failure rate of OE pan gaskets is minuscule.
 
And that's your call, But I absolutely despise RTV being used on Transmission Pans, Sure I'll do it on Chrysler Units that call for it....But never on something that calls for a gasket.

I build transmissions professionally....The failure rate of OE pan gaskets is minuscule.
Sure, they rarely fail, they just start seeping after a few years which sometimes progresses to a slow leak. The few times I do use a gasket, I make sure to use an appropriate dressing to prevent that.
 
I'm just going by what many of the manufacturers have switched to over the last few years to reduce warranty claims from leaks. Sure, a physical gasket is easier and quicker to install than carefully cleaning the pan and transmission surfaces, then laying out a bead of RTV, but if it keeps the underside of the car dry, I'm all for it.
 
And that's your call, But I absolutely despise RTV being used on Transmission Pans, Sure I'll do it on Chrysler Units that call for it....But never on something that calls for a gasket.

I build transmissions professionally....The failure rate of OE pan gaskets is minuscule.
I’m a transmission amateur and reuse GM pan gaskets without batting an eye …
… no interest in using blue goo either …
 
I'm just going by what many of the manufacturers have switched to over the last few years to reduce warranty claims from leaks. Sure, a physical gasket is easier and quicker to install than carefully cleaning the pan and transmission surfaces, then laying out a bead of RTV, but if it keeps the underside of the car dry, I'm all for it.

Transmission pans that are made for RTV have different flanges/rails than pans designed for use with a gasket.

I service several high mileage Ford 4R75W, 6R80, 4R100, 5R110, 6R140 & GM 4L60E, 4L80E, 6L90E units. Along with quite a few Allison 1000 units.....
One of the Allison 1000's has over 700,000 miles on it, It's had the pan dropped every 100,000 miles for a sump filter change, Still 100% leak/seep free after reusing the OE gasket 7 times.

All these units besides the 4L60E & 4L80E has a Molded Rubber Gasket with a Steel Core that are generally reusable.
4L60E's use a Fiber Gasket with a heat activated resin/sealer, It seals great but is one time use & can be a challenge to remove from the pan rails.
4L80E's use a Plastic Carrier with steel inserts around the bolt holes & a Silicone Inlay for the actual sealing....These are good a couple uses.

Progression in AT Pan sealing technology....
Cork being first.
Cork with a heat activated Sealer (Quite common on 90's Toyota's)
Fiber with heat activated Sealer
We can likely lump Plastic Carrier Gaskets, Captured Rubber Gaskets, & Molded Rubber Gaskets with Steel Cores together as the latest & greatest.

RTV is a cost cutting measure, 50 cents for some RTV versus $3-$4 for a Molded Rubber Gasket can save a manufacturer a ton of money over hundreds of thousands of units.

Then there's the wait time with RTV, Nothing worse than servicing a unit just to have it tie up a service bay & lift 'til the RTV cures. I have to schedule "RTV" Chryslers for end of day so it doesn't end up costing ME money.

Now....If you're using cheap-junk gaskets that come in aftermarket filter kits (folded up in a box with the filter) , They're almost guaranteed to leak or seep in the near future if not right away!

You're citing that manufactures are using RTV to reduce warranty claims from leaks, Can you give an example of this regarding a AT Sump Pan?

You also cited cleaning the Trans & Pan surfaces, I do that regardless.....But the trans will drool ATF for 6 months contaminating the sealing surface making ANY in-vehicle servicing using RTV a less than ideal procedure.
 
Yes the trans will drip for hours and on some models and get on the sealing surface. Ideally you would wait until it stopped dripping completely, but as long as you don't apply the RTV OVER ATF, it should be OK. I haven't heard that the ATF dissolves RTV before it's cured, so I don't know if that is a problem. If you're in a production shop setting where a gasket is available, that may be a better choice for you. As for citing manufacturers using RTV to reduce warranty claims, I read that in one of the import trade magazines in an article on transmission service and "sealed for life" transmissions.
 
I read that in one of the import trade magazines in an article on transmission service and "sealed for life" transmissions.
I think Mazda, Subaru and Stellantus are the only ones who use RTV on their transmission pans.
 
I’m a transmission amateur and reuse GM pan gaskets without batting an eye …
… no interest in using blue goo either …
I am a one trick pony on GM pan gaskets. Myself and family have had GM vehicles since about the mid 1990s. I've done pan drops; added aftermarket pans with drain bolts, drained fluid (30K) & replaced filters ~ 60K on too many GM vehicles to remember for the last 25 or so years. I always stuff clean rags into the places where ATF drips from and leave the vehicle sit for an entire weekend- clean the surfaces with Acetone-and reuse the GM OEM gasket. No rtv or goo. Never had a leak or hint of a seep. Many of these vehicles went well over 200K or until broadsided by the little old lady from Pasadena. Never had any transmission issues. I appreciate Clinebarger and I would come see him for service if I lived anywhere near him.
 
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Yes the trans will drip for hours and on some models and get on the sealing surface. Ideally you would wait until it stopped dripping completely, but as long as you don't apply the RTV OVER ATF, it should be OK. I haven't heard that the ATF dissolves RTV before it's cured, so I don't know if that is a problem. If you're in a production shop setting where a gasket is available, that may be a better choice for you. As for citing manufacturers using RTV to reduce warranty claims, I read that in one of the import trade magazines in an article on transmission service and "sealed for life" transmissions.
how I change the GM G80’s … pan under … back out bolts until oil flows … go do something else … snug back up … refill with Delvac 1 … no blue goo … no leaks
 
On SKYACTIV automatic transmissions Mazda uses a special sealant for the purpose from ThreeBond in Japan. The reman operation uses the same product.

Look into something like this in the future after you get that pan off, if you decide to go the same route. Regular RTV is a lousy choice in some applications where it might seem ideal. Ask me how I know...
Toyota uses something similar, I think it’s called ThreeBond 1281, it’s a reddish-orange RTV. It was used to seal the trans pans on the Lexus-spec A340/A341. Now, it’s the primary gasketing for their hybrid units and T-cases.

They have since gone back to gaskets for automatic transmission pans.
 
This thing is glued on. The transmission didn't come with a gasket so rtv I what incised. I used blue rtv last time and I figured it would come off once I removed all the bolts. She's glued on good. I did use a rubber mallet and a screw driver to jam into the pan seam, but that didn't work out too well.
Use a gasket when you reinstall the pan.
 
My 08 Liberty transmission pan was "glued on." I used a 2" thin paint scraper and carefully worked it in and around, not going in deep, running it parallel to the transmission, and worked it around using the heel of my hand. It came off with a little time and patience. I cleaned everything up and used a LubeLocker transmission pan gasket and had no problems.
 
Transmission pans that are made for RTV have different flanges/rails than pans designed for use with a gasket.

...

Now....If you're using cheap-junk gaskets that come in aftermarket filter kits (folded up in a box with the filter) , They're almost guaranteed to leak or seep in the near future if not right away!

...
Would love to hear your thoughts if generally there are good gasket types you prefer using, and which to stay away from? Or is it largely dependent on the pan design?

Eg. I'm swapping out the factory drain pan on a 2015 Grand Caravan which is factory sealed with RTV. The aftermarket pan has a drain plug and came with a simple rubber (probably EPDM?) looking gasket. I figure it's pretty hard to mess up a gasket design and I would like to stick with a gasket since it makes servicing in the future alot easier.
 
 
I'm just going by what many of the manufacturers have switched to over the last few years to reduce warranty claims from leaks. Sure, a physical gasket is easier and quicker to install than carefully cleaning the pan and transmission surfaces, then laying out a bead of RTV, but if it keeps the underside of the car dry, I'm all for it.
Like Clinebarger said RTV is a cost cutting measure nothing more. Think about how the manufacturer applies the RTV, the unit is brand new and totally dry, the unit is upside down and a machine applies the RTV in a few seconds. It is easy and cheap, once the unit has fluid in it RTV is pretty much useless.
To the folks who refer to Blue Goo, Hylomar is not intended to replace a transmission pan gasket, it is fine for places that can use an anaerobic sealer and flanges and as a non hardening gasket sealer.
 
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