Upper Oil pan question sr20det

[Dsmguy1993]

Alright so I sealed my sr20det s13 upper oil pan with Hondabond Ht permatext ultra grey equivalent basically but I chose hondabond ht. Anyways I prepared it very well cleaned off all the silicone and used brake cleaner to prep the surfaces I had the engine upside down also when I did this to make sure no oil can touch it. I never ran my engine yet but I did fill it up with oil the first time I mounted it in my s13 I took it out again because of the fact that I wanted to double check if all my rod caps were on correctly before starting and possibly damaging my sr cinder #1 cap was backwards but I put it in correctly so its all good I never ran the engine so the bearing was fine. Anyways Im confused and I wanted to know one question are upper oil pan leaks common on these engines?! Perhaps oil dripped onto the silicone seal from the top of my engine after I turned it right side up because it was upside down for a while. The oil was just residual oilI of course drained it before I put it on my engine stand thats why theres oil in there. its only
on one part I can lightly feel oil here I attached a picture with me pointing at it if that https://ibb.co/zb6WM5g
https://ibb.co/8NN8V7F
https://ibb.co/RvdDn90

[S14rebuild]

Your paragraph is horribly written.....

If your asking...is the upper oil pan a known spot of oil leaks on a sr20?

No they are not. If its leaking. Then the area wasnt prepd properly. Judging from your pics..thats a SHIT load of sealant.

Please double check and co frim where the leak is actually coming from(ive done this with uv dye and ultra violet light) if it is coming from the lower pan then needs tobe removed, cleaned and resealed. (Only need a 1/8 bead of silcone todo so)

[Dsmguy1993]

Its not coming from the lower pan but the upper oil pan and I let the hondabond cure for like 6 days with the engine upside down before i turned it right side up again. How does it look like a lot its really not 1/4 inch bead all the way around I spread it maybe its because the pictures are close up? I used a little more sealant on the lower pan because I had to hit the pan lip straight after taking it off one time because it bent a little bit thats why I use a lil more silicone on the lower pan. Also sorry for not explaining that as well because I was at work when I typed that up but yeah its just that one small section on my upper oil pan im pointing at with my finger when you touch that with your finger i
you can feel a little oil a very tiny amount like not even enough to really feel almost and yes I did prepare it correctly cleaned it with brake clean and used more than enough cure time.

[S14rebuild]

Sorry i meant "upper pan".

Is it possiably seaping from the bolt area?


The best way to know for sure is add dye and check with uv in the dark.

[Dsmguy1993]

I will look into that UV dye technique thank you for that information and as for the bolt nooo the bolt is dry and to be honest tonight I noticed the power steering pump was right above the area where I felt a little oil on the outside silicone seal so its entirely possible that a drop of oil might have dripped down and touched that small area because in my opinion if the upper pan was REALLY leaking I would have felt oil around more than just that one small area which I did not. Also there was oil below the runners of the headers and my engine is also slightly tilted to the right if your standing right in front of it because of how I mounted it up to my engine stand I was too lazy to mount it straight. To be honest I HIGHLY doubt it leaks and if by some freak accident I swap it in and start this thing and it does leak well then Ill support it with a hoist drop the subframe and redo it at that point but I already put my tomei manifold on it tonight and when my turbo comes back from the rebuild shop im just going to bolt it up and put it back in the car. I should have it running very soon I just need to buy fuel injectors, air intake, oil for the trans and engine, coolant, and a front mount so I will keep this thread updated for those curious. FWIW if your curious I go around the bolt holes when I make the silicone gasket seal and I spread it with my fingers nice and evenly I also use brake cleaner to clean the surfaces before hand and let it cure for like 6 days before turning the engine right side up again.

[S14rebuild]

Well then this thread was pointless......

Gl with the swap

[TheRealSy90]

You don't need to spread the silicone with your finger, use a 1/8" bead.

You don't need to let it cure for 6 days. Overnight is fine or 1-2 days if you're that worried about it.

You aren't using oem hardware, and I have a feeling you may have overtightened those screws.

[Dsmguy1993]

I agree this thread was kinda pointless I just wanted opinions from experienced sr20 users on that upper oil pan I was very careful tightening the bolts each one is hand tightened but I do not tighten those a lot I wait till they go tight then I stop that block is aluminum you can strip that easily! Also thank you! I will keep this thread updated when I start the sr20det im excited I get paid friday and pick up the turbo I got it rebuilt for 250$ and 100$ for a good used turbo believe it or not you just have to search for a good one I spent a long time searching for it.

[TheRealSy90]

Or you can use the oem torque specification that is intended for that engine.