[DeTomaso] oil leak questions

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

Just running a bead on the outside likely won't work well. Seeping oil 
keeps anything from bonding even if you solvent-wash the outside of the corner. 
If you loosen the bolts slowly & progressively front-to-back (only a few 
turns in front and almost none in back), the pan will sag down a little in 
front, hopefully without tearing the gasket. Sinnce your engine was recently 
worked on, the pan gasket should still be resilent enough to resist tearing. 
But it does happen.... Once there's a small gap between pan and block you can 
clean out the oil in the gap and work some Permatex #2 non-hardening sealant 
in with a knife blade. IMHO Permatex #2 works better than RTV in such 
areas, and you're not as likely to use too much. 

If it doesn't work right away, be patient; the leak may stop spontaneously 
after a while. The true fix is a complete gasket change and this is very 
difficult in-the-car. Good luck- J Deryke