im getting my engine back from the machine shop today and will be assembling it this weekend. i just have a q's in regards to sealants.

now in the FSM it says to put sealant in each rear main bearing contact corner. what kind of sealant should i use?

next is with all the other gaskets such as timing cover, water pump etc. do i need to put any liquid sealant on in addition to the paper ones or are the paper ones sufficient?

back to the rear main seal, do i bolt down the cap then drive the seal in or put it in and then put on the cap?

the welsh plugs and the water and vapor pipe, do these need sealants as well or they ok without?

lastly will any brand of assembly grease/lube be ok?

thanks

* For the rear main cap, use RTV sealant
* The paper gaskets are all that is needed (no sealant)
* Put the Crankshaft Seal in after assembling the crank & main caps, and checking the crank end play
* Welch Plugs and block breather pipe need zero sealant
* Any brand of assembly lube is OK. For a new cam & lifters be sure to use a product rated for camshaft

perfect thanks

I would use a very thin smear of a gasket sealant like permatex ultra grey or blue on all the paper gaskets just to be sure. Don't forget to lube all the seals ( the inside only )

So lithium grease like the FSM says or any other lube ok?

Lithium grease is for extreme pressure. You can use other lube (like plain engine oil) but lithium grease is best. It's the same stuff used for disc wheel bearings

I've got some nulon L90 high pressure grease. It's used as an assembly grease, I guess I could use that on the seals?

Personally I'm not a fan of RTV silicone in addition to gaskets. I recently rebuilt my A15 and didn't use any sealant on the sump. Cleaned heaps of it off from the last work done though. It was all over the oil inlet screen.

No leaks that I can see. The rubber seals that go over the main oils seals bedded in fine. The cork gasket you just need to get the tension on nice and even and be careful not to over tighten. It's easy to extrude it and ruin the seal.

I was a little unsure about the paper gaskets since they're so thin, I used a small amount of form-a-gasket, a liquid sealant on them. The only problem I had was the oil pump leaking because I didn't get all the old gasket off properly the first time.

I generally use plain old engine oil for assembly lubricant. I try to work on the principal only add stuff if you have to.

Agreed, paper gaskets work fine without sealant. Never had a leak. As lamb-d says so long as the old gaskets are completely removed. RTV causes the biggest messes, only use it if no gasket is used, and only use the smallest amount. Nissan uses it on newer engines, but you gotta be careful with it

Yes, cork gasket is fine as long as the oil pan isn't over-tightened. Take some time to straighten the oil pan before installing it

Nulon L90 looks OK to me as a substitute for lithium grease

I always used permatex non hardening sealant on paper gaskets, I believe it's a locktite product now, aviation non hardening sealant. Handy especially on water galleries etc where there is a chance of previous leakage and therefore pitting. This stuff stays tacky. I also use Stag on welch plugs too.
Ideally you should not have to use anything, however on old bits I usually do. Beats using half a tube of ultra blue on everything.
JD