2017 Ram 1500 845RE transmission pan Leak

[lefave15]

Hey all. I’m going a bit insane over here I recently replaced my transmission pan with the Dorman replacement and noticed significant leaks around the pan surface after 1k miles. Ended up buying the PPE pan and replaced it. I scraped the mating surfaces added a bit of rtv along with a new felpro gasket and still have a few leaks after torquing down to 10 nm. Anyone have any ideas on what I’m doing wrong or should I go under and snug the bolts up more.

 

[Wild one]

Hey all. I’m going a bit insane over here I recently replaced my transmission pan with the Dorman replacement and noticed significant leaks around the pan surface after 1k miles. Ended up buying the PPE pan and replaced it. I scraped the mating surfaces added a bit of rtv along with a new felpro gasket and still have a few leaks after torquing down to 10 nm. Anyone have any ideas on what I’m doing wrong or should I go under and snug the bolts up more.

You don't need RTV with the factory gasket. If you don't have a metric Tap,run the bolts in and out a couple times with the pan off to make sure they're going all the way up. Use Brake Clean to clean the pan and tranny's surfaces,and make sure you didn't put any deep scratches in their surfaces from scraping. Check the pan rail over on the transmission close for any abnormalities,as somethings going on if you've had 2 replacement pans leak on you,especially if the original pan never leaked. I'm a little suspicious it might be the RTV you've been using.Get the surfaces as clean as you can with Brake Clean and a rag,and use a new OEM gasket from the dealer,as it could also be the felpro gasket you're using

 

[Atcer2018]

Everything Wild One said. Do not use RTV, wasn’t designed for RTV use. Be sure to check the mating surfaces after the scraping. There really shouldn’t be anything to scrape removing the OEM pan and gasket. If there is residue on the mating surfaces only use a rag and a solvent or at the very most a small nylon brush to clean the surfaces.

Are you sure you placed the new gasket correctly into the groves on the pan? If I recall correctly the 845RE can use the 8HP gasket but some gaskets have a little nub that doesn’t align to the 845 pan. That nub can be snipped off for proper fitment. Don’t over tighten the pan. You can deform the gasket by over tightening causing leaks. Also on your PPE pan did you install the metal spacers from the old pan? Those spacers help with preventing over tightening and keeping the pan from shifting around while you tighten it down. Also the proper torque sequence is important. There is a specific torque sequence that the manufacturer recommends. I had a non OEM gasket leak on me so used the OEM when I installed my PPE pan and no leaks. I wouldn’t expect a Fel-pro to leak but anything is possible.

 

[lefave15]

You don't need RTV with the factory gasket. If you don't have a metric Tap,run the bolts in and out a couple times with the pan off to make sure they're going all the way up. Use Brake Clean to clean the pan and tranny's surfaces,and make sure you didn't put any deep scratches in their surfaces from scraping. Check the pan rail over on the transmission close for any abnormalities,as somethings going on if you've had 2 replacement pans leak on you,especially if the original pan never leaked. I'm a little suspicious it might be the RTV you've been using.Get the surfaces as clean as you can with Brake Clean and a rag,and use a new OEM gasket from the dealer,as it could also be the felpro gasket you're using

Thanks for the quick reply. The first Dorman pan I used I didn’t use RTV. When I just replaced with the PPE pan I did use the RTV. When cleaning the surface I used a plastic razor blade hoping I didn’t mess the pan up in anyway. I will get a factory gasket as I know the PPE pan has worked well with others. Appreciate the reply again!

 

[lefave15]

Thanks for the quick reply. The first Dorman pan I used I didn’t use RTV. When I just replaced with the PPE pan I did use the RTV. When cleaning the surface I used a plastic razor blade hoping I didn’t mess the pan up in anyway. I will get a factory gasket as I know the PPE pan has worked well with others. Appreciate the reply again!

And yes I did reuse the bolt collars and the felpro gasket aligned well before install I will triple check when installing the oem

 

[Wild one]

Thanks for the quick reply. The first Dorman pan I used I didn’t use RTV. When I just replaced with the PPE pan I did use the RTV. When cleaning the surface I used a plastic razor blade hoping I didn’t mess the pan up in anyway. I will get a factory gasket as I know the PPE pan has worked well with others. Appreciate the reply again!

Yea my PPE pan has been off/on several times,and it's never leaked on me,but i usually replace the gasket every 2nd time with a OEM gasket from my local dealer. I don't even use a torque wrench,i just snug it up with a 1/4" drive ratchet,lol

 

[lefave15]

Yea my PPE pan has been off/on several times,and it's never leaked on me,but i usually replace the gasket every 2nd time with a OEM gasket from my local dealer. I don't even use a torque wrench,i just snug it up with a 1/4" drive ratchet,lol

lol I’m using a harbor freight torque wrench so it’s probably no different than what you’re doing. I will call the dealer tomorrow and attempt this one more time this weekend when the weather is warmer and I will update. If I can’t seal it up this time I’ll probably throw in the towel and have an expert take a look. Thanks again and merry christmas!

 

[Wild one]

lol I’m using a harbor freight torque wrench so it’s probably no different than what you’re doing. I will call the dealer tomorrow and attempt this one more time this weekend when the weather is warmer and I will update. If I can’t seal it up this time I’ll probably throw in the towel and have an expert take a look. Thanks again and merry christmas!

When the torque spec is really low,like on the tranny pan,i don't trust any torque wrench,i trust my wrist more,lol. To easy to go overboard with even an inch-lb torque wrench and snap a bolt.I like using a 1/4" drive ratchet as it's pretty tough to snap off a bolt with the little 1/4" drive ratchets,a 3/8" drive ratchet is for bigger bolts,lol