DoctorBill

I need some help. When I took the TB off this last time, the marks were 'helterskelter'. I need to get all three timing marks back to where they should be. All The Bolts are tightened down now (for the 3rd time) and everthing Talcum Powdered. I turned the Crankshaft Clockwise to the Timing Mark and piston #1 is at TDC. Turned R3 clockwise to the Timing Mark (11 O'clock) position (no Back Cover Plate in yet). But L3 is at the 9 O'clock position and doesn't want to turn clockwise past about the 11 O'clock position. I am worried that valves may be contacting Pistons on the Left side Head (facing forward) - L3 Pulley. Could this be true ? Don't want to force anything....L3 furned fairly easily before ! Should I turn L3 counterclockwise back to the Timing mark at 1 O'Clock ? If it goes Counterclockwise to the Timing Mark w/o and difficulty, that shouldn't hurt anything should it - all the head components are symmetrical - not "One way only".... Waiting for some advice before continuing knowing that I am not knowledgable enough to chew gum properly. DoctorBill

Crvett69 just reminded me that he had suggested loosening and retightening bolts. I know someone on this Forum had suggested that, also. Well I sure do pay attention well, don't I ? Reminds me of - "I see!" said the blind man. "You're a liar!" said the fool. So...conclusion: Loosen bolts because they may have rusted or just seized up and "trying the tightness" of them can be misleading - the bolt could be "Loose" as regards holding the item tight, yet the threads locked up and it won't turn easily. Once loosened up, then retighten to the proper torque setting. This is all news to me. Had never heard of that before.... With that in mind, a while ago, after tightening the Oil Pump Bolts (and finding them not so tight), I wondered about the Water Pump (which I replaced) Bolts....so checked 'em. I was able to tighten them also another quarter turn. My only concern, then, is when are the Bolts tight ? But - given that I was able to tighten both the Oil and Water Pump Bolts, will I still have a leak tomorrow after reassembling the Belts.... Stay tuned, folks - the 'waskally wabbit' is still out there..... DoctorBill

I keep getting surprised by this vehicle. Probably just my inexperience. While smoking a cigar and contemplating my toes, I decided to go back to the TALCUM POWDER method of looking for where the oil is leaking... So, I started cleaning up the oil and Spray 'n Seal (had to use Brake Cleaning Fluid) and after that decided I had better attempt to tighten those 3 +1 bolts across the top of the Oil Pump - again. Several days ago they were tight ! Just now, I started (left to right) to tighten them and they seemed quite loose ! No Sh*t...the Left one which I couldn't move a couple of days ago was fairly easy to tighten (loose) and so on - each getting tighter as I moved to the right. I was even able to tighten #4, that 12 mm Bolt that holds the Alternator Tensioner Bracket ! It had been tightened quite well a couple of days ago... WTF ? Will they be loose again in a couple of days ? ! How did they get loose in the first place ? All of those Bolts go into the STEEL Engine Block - yes ? I am worried that I might be tightening them too much if into Aluminum. Don't want to strip out any Aluminum Threads.... What is this all about ? Is the moon's phase different today ? Yes, of course it is.... Anyway - they are quite tight now, as far as feel goes. The Oil Seal is in. Soon I will powder it's front end and reassemble the Belts...for the 5th (?) time... I remember that someone said to loosen all the Bolts and then re-tighten them. There must have been a good rationale for that. Don't remember. Live and learn. I hope that whoever is reading this excretiably long diatribe will get some insight into the little goofy things that can happen and avoid them when they do this job. I seem to be stumbling over every rock on the path. DoctorBill

The Oil seal Tampon Placement Method (Magregor's method) - my name for it ! I had a piece of blue polyethylene plastic I had cut from a Baby Wipes container years ago - to mix Epoxy on - Epoxy won't stick to it. The plastic was washed well and rolled up and held with several rubber bands. Slid the Oil Seal over the rolled up plastic tube and buttered the one end with some Vaseline and put some on the Oil Seal also. I took a couple of the rubber bands off because the Oil Seal held the shape. One end of the rolled tube was then forced into a cone shape (one end larger than the other) wherein the larger end just fit over the Crankshaft where the Oil Seal goes. I then slowly pushed the Oil Seal over the rolled plastic onto the shaft. Be careful to hold the plastic well and don't let it come off the Crankshaft lip ! It wants to ! In the Photo below, I had already slid the Oil Seal on. The plastic roll is just sitting on the Crankshaft below - an 'after the fact' photo. I then "squared up" the Oil Seal with whatever I could find - in this case the end of a plastic gas can of just the proper dimensions to allow me to tap the Oil Seal into place. The Seal is not yet squared up in the picture....it is flat in there now - trust me ! Conclusion - This Oil Seal Tampon Method works nicely. Vaseline is VERY slippery ! It helped. Perhaps I should call it "The Oil Seal Suppository Method !" I just wish you guys had told me of this method BEFORE I did the first one...! DoctorBill

Then what ? It will still be leaking. From where and why ? The oil is essentailly "dumping" out, yet I can't find from where. Damn. DoctorBill

No sooner said, than done ! How's that ? The Beck/Arnley Seal is 6.9 mm thick and the Nissan Seal is 7.1 mm thick - used my digital reloading micrometer. I would guess that neither Oil Seal lip was riding on that groove....cute ! Probably rides about 5 mm in from the front lip of the Shaft when the Oil Seal is even with the shaft opening. Back to square one - "do not pass go, do not collect pay....." DoctorBill

Oh my God in Heaven ! I ran an angled, pointed Radiator pick from the back of the Crankshaft slot to the front and there is a circular groove in there as deep as the grand canyon ! About 2 mm from the back of the shaft hole. I am going to try to make an "Impression" of the shaft surface with some soft wax on a popcycle stick. I am cooling the wax on the popcycle stick stuck to a flat plastic ruler in the freezer right now. I'll spray some WD-40 in the shaft so the wax doesn't stick, shove it in the slot and press down, then pull it out so I can photograph it under side lighting. I want to SEE this groove. God %$@* it....no wonder it was leaking like a sieve ! Terrano1992 - you are incredible ! All the time I wasted on something that wouldn't have been fixed by changing Oil Seals. I wonder if a repair shop would have caught on to this ? Edited at 11 AM - I made two impressions - one with Candle Wax and one with Tacky Putty used on bulletin boards. Neither worked exactly as I wanted, but they show how deep the groove is and approximately where. If this was caused by abrasive material in the oil - did the previous owners never change the Oil ? I wonder if the bearings are shot, too ? See folks - now you know WHy you need to religiously change your oil and filter ! Crvett69 informs me that there is a quick repair for this ! Have a look ! Speedi-Sleeve Shaft Repair Kits He says the Schuck's Part Number is SKF 99331...probably have to order it, though. Man - there isn't anything automotive that Crvett69 doesn't know about ! Amazing ! Added thought later....Noon ...this brings to mind another nice problem, doesn't it.... The Rear Crankshaft Oil Seal is probably in the same situation.... Is it too early in the day for a Beer...or three ? Merde. DoctorBill

Been doing some "Googling" trying to find "Repair Oil Seals" - all I get is "Repair: Oil Seals"...merde. I did find a link to BARS products which claims to "Seal Oil Leaks" on rear main seals... Barsproducts oil seal leak stopper Ever tried that stuff ? ...one of those magical "chemical products" one finds on Automotive store shelves that can fix any problem one might have. Like the old "Elixers" that peddlers sold on the road to heal ANY problem. Now they are sold on TV - Natural Male Enhancement Has anyone reading this tried that product ? If so, why ? They must sell one Hell of a lot of it - otherwise there wouldn't be so many of those ads on TV ! Apparently the FDA tried to stop them, but they just changed the Ad slightly... Enzyte's history Just "FYI" DoctorBill

Holy Makeral, Terrano1992, I had no idea about the grooved shaft business ! How and why do those grooves form ? That seems odd given that the Oil Seal is rubber. I will attempt to look ASAP. Rather hard to get one's head in there and my eyes are bad... The grooves would be well inside that oil seal slot - rather difficult to see no doubt. What is a good method to see those grooves given that tight space ? So - I wonder if those modified types of Oil Seals you mentioned are sold in America ? Maybe one of our highly intelligent, worldly wise and kindly readers can inform us about such "Repair Oil Seals" sold here in the USA. (?) Given our propensity to spend money hand over fist, I suspect you'd be told, "Your engine is unrepairable - totaled - send it to the junk yard !" Then again - on the other hand...given all the Hydraulic Machinery that is used in America, there must be some common "repair oil seals" sold somewhere.....this problem can't be all that uncommon. Comments, guys ? Thanks for the information on the geared oil pump, also. I did not know about that...so they can also be a hydraulic motor ! I guess that that is how "Bobcats" run - I rented a Bobcat twice - they work well ! A GEARED Hydraulic pump run by the Gasoline Engine and a Geared Hydraulic Motor turning the wheels. Reverse the fluid flow to reverse the Hydaulic Motors on the wheels. The nominal oil pressure that a Nissan V6 oil pump should make at 2,000 rpm is 53 - 65 psi. Chilton Manual page 3-6 bottom chart. That miserable little rubber Front Oil Seal can't possibly be holding back 50 psi of Oil Pressure ! But it would get quite hot and become even more flexible. Thanks Terano1992 - you know quite a lot about automobiles ! DoctorBill

So I got it right - Front vs Back ? Does the Crankshaft spin that "Inner Gear" making the off center "Outer Gear" rotate and, by centrifugal action, push the oil out like a centrifugal pump does ? I have a difficult time translating diagrams into visual movement. I saw a Cutaway Differential at a "Pull-n-Save" here in Spokane that finally made clear to me how a differential works. Anyway - I will install the New B/A Oil Seal tomorrow after I play around with a plastic sheet that I have to come up with somehow. Have to look thru my box of Odds n Ends where I save all sorts of crap for a day like this. My daughter makes fun of me for keeping all the odd stuff I have in boxes all over the place. My "treasures" as I call them.... Do you guys have many bottles of Screws, Bolts, Washers, Nuts, boxes of wire, hunks of metal Pipe, sheets, formed stuff, etc ? Odd Pieces of wood, old tools, electrical stuff, empty bottle and cans that might be good for cleaning or storage ? I have a veritable "Junk Yard" of crap - I even buy buckets of "odds & ends" at garage sales... I am a pack rat ! An obsessive compulsive gatherer...I can barely get thru my Garage - it is stuffed. And...I know where everything is, too ! Maybe my true calling would be to run a junkyard...Heaven ! DoctorBill

I photographed the Nissan FC Oil Seal I took out just now alongside the new Beck/Arnley FC Oil Seal that I will install soon. Front and Back - I have no idea which is front or back sides... The Nissan Oil Seal is not sealed on both sides of the metal washer as the B/A Oil Seal is - Yellow Arrows. Notice the difference in the outer wall thickness. ...and FYI - the FSM Oil Pump Schematics - Page LC -4. I did a screen capture with my Hewlet-Packard "Screen Capture" program. BTW - there are many Freeware Screen Capture programs available ! NONAGS Freeware Progams Freeware Home - Collection of Free Software "Only Freeware" SimTel.Net Freeware I can't tell doodlie from those schematics. DoctorBill

I hope this thread is useful to someone...Been feeling like everything I touch turns to crap lately. Took the Front Crankshaft Oil Seal out. Came out with difficulty - had to use a seal puller that looks like a medieval axe weapon. I showed a picture of it somewhere back - seems ages ago... The front Oil Seal - the internal spring was where it should have been. You have to essentially destroy them to get them out ! Several views of the Crankshaft. What is the Brass Ring in there for ? Why is that darker ring just inside the Brass Ring not perfectly round ? These close-ups are hard to get right - the camera wants to focus on the end of the Crankshaft. I am not sure the Oil seal was leaking. (?) I will fashion some plastic tube thingie as described before to install the next one. Has anyone had an oil leak problem like this before ? DoctorBill

When you are putting on the Hoses and adding Coolant, it seems to get everywhere and on everything ! One problem with doing this is that any oil or coolant naturally falls to the bottom where the TB Sprocket (and the TB itself) is spinning right there where the liquid goes. This makes for a mess and it is hard to tell what is actually happening and where. This thread is becoming much too long - much more than I intended. I should start a new one perhaps Titled "An Amateur Attempting to Fix an Oil Leak Up Front". Oh well, by tomorrow, I should know (or not....). I might have to pay some shop mechanic to find out. DoctorBill

Adamzan "And if the crankshaft seal is the culprit, I guess you can go back to thinking you screwed the pooch eh?" Well, we will see what we will see.... If replacing the FC Oil Seal does the trick - yes, I screwed the pooch. If not, then I am good for another Timing Belt....and am vindicated. Which will it be ? How about a vote....will I win like Obama or go down in defeet like McCain ? Here is what the front end looks like after taking the Belts off. I am going to endeavor to perservere and endeavor to quit trying to "logic" this thing out. I have no clue as to what is going on - I am JAFO... When I get some shade, I am going to rip the Oil seal out and use that plastic sheet trick to insert a new one. Let me rephrase that - attempt to insert a new one. DoctorBill PS - I wonder how many repair shops have problems like this that you don't hear about - have to go back and redo it. You wouldn't know 'cause they wouldn't tell you... One is always hardest on one's self...unless one is an unmitigated egotist and is ALWAYS right and perfect (like my boss was).

Got the WP-Alt Belt on and the PS Pump Belt. Put the Coolant hoses back on the Radiator and filled it. Checked all the Bolts for tightness and started it up. Runs fine. Exhaust manifold clicking nicely - thank you very much ! After about 15 minutes..... I cannot see any oil coming out of the Oil Pump gasket. Maybe the Spray n' Seal did it's job. Neither Camshaft Seal is leaking. If the Oil Pan were leaking, it wouldn't drip off that front pointed section right under the Crankshaft. The leak is slow but steady and stops fairly soon after the engine is stopped. At this point, I will remove the Belts again and replace the Lower front Crankshaft Seal just for the Hell of it...I have two replacements ! Putting the TB and other belts on and off is becoming second nature to me now...easy ! If a Seal change doesn't work, then off to a shop and let someone who is competent do the work. I have no idea where the oil is coming from, if not that front crankshaft seal. No MaGregor, I would not attemt the Oil Pan. Too much for an old Fart like me ! DoctorBill PS - Strange thing happened. Checked the Oil Level before I started the engine - ½ quart low. No sweat. Started engine - ran it several minutes - killed it to check everything. The dip stick showed NO OIL on it ! S**t my pants ! Added a quart of oil. Ran the engine for a minute. Dip stick showed oil about 1-2 mm over the full mark... WTF happened ? Is this machine possessed ?

I put the TB back on, took out plug #1 and the piston was at the top. Are those pistons flat on top or compound curved? Felt like it was sloped when I pushed a stick down in there. Now that I've put the Timing Belt on a couple of times, it seems like no big deal ! Tomorrow I will put the Radiator back on and fill it. If it still leaks, the only other option I want to partake of is to drive it into the shop and let them do the Oil Pump for $750. I decided to go for it.... I'm into this BEAST for too much dineros. If the Coolant is hooked up, then all I'll do is put on the WP-Alt and PS Belts so I can drive it into town. Don't need AC at the moment. The rest of it - screw it. It will make it into town w/o the shroud and all that stuff. I can then drive it home and finish the details when the shop is done with the Oil Pump. If it works (I pray), then I can drain a portion of the Coolant with the new plastic tube I put on the drain Tap and drain enough to get the top hose off and finish the Shroud. The Hole below the Radiator drain tap didn't line up with the tap barb, so I drilled it out toward the front so a tube could go thru that metal support down thru to underneath. Now no more coolant all over everything ! Tomorrow about 10 AM I will start it up and drive it around as before for 15 minutes and park it and put a piece of cardboard under the front to look for oil dripping like it did before. I can also examine the Oil Pump area. Man I am tired. This is too much for an old fart like me. Didn't expect all this to happen. Also, I'm going to have the Oil Changed at minute lube - let them handle that idiotic Oil Filter bullcrap ! Has anyone ever fashioned a sheet metal thing-a-mabob to sort of funnel the Oil Filter dribblings away from everything below it ? What a dumb setup.... DoctorBill

After about 20 minutes, I tightened the Bolts with a torque wrench to 12 ft-lbs (big red) and 5 ft-lbs the two middle, smaller bolts. My big half inch torque wrench may not work down that low ! This Spray n' Seal feels like rubber glue if you get it on your fingers. Sprayed 4 - 5 layers on like the destructions say.... I will let it cure until tomorrow and then Hook up the Radiator, TB and WP/Alt Belts and run the engine. Be Patent Simon, the drill is - let it age before you engage.... While I am allowing the stuff to cure (dry?), I will cut a hole at the bottom of where the Radiator (I can remove it now that it has been emptied) sits on a rubber sheet so I can apply a small hose to the tap down there. It has a spigot tip ! That way, I can drain the bastard into a can w/o having Coolant run all over everything. Tomorrow, gentlemen. Pray for my Pathfinder to be OK. DoctorBill

I dood it ! See post above this one. DoctorBill

"I'd stick to following the direction first time around." Precise1 Ya...I'm getting impatient, probably as all of you are and I am a "Chicken S**t" as regards do anything 'non-standard'. So...I went out and loosened the three Oil Pump right-most bolts in the diagram (two middle and the red one.) Funny thing, the red one was not in very tight - I must have messed with it during the TB work.(?) Funnier still, the one second in from the right was not very tight at all ! The third in from the right was quite tight. HA!...and it leaks on the right side ! So now I am going to "Spray n Seal" as directed on the can. Be crazy not to do it now. I will return when done and have put back on the TB and WP/Alt belts, Coolant Hoses and run the damned thing..... ......Intermission..... For anyone interested - Spray n' Seal comes out of the long tube provided just like Soda Water ! Fast ! Splatters all over. Even looks like Soda Water - clear like water, same viscosity as water, and bubbly. Smells like Brake Cleaner (supposed to use Brake Cleaner to clean up ) and evaporates damned quickly leaving a thin sticky layer of what looks like saran wrap. Should penetrate gaps just like water would. DoctorBill

"I'd stick to following the direction first time around." Precise1 Ya...I'm getting impatient, probably as all of you are and I am a "Chicken S**t" as regards do anything 'non-standard'. So...I went out and loosened the three Oil Pump right-most bolts in the diagram (two middle and the red one.) Funny thing, the red one was not in very tight - I must have messed with it during the TB work.(?) Funnier still, the one second in from the right was not very tight at all ! The third in from the right was quite tight. HA!...and it leaks on the right side ! So now I am going to "Spray n Seal" as directed on the can. Be crazy not to do it now. I will return when done and have put back on the TB and WP/Alt belts, Coolant belts and run the damned thing..... ......Intermission..... DoctorBill

"I'd stick to following the direction first time around." Precise1 Ya...I'm getting impatient, probably as all of you are and I am a "Chicken S**t" as regards do anything 'non-standard'. So...I went out and loosened the three right-most bolts in the diagram (two middle and the red one.) Funny thing, the red one was not in very tight - I must had messed with it during the TB work. Funnier still, the one second in from the right was not very tight at all ! The third in from the right was quite tight. HA!...and it leaks on the right side. So now I am going to "Spray n Seal" as directed on the can. Be crazy not to do it now. I will return when done and have put back on the TB and WP/Alt belts, Coolant belts and run the damned thing..... ......Intermission..... DoctorBill

To be honest with you, I don't remember...I was loosening so many things while trying to get each power take off item to let go of the belts, I honestly don't remember. I could go out and see if it is really loose - but then...did I tighten it back up when I reassembled everything ? I have not done this job with any mechanical acumen, Gentlemen! Call it a "Hack Job" if you will... All I do know is that oil leaks out of the right side of that Oil Pump Gasket area - as far as I can tell. That said, how do I proceed ? I believe I have one round in my pistol and then "That's all she wrote !" From what all of you have said, I should loosen all the Oil Pump bolts (2 middle one on right) and do the "Sealing" - whatever is finally decided on. If it doesn't work - then it is either a $800 Shop Bill or the Wrecking Yard. DoctorBill

Yes - didn't think of them ! The problem is CONTROL....I don't want a really strong vacuum...just enought to suck some, of whatever sealant I pick, into the leaking gasket gap. I am favoring the Urethane Glue (Grilla or Elmers Ultimate) right now. It is fairly viscous. If I apply it, then pull the vacuum with my shop vac, I figure maybe 30 seconds of that would be sufficient. After all, I don't want all the Urethane glue sucked into the oil pump - just a small portion of a milliliter should fill the gap. A milliliter is about 20 standard drops - my students determine that in my Chemistry Class during their very first lab. What I am trying to do here is analogous to trying to fix a leak in a pressurized tank from the outside. It is pressurized when the engine is running - not so when the engine is off. Maybe a technical EXPERIMENT is called for here......me being of a scientific nature... Hedge my bets, as it were... How about I apply some Kerosene or Gasoline to the gap and apply suction with the Shop Vac ? If the liquid is sucked in (disappears), I will know.... 1. That the idea will work 2. That the solvent is flushing the gap out. 3. That whatever sealant I apply will be sucked in - urethane glue, Spray n Seal or Red RTV Silicone.... A small amount (couple of mL's) of Gasoline or Kerosene shouldn't hurt the oil - has 3.5 quarts of oil in there and I am going to change it after all this is done - unless I take it to the wrecking yard....! DoctorBill

I have not done anything yet, since I bought that stuff at Schucks yesterday. The Timing Belt and AT Cooler are done and OK as far as I am concerned. I'm rather worried that I might screw this Gasket thing up if I do the wrong thing right away - and cost myself $800. Been thinking (what I do best) of different approaches all night. I have already wiped the area of oil. I would like to clean that gasket gap off - the gasket is between a plate and a half plate and it is difficult to see it or get at it. I thought of trying to hose it off with water (kind of done that already with garden sprayer) using my garden hose, or maybe blasting it with my Air Compressor and an Air Gun, or washing it off with a toothbrush as you suggested, or just squirting some Methyl Ethyl ketone (MEK) or Xylol or Toluene or Acetone or Gasoline or Brake Cleaner Spray on it to wash off H2O or oil. All that sounds nice, except I visualized in my mind that any physical rubbing or blasting might push a small chunk of grit into the Gasket space and then later prevent the gap from closing when I tighten up the bolts. Even fine dirt could accumulate and pack in there and prevent it closing up. For all I know, something may already be in there ! So...trying to be the least intrusive, I think it best to loosen the bolts, gently squirt solvents (plural) into the "crack", let it dry thoroughly and then the Spray n' Seal - wait the specified time and retighten the bolts. I can always push the envelope harder later on... Yes ? Then I can put the TB and WP/ALT Belts back on and run the engine until convinced the problem is solved. If not - $800.... Idea edited in at 10:10 AM - I was going to let this Spray n' Seal "wick" into the space where oil is leaking out - a passive approach. I really have no good way to "force" it into the crack....and it sets quickly ! (~ 5 minutes) OK - how about "SUCKING" it into the crack ? - let's have no wicked thoughts folks ! What if....I put my Shop Vac over the Oil Cap (where you add oil) and turn it on... The inside of the engine would then be at a lower pressure than the outside and at that leak (crack in the gasket) things would be pushed in by the higher outside air pressure....no ? If I Clean the slot off, wash it with solvents, let it dry, spray on "Spray n' Seal", then right away apply the Shop vac to the Oil Fill Cap (off of course!) for a few minutes, maybe the S n' S would be pushed in much more better (Hillbilly Speak). Better yet...run the Shop Vac THEN squirt on Spray n' Seal ! I'll bet a Shop Vac pulls 7 - 9 psi of vacuum... Any S n' S that gets into the Oil inside should be caught by the Oil Filter. Yes...? Another thought - I could apply "Gorilla Glue" into that slot. (Urethane Monomer) It takes a couple hours to start polymerizing and once it foams up and hardens, it sticks to everything tighter than I have ever seen ANYTHING stick before. It even sticks to Polyethylene which Epoxy or Instant Glue won't stick to ! Becomes Polyurethane when hardened. I believe some Loctite products are urethane monomer based. (not sure, tho) DoctorBill

Can you find all these automotive things in Russia, now ? I lived in Argentina doing a PostDoc from 1971 to 1973 and you were lucky to find anything. They had "Import Restrictions" and embargos and this and that...drove me nuts. If it wasn't made in Argentina, you couldn't buy it. Peron's wife was back in power. Nationalism and Argentine pride, etc. All a big game and the big wigs got richer. How is Russia now ? Freeing up ? Don't want to cause you any trouble by asking too much. You look almost identical to my brother-in-law, John ! In your avatar, I'd swear it was him ! Many Nissan pathfinders where you live ? Rural or City driving ? What does gasoline cost (in equivalent U$S) per liter there? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Yes, I was thinking of dribbling a volatile solvent (acetone or MEK ?) on the leaking area and maybe the solvent would carry any oil or water back into the sump (I'll change the oil right after). I'd allow it to dry for 24 hours and then apply and allow this "Stuff" to penetrate - wait another couple hours and tighten the bolts. Otherwise - If I had to use the Red RTV, thought maybe of trying to squeeze it in, then running a very thin metal strip into the gasket to push the stuff in. DoctorBill