9/28:
So after taking apart the pan, I honestly don't even see anything wrong with the way I applied the RTV. Everything seems fine in my opinion as the RTV made its way all around. In fact, I would say that I did a way better job the first time applying the RTV two days ago than I did today with the Permatex Automatic Transmission RTV since it came out at a much more consistent and even pace and I didn't need to squeeze for dear life to get even a tiny bit out. Honestly, the only thing that I can think of is that the RTV got stuck on the tip of the new bolts and this caused the room to be taken up and then the bolt did not fully compress all the way into the hole.
In addition, somehow (6) quarts of fluid came out instead of the usual (5) quarts for the pan drop. I'm not sure if it's because I drained it last night and came back this morning and opened the plug again + dropped the pan but there is definitely (6) quarts, not including the amount that leaked out on my driveway.
This article honestly illustrates what I am talking about perfectly if anyone wants to have a read.
Transmission pan leaks
For the second time, I cleaned up the bolts with all that extra RTV but I probably still made the same mistake of contacting the RTV on top of the bolts. It was getting extremely late and I had to start putting it all back together as I did not want the transmission to be exposed to the elements any longer due to being already open during the rain. I did not take any pictures since it was dark outside and I did apply a thicker layer on the transmission pan and also, I rubbed some RTV on the mating surface this time. So in about 48 hours, I'll post an update and let you guys know everything goes.
Funny thing is, this area in red that seemed to have a light amount did not leak at all.
The area in blue is where the ATF FZ was leaking from and if you look at the RTV, there is no breaks so the only conclusion I can come up with is that the bolts on that area had extra RTV on the top of it which made the bolts not compress all the way in.
Also, I'm going to rate the (2) two RTVs I've used so far if it helps anyone:
1 (Low) - 5 (High)
Name | Permatex 81180 Automatic Transmission RTV Sealant | Permatex 25238 The Right Stuff Grey Gasket |
Applicator | 1 | 4 |
Texture (Removal) | Unknown | 1 |
Cure Time | 24 hours | 24 hours |
Return Vehicle to Use | 24 hours | Immediately |
Price | $9 | $15 |
Review
1. Permatex Right Stuff:
So after applying the Permatex Right Stuff RTV about two days ago, I decided to remove the RTV today because there was a leak on the corner. I did my best to scrape off every single little bit of the RTV but the texture of this material is truly awful. Unlike the OEM one that was applied, this texture did not come off in long chunks, but it came off in little tiny pieces, almost like crumbs. I had an extremely difficult time trying to remove it so I had to use some scotch brite non-scratch to aid in the removal + scotch roller sheets and the scotch brite did help for the pan but caused some scratches. I probably won't ever use this RTV again in the future and the only good thing was the applicator.
2. Permatex Automatic RTV Sealant
I used this RTV sealant today and when I was trying to squeeze out the RTV from the tube, I had to use every single muscle in my finger and both hands to even consistently apply anything without breaking the bead. This is actually impossible unless you have vise grips or a pair of pliers and by the time I was almost done applying the last side of the pan, my hand/fingers were extremely sore to the point where I couldn't hand tighten the bolts so I had to use a ratchet and tighten it that way instead.
I don't know what the texture for the Permatex Automatic RTV Sealant is so I can't really comment but I don't want to find out. All I can say is, if you plan to do this yourself, do not get the squeeze tube unless unless you want to use vise grips/pliers.