[Nessmuk]

97 S10, One piece oil pan gasket.
Replaced my timing gears and totally fubared the front gasket piece that meets the timing cover.
Bought a new gasket, and cut the front piece out, like an old school gasket would be.
I couldn't get it down into lip in the pan! It's all screwed up now, I need another and a new plastic timing cover.
There is no way I can afford to drop the oil pan for a whole new gasket. How do I get a front gasket into that cast aluminum lip?
Any idea if I can jury rig a piece of large o ring to work like a rope gasket, or use a rope type gasket?

 

[2001Blazer4x4]

Clean it up super good with carb cleaner until absolutely no oil remains and then fill the gap with silicone and put the timing cover back on carefully. Let cure overnight before starting. If you start showing a false misfire with SES light - then you will have to do a crank sensor relearn.

 

[Nessmuk]

Thank you. That's pretty much what I did. I used "right stuff" and wedged the gasket into the gal then siliconed it.
Not happy about it.
I'm the sort who cleans and paints the bolts when I take them out. Cobble jobs always worry me.

 

[BogiesAnnex1]

Yeah, I afraid that short of pulling the pan, silicon is the only fix. I’ve found that Permatex 81180 for automatic transmission sealing is about the best out there for long time retention when always exposed to oil be it engine or ATF.

Bogie