I have changed the timing gear out in several b18/b20's... I never bother to leave the pan gasket in there... I cut if off and clean the whole area up the best I can. I then use stuff called 'The Right Stuff'. It's black nasty crap that comes in a can like whip cream. It seals stuff like nobody's business. GM and Ford have gone to using the stuff on there assembly lines since it had higher rates of sealing than traditional paper gaskets. It's expensive (about $15 for a can) but worth it. I have yet to have one leak that I have used 'The Right Stuff' on... It also seals in several minutes but doesn't set up early. Use gloves with the stuff as it doesn't come off your hands except with steel wool and lacquer thinner...

Best of luck.

Chris

What I did was to make a gasket out of one of those thick green file folders,
the very stiff ones, to fit the space between the pan and the timing cover.

This is one of those places where, if you grease the pan gasket lightly on
first assembly you are much less likely to destroy it on subsequent disassembly.

(I learned that in Panama where odd gaskets are sometimes very hard to get
on short notice.)
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

I've had pretty good luck with Permatex High Temp Red RTV Gasket Maker 26B. This includes externally applied "dams" to significantly slow oil leakage at the pan gasket areas (without removal).

Permatex also has a newer product that may be better for this purpose, but I haven't tried it. It's called Ultra Black RTV Gasket Maker, supposed to be more resistant to oil.

Regardless of what product you use, try to clean the area as well as possible before application using a good degreaser and water, thoroughly dried. And give the stuff a chance to set up properly before starting the engine... like overnight, if possible.

Gary L
--
1971 142E ITB racer, 1973 1800ES, 2002 S60 T5