I changed the pan gasket on the final drive section of my automatic
transmission today.  When I torqued it down to 7 lb. ft. per Bentley the
gasket split at one of the bolt holes and was squeezed out. I don't know if
the inside has also torn and was pushed out.  I did use a thin film of RTV
formulated for gear lube and I did flatten the sealing surface that was
deformed around the bolt holes.  The instruction say to wait 24 hrs. before
adding lube oil so I do not know if it leaks yet.  However if it does not
leak, I still question the integrity and will wonder if it will start to
leak at an inopportune time. So I guess it is back to Bus Depot for another
gasket.

Does anyone have any suggestions to prevent this from happening on the next
gasket.

Thanks for your input.

Bob C