If I had a nickel for every hole in a trans pan, oil pan or valve cover that I had to pound flat, I could have retired one day earlier! You've gotten good advice. I personally haven't any experience with the newer-fangled gaskets. I just snot them up with blue Permatex and torque the bolts properly. Before blue Permatex, I used 3M 8001 Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (Gorilla Snot) to hold the gasket in place when I installed whatever it was. My fellow mechanics used to rag on me about having a tough time getting the gaskets off, when it "came back"- slang for warranty work. I told them it wasn't "coming back" for an oil leak. One of the guys called that stuff "Acka-Pucky", and me the "Acka-Pucky King"
