I keep busting my oil pan gasket

[PolloLoco]

After getting water in my oil last time wheeling I replaced the oil pan gasket, which was a "U" when I pulled it out. It started life as a one piece Fel-Pro. After replacing it I took my TJ for a test drive today and now I'm hemorrhaging oil from the rear of the oil pan, same place as last time. The first gasket broke where it goes over the main bearing cap/rear main seal. Today it's leaking form the same spot. It was a serious PITA to get the gasket to fit when I replaced it, am I doing something wrong? I may have overtorqued the bolts, my lowest torque wrench only goes down to 12.5 lb-ft so I went hand tight on a 3/8" rachet. Is there a trick to get the gasket to seat properly in the main bearing cap and not pinch where it goes from flat to half-circle?

[Muad'Dib]

IIRC, the one piece gaskets have metal inserts which should prevent over torquing.. There may also be instructions to put oil and/or RTV around the front and rear sections of the gasket. Its been awhile since i looked at one though. The oil i believe was to help line up the gasket in that half circle section.

Are you sure this isnt a RMS issue?

[SilverXJ]

I puts alight coat of RTV on the pan, put the gasket and let it setup for a bit so it doesn't move around too much on install. Have you tried tightening the two large bolts a bit more? Is that support strap installed?

[PolloLoco]

What support strap?

I did put RTV where specified in the instructions, where it goes from flat to round at the front and rear of the block.

The motor has less than 2K miles on it so I doubt it's the RMS. I know last weekend that it was the gasket because the gasket itself was broke at the rear of the block.

[amcinstaller]

i pinched that felpro permadry there too when i did my rms on my cherokee a couple years back. what an effaround to get it in place. i was told not to use any rtv or anything on the permadry and after wrestling it, or i guess more like massaging it into place i finally got it to seal properly. rtv would make your life worlds easier tho and maybe just check it with your fingers before going up to make sure it didnt get moved at all when gooing around the axle.

[SilverXJ]

There is a strap of sorts that goes across the oil pan where the RMS is, secured with the last two bolts. I typically have a leak back there unless I torque the bolts greater than stock spec. But my pan has also been massaged a great deal.