Reply to "How should I be driving my engine?"

I don't see that cork gaskets are easier at all. You need to use some kind of a sealer on them otherwise they will leak.

If you use silicone, it's a better seal.

Sometimes there is interference, even slight with the rocker arms and covers. The cork can space them out just enough to clear.

If you ever see a car with a double layer of cork, that is being used as a spacer for this reason.

When you put the oil pan back on do not use cork either. Best to silicone everything in place.

When you take the oil pump out I would not be shocked if it was the cork that fouled it up. Disappointed yes, not shocked.

As I said, they harden, crack and sometimes crumble and they can get into the pan and find there way into the pump.

So can the silicone but it is usually compressible enough that it won't jamb the gears but I know on my friends Pro Stock Camaro they ALWAYS dropped the pan and there always seemed to be silicone somewhere in the oiling system.

The cork isn't going to compress.

His car was dry sump and the lines were -12 and -16. They use screens everywhere including inside of the oil tank.