I have a leak from my oil pan gasket; the oil pan is also dented. I am thinking about changing out the oil pan along with a new gasket. I just don't really want to do it if it is a huge pain in the butt. What will I have to do to do this?

 

Its usually a hassle due to the exhaust being in the way unless you have tools and a garage and dont mind getting dirty also make sure that you have that haynes or chilton manual it shows the step by step procedures. Its about twenty bucks and has saved me thousands of dollars literally. to me this is a medium task and hopefully youve worked on these cars before

 

Getting the oil pan out is not a fun job....it is pretty tedious and time consuming. You have to take the y pipe off, starter off, and a few other things under there...sorry I did this about a year and a half ago on mine so I do not remember everything you have to take apart. Then you can jack up the motor once you remove the bolts from the mounts or drop the k member...mine slid out with removing the bolts in the motor mounts and jacking the motor until it almost hit the cowl.

There is a one piece rubber fel pro gasket, which makes life a little easier instead of the usual four piece cork and rubber gasket set. I did this on a two post lift...which helped out significantly. If you have not worked on your car before, or do minimal work on it yourself, you should not attempt this repair.

 

I am good with tools; I have done all of the mods and repairs on my car. Only thing I am not good at is diagnosing the odd wiring issues I have been having, but I finally got that fixed after over a year. I just look at the oil pan and see the oil all over the front and rear and I am tired of it. Can I get away with just changing the gasket, and can that be done with the motor in place; I really want to avoid removing the exhaust and lifting the motor. The pan is dented on the bottom, looks like the previous owner jacked the car up by the oil pan. I would like to change the pan but if I can get the gasket on and sealed I will be happy.

 

I've never changed mine on my Lt1 but it doesnt look fun. Just make sure you are know the leaks are not coming from the front or/and rear crank/main seals. If you say its only leaking at the front and rear this could be the case. The front main seal is a fairly easy fix but the rear seal has to have the transmission removed to get to it.

 

I don't know aboutt he cork and rubber setup mentioned. The stock gasket and all replacements I've seen are one piece rubber affairs.

Changing the pan isn't difficult but it'll take a few hours. You have to do the following:

1) Remove the Y-pipe
2) Remove the starter
3) Remove the oil level sensor
4) Remove the transmission access plate or cover.
5) Remove the motor mount through bolts.
6) Lift or jack the engine up to the cowl being careful not to damage anything.
7) Support the engine if jacking and remove the jack
8) Turn the crank so the arrow on the damper points to the 12 o'clock position
9) Remove the oil pan bolts and nuts.
10) Unbolt and lift the dip stick tube about 3 inches.
11) Work the pan back and down to remove. Expect problems...I had to lower the back of the tranny and jack the engine even higher to clear.
12) Installation is the reverse of removal...

Good Luck!

 

Thanks, that sounds like a pain in the butt, just like I expected. I think I am going to keep it how it is; it is a small leak, just enough to irritate me. It is just a couple small drops every time I drive it, if I get board one day I might decide to do it.