oil pan stuck

[Cal-XJ]

I tried the search but couldn't find anything. Heres the deal. 87 XJ 4.0L, all oil pan bolts removed. Darn thing still won't budge even after hitting it with plastic and rubber mallet. Should I try and wedge a putty knife or screwdriver in there? Any tips on replacing rear main seal after I get the pan off?

[serialphreak]

try separating it with a flat head screw driver and a hammer. just gotta break the silicone in one spot and then u should be able to peel the rest of the pan off.

[Saudade]

I did this on my '88. On mine it took more time to remove and clean the pan that the entire rest of the job. I worked a thin blade putty knife in several different places. After I got one edge of the pan to separate, I was able to scrape the putty knife along the edge to free more of it. Once I got most of it freed, the rest of the pan popped off. Be careful while you whomp on this. You do NOT want to scar the block surface or bend the pan flange too much. You can bang out the pan flange to some extent, but again, be careful it ends up flat and level.

Make sure you clean every speck of gasket from the pan and block. I had to get a spray on gasket solvent to clean the pan. It was hard as a rock. Once softened enough, scraping and a wire wheel did the rest.

Make sure you note which side of the bearing cap faces rear. The seal does not sit in middle. Use a brass punch to bang the upper seal out. It too maybe quite stuborn. Be persistent but don't overdo it. You risk damaging the journal or the cap surface.

Here's a full writeup.
http://www.jeepin.com/features/rearmain/

[Cal-XJ]

Thanx for the quick replies. Now the fun begins.
I love my jeep! (most of the time)

[RichP]

A good razor knife like for sheetrock will work well for cutting thru the Portland brand RTV they used at the factory.