time for a new pan

[91Limited]

ok so ive been searching but havent found a clear answer yet so i thought id post up...

im swapping in a new oil pan in a few days, and was wondering if i can just take it out and slide in the new one, or if i have to get some things out of the way. I've heard things such as drop the exhaust, take out the sway bar, take off steering components, etc. etc., but these have all come from people with different years than mine. I'm hoping i can just drop it out because i need the jeep up and running again so i can drive it to work.

91 XJ 4.0/AW4/242...

oh and its stock by the way

[RichP]

You need to get it up, support it under the frame rails, remove the tires, you need to get as much axle clearance as you can manage. It will come out without disconnecting anything but you are going to be cursing and swearing the whole time... It will make life much easier to to drop the pipe from the exhaust manifold to the cat, gives you more wiggle room..but I'm not all that sure how much different a 91 is...

[91Limited]

thanks for the info, can't wait for my jeep to be full on oil for more than 3 days:shocked:

anyone know what the torque spec on the pan bolts is?

[ROBZ95Xj]

i put the frt of mine on jackstands a dropped the axle as far as possible, then had to remove the starter after that the pan came out with a little wiggling

[87manche]

disconnecting the swaybar should give you all the droop you need.

[TiRod]

Unbolt the top shock mounts to let the axle drop as far as possible - the last time I had to wedge a jack in and move it two more inches, bending the sway bar links. But I didn't have to the previous time, so what the heck?

[RedHeep]

Make sure you take the starter out, otherwise you'll be fighting it the whole way.

If you use a one piece rubber gasket like I did, I found the best way to get it up there was to ziptie the gasket at the corners onto the block, install the pan with a couple of bolts, get everything lined up, then cut and pull the ties, and tighten all the bolts up. Make sure you get the gasket llined up well in the bearing cap and don't cut it (been there, massive oil leak) and some sealant in the corners and down the block helps.

[Rescue xj]

I found jacking up the front end as high as possible and supporting the unibody with jackstands works great. All you need to do is drop the starter and finagle the pan off. Yamabond or silicon the gasket to the pan and youll be set. Dont foget to align the gasket properly.

[91Limited]

how hard is it to pull/re-install the starter? I don't really want to take it off and end up messing something up.

Is it possible to do it without taking the starter off?

[Rescue xj]

Its easy, a couple bolts, one faces backward. Theyre different sizes, takes about 2 mins. You do have to take the starter off.

[91Limited]

alright new question...

i got all the bolts out and the pan acts as if it still has all of them in, it won't budge. I got a prybar between the pan and block and pulled down, but all that did was bend a little spot in the pan, it didnt break it loose at all...
any tips?

[langer1]

Keep prying.

[RichP]

alright new question...

i got all the bolts out and the pan acts as if it still has all of them in, it won't budge. I got a prybar between the pan and block and pulled down, but all that did was bend a little spot in the pan, it didnt break it loose at all...
any tips?

Don't pry, use a razor knife, drywallknife, thin paint scaper, you need to cut the RTV they put on it and I'm gonna say now that it can be a real PIA. Once you get it cut all the way around it will drop off then you need to scrape the remainder from the bottom of the block and the pan. Use a gasket to replace...

[91Limited]

Don't pry, use a razor knife, drywallknife, thin paint scaper, you need to cut the RTV they put on it and I'm gonna say now that it can be a real PIA. Once you get it cut all the way around it will drop off then you need to scrape the remainder from the bottom of the block and the pan. Use a gasket to replace...

funny you said that, thats exactly what i just got done doing. The pan is off now

i can't imagine what a PITA this would be to someone reusing their old pan. I have a new one waiting to go in, and my old one is now completely mangled from prying

[91Limited]

ok i searched and couldn't really find much of a clear answer on this, so i figure ill help someone like me out...

heres what worked for me-

i did not have to take the starter off, it was tight getting in/coming out though

when breaking it off of the block, use a razor or putty knife, that worked well for me

i did take the upper shock mounts off and disconnect the swaybar-this seemed to help a little

it got stuck on the steering stabalizer, i tried to take this off but it was rust welded on, but to anyone doing this i'd say take it off

it took a LOT of wiggling and manuvering, but with these things done, it is possible to make the swap...

in short, expect it to be a huge pain in the ass, probably doable in a day, but i had to work so it took me 3 4-hour nights

hope this helps to anyone thinking about changing their oilpan

keep in mind its a 91 4.0