Oil pan removal

I have a ? for all the experienced Jeepers.... What the hell is the easiest way to remove the oil pan w/o lifting the engine or front diff.....????? :huh:

First this should be in the OEM section.

Second, when I dropped my oil pan seems like the only problem I had was having to put weight on the front end so it would clear the diff...but then again my rig was lifted then, and is lifted even more now.

~Scott

OH.... well ill keep that in mind next time..... But my 89 xj is completly stock.... Im just in the process of building it up..... Do you have any suggestions? :doh:

Honestly since my rig was lifted within a month of owning my Jeep I'm not sure what would be in the way with removing the oilpan on a stock rig...I'm sure someone will chime in though.

~Scott

Ok.... Thanks for the assistance though....:helpme:

I took the oil pan off on my 91 XJ with really bad sagging suspension. What a pain!! As far as an easy way to do it? I don't think there is one. Sorry. What I'd suggest is draining the oil overnight at least. Disconnect the battery, remove the starter, pull the transmission lines to the side, remove the inspection plate to the tranny, disconnect the swaybar and take off the steering stabalizer. Them using a floor jack raise it all up and let the axel sit at full droop. Then undue all the bolts (take lots of pics here so you know where to put things back). Trust me on this one. then just remove the pan. Mine came off really easy, but I've heard of people having to pry them off. Clean the pan really good and use a good gaskets to seal it back up. I'd reccommend the fel-pro blue one and some black RTV. While your there I'd redo the rear main and front main too. Just a suggestion though.
Post up if you have anymore questions.

Wow...Thanks...LOL Thats uuhh...Alot of stuff...LOL But im sure I'll figure it out... Thanks for the info.....:yelclap:

I know it seems like a lot but once you do it the next time will be quick. And, you can really knock out a lot of maintenance too while your down there.

i did an oil pump years ago in my garage with a set of jack stands. pretty sure we supported the frame and let the front end droop as much as possible.

disconnect the shocks, and let it droop more. pretty sure we did the trackbar and some steering components too to get them out of the way.

get yourself a nice flepro one piece gasket, makes putting it all back together easier.

take a picture of where the trans cooler line brackets attach so you put studs back in the right place too

Sweet.... I've been looking around and researching diagrams and schematics for the XJ so that when I prepare to remove the oil pan I know exactly where everything is.... so far i've made little headway.... And this will definitly prove to be a chore for me seeing that im still wet behind the ears when it comes to XJs.......

Just dive right in. These are really easy to work on. You'll figure it out in no time. I was the same way but the group here is exellent at helping. Just post if you have a problem and help will be on the way.

I appreciate the help...Rly....:clap: Just hopfully everything works out in my favor...LOL

Once it's open, torque up your mains and con rod bolts. Don't loosen them, just put the torque wrench on them and verify that they are all tight enough. You might be surprised what you will find.

I had the oil pan fail on my '00 1 week before I installed the lift kit. What a pain! It took me about 10 hours to change the pan. Once I had all the bolts out, I jacked up the front using the skid plate until the front wheels where just off the ground. I then put another jack under the front of the transmission pan to lift up against the motor mounts. I had to use a pry bar to drop the pan another 1/4 inch, it didnt seem to do any damage (although I didn't care about the old pan since I was replacing it).

To put the new pan on, I just threw the new 1 piece gasket in the pan, put the pan as close to where it belongs as I could, then gave it a quick tap with a 3 pound hammer, it popped right in. I then reached into the pan, got the gasket up into position, added black RTV on the corners, and started putting the bolts in.

So it is possible on a stock rig with a skid plate to change the pan without removing parts, but it was pretty miserable.

All is great advise above.... one other small trick that helped me was go get about 4 studs that are the same thread and size and screw those in.... then when you put the pan back up you have something that will line everything up and hold it in place (once you put nuts on) since trying to hold that stupid thing up in place and trying to put bolts in is IMO a PITA

I think every oil pan is different. I removed mine with just disconnecting my steering dampner shock thingey, and it came right out. This is a stock 88 XJ with saggy suspension, 4.0. It was a 2 person job to get it back in, but that was one holding it, and one screwing it in...
My TJ, I had to put the bottle jack inbetween the axle and frame rails to stretch, but both seemed to be fairly easy, and truly self explanitory... Good luck