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Oil pan gasket replacement question

Y

yossarian19

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Grass Valley, CA
I read the instructions in my FSM and it appears straightforward. Just to double check, thought I'd ask -
With 2.5" lift, will I run into any issues removing the pan with all four wheels on the ground?
Did the factory use chemical sealant / will I be using the BFH to separate this thing?
I'm considering replacing the oil pump and RMS while I'm in there. Anything else to have a look at / freshen up?
Slowly making my way through the list of things that leak... I think this oil pan gasket is making the top of the list pretty quickly
 
I did mine twice on a 99 with a 1.5 lift had to jack up the front a little bit. Second time worked because I glued the gasket to the engine then set the pan in place.
 
Definitely replace RMS. Oil pump if you choose. Might need to jack up the frame a bit.
 
do the oil pump, but get a high quality one. do the RMS because you might as well.

I have been able to do them without jacking up on a 3" lifted jeep... although the more room the merrier.

I use RTV on both surfaces, stick the gasket to the oil pan and be careful getting it lined up straight before you drive it home.
 
get the one piece oil pan gasket.. and google fel-pro snap-ups. 3/8 thread size. they are indispensable when doing an oil pan in-car.
 
note that when you remove the rear main bearing cap, it has beveled edges to make it easier to install. The problem is that these little bevels will create a channel for oil to leak out the back so I typically put a small dab of RTV (very small) on those edges to seal it up.

Even with the lift the pan may get hung up on the oil pickup. If this happens, the easiest way I have found to get it to drop is to remove the transmission mount bolts and jack the back of the tranny up by about an inch.
 
Use a piece of 3/16" BRASS ONLY rod stock to drive the upper half of the RMS out.

If you use anything else you risk nicking the sealing surface on the crank. I bought a 4 foot piece of 3/16 brass round rod stock at the hardware store a couple years ago, keep a 6 inch piece in my toolbag. Works great for driving rollpins out of d30/d44 carriers and RMSes out of 4.0s. When it gets too beat up and bent, I toss it in the recycling bin and cut another one.

Soak the new seal in oil before installing it, make sure you don't nick the little rib along its outer edge, and make sure you put it in facing the right direction! I like to put the lower half into the bearing cap and compare the cross section of the seal to the top half to make sure I put it in the right way ever since a friend flipped it 180 in his and we had to tow him the rest of the way to Rausch Creek and redo it on the trailer when we got there.

(fortunately the seal had only been in for a few weeks at that point, so it slid back out pretty easily and the oil pan gasket was reusable :laugh2:)
 
One other tip is that when removing or inserting is to rotate the crankshaft in the direction you are removing the seal. No, do not have some one use the starter to crank the engine, but rotate it over by hand with a ratchet on rhe balance bolt. Removing the spark plugs ad having a helper makes it easier.
 
Yeah, I forgot that, it definitely helps. I did mine with the engine upside down on a stand in the shop at work with all the bearing caps loosened, made it better even though it was stuck in there pretty good. I actually put the top half of the seal in backwards, then looked at it and said "hmmm... I should double check that" and realized my mistake :dunce: since it'd been in for a whopping 5 minutes and never tightened, it slid right back out.
 
When my xj had no lift, I had to jack up the front end a few inches (wheels were still on the ground) and undo the steering stabilizer. It was awkward but I was able to wrestle the pan off around the oil pickup.
 
Ive found installation studs to be worth their weight in gold when installing gaskets/pans. Engine/trans bolts shown on the left, oil pan and valve cover on the right.

Take an existing bolt that fits (use the ones with the stud for the wire loom), chuck it up in a lathe/drill press/hand drill and grind flush, then notch for a slotted screwdriver.

4EFk72Yl.jpg
 
I have to do this job soon and in the FSM it says you need to remove exhaust manifold to push down pipe out the way and remove transmission cooler lines. I have a 2001 I6, Aw4 and I wondered if you have to do everything in the FSM
 
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