oil pan removal - l36

[onspeed]

trying to check my rod bearings to see if i spun a rod. can't seem to remove the oil pan. i have the engine mounts disconnected, tranny mount loosened, y pipe dropped, and the engine jacked up as high as i could get it... if i removed the map sensor, i could probably raise it maybe another inch. the pan will move around but i can't seem to be able to remove it. all the screws are out, seems like something inside is holding it in. what's the trick?

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

you need to unbolt the oil pump pickup, i dont recall what size it is, but its really small, and towards the front passenger side of the block

[onspeed]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

got it. i don't have a engine hoist right now, so i'm just using a piece of wood and jacking it up frm the passenger side engine mount. removed the MAP sensor for that extra inch, removed the Y pipe + cat + S pipe, pan dropped out. Some metal shavings in the pan and in the screen of the oil pickup tube. not sure if that's normal. probably not. unscrewed a couple of bearing caps, when i removed cylinder 5 (i think, the rear-most cylinder on the driver side), the bearing thing came out with the cap. That means it's spun right? Hitting the salvage yard tomorrow, going to pick up a new motor. L26 hopefully.

[Blizzard242]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

Hah, that's exactly how I got my pan out the first time too. Good luck with the engine search.

[darkflare999]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

daaamn....im gonna be changing my oil pan tomorrow and do i have to do all of this also?? i got a 94 3.4 v6??

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

got it. i don't have a engine hoist right now, so i'm just using a piece of wood and jacking it up frm the passenger side engine mount. removed the MAP sensor for that extra inch, removed the Y pipe + cat + S pipe, pan dropped out. Some metal shavings in the pan and in the screen of the oil pickup tube. not sure if that's normal. probably not. unscrewed a couple of bearing caps, when i removed cylinder 5 (i think, the rear-most cylinder on the driver side), the bearing thing came out with the cap. That means it's spun right? Hitting the salvage yard tomorrow, going to pick up a new motor. L26 hopefully.

the bearing is suppose to come out with the cap

you should have left it on and had someone turn the engine and watch the rods, if you have a spun bearing you can see a lot of play in one of the rods while it is going through its motion.

you can usually tell if you have spun a bearing by looking at the rod journal and the bearing itself, if it has a lot of scarring it is probably a spun bearing

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

daaamn....im gonna be changing my oil pan tomorrow and do i have to do all of this also?? i got a 94 3.4 v6??

im not sure with the 3.4, but on the 3.8 taking all of that stuff off is not required.

when i did mine i had to unbolt the down pipe to give me more clearance

[darkflare999]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

im not sure with the 3.4, but on the 3.8 taking all of that stuff off is not required.

when i did mine i had to unbolt the down pipe to give me more clearance

yea exactly...wen i went below to check it out all it really looks like to me is removing the y-pipe so you can have more room...i really hope i dont have to do all that....

[onspeed]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

hmm. i'll take a look at the rod journals and bearings tomorrow. i left the car on jackstands and the pan dropped, think that'd be a problem if i find out it's not a bearing? like dust getting in it or something?

and about the oil pan, i did a lot of searching before i dropped the pan, and the general consensus is that the motor must be lifted to get clearance for the pan. unless you're running a tubular kmember... i personally don't see how it can be done without lifting the engine.

i don't have a 3.4, but i reckon it wouldn't hurt to drop the y pipe, and see if the pan will come out. you'll have to drop that pipe regardless of if the motor must be lifted or not, right?

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

yea exactly...wen i went below to check it out all it really looks like to me is removing the y-pipe so you can have more room...i really hope i dont have to do all that....

you will still have to unbolt the engine mounts and lift the engine, but the exhaust doesnt have to be removed, just unbolted so there is some play in it

hmm. i'll take a look at the rod journals and bearings tomorrow. i left the car on jackstands and the pan dropped, think that'd be a problem if i find out it's not a bearing? like dust getting in it or something?

i wouldnt really worry about dust or anything getting into the engine

[onspeed]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

okay, now when i dropped the pan, i found this plastic spacer thing inside, as well as this plastic... screw-like thing. except with no treads. so like a plugger or something. can take pics if it would help.

nevermind - autozone search of oil level sensor tells me where it's from. apparently i broke mine. ha.

[onspeed]

Re: oil pan removal - l36

the bearings should sit flush with the caps and the rod, right? what does it mean if it doesn't? there's also some scratch marks on some of them, not a good sign?

edit - nevermind. doesn't matter if it should sit flush or not. i found my spun rod bearing. for sure. very obvious, i'll get a picture up.