oil pan gasket question

[cam98aro]

hey guys, im pretty sure my oil pan gasket is leaking, and i have a few questions

are they the 4 piece style, or the 1 piece?

is there any way to change it without removing that damn inspection cover? i had a hell of a time getting that back on when i did my clutch, and it got all bent up is it possible to change it the way the car sits, or will i have to get the exhaust out of the way/lift the engine up?

and also, is there any real way to tell if it actually is the oil pan gasket and not the rear main seal? i took a look at my flywheel (from what i could see anyways) and it looked dry, but there is oil going down the back side of the pan, and all over my exhaust, the bolt that holds the oil pan on on the drivers side had oil drips on it.

when i did my clutch, i also replaced the rear main, and there is no way i want to take that transmission/clutch back off to replace the rear main again, that was a total pain.. so im wondering if there is any way possible to see if it is leaking or not

thanks guys

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan gasket question

ok, i did a bit of searching, and everyone is saying it is a huge pain.. now, from what i saw yesterday, it doesnt look hard at all

it looks like there is enough room from the k member to at least let the pan go down an inch or two, and once the inspection plate is off , the back bolts can be accessed.. take out all of the bolts, drop the pan as far as it can go, and stick the gasket on, raise the pan back up, and tighten the bolts..

looks no more than a 4 hour job MAX, but stay with me, i am saying it looks that easy.

it took me 6 days to replace my clutch, rear main, and pinion seal, plus the diff cover, and that was with 2 days of not doing anything waiting for my crank bolts to get there, but i see it taking some people a week to replace the oil pan gaskets??

i have another camaro, with a v8 in it, and it was the same deal, the crossmember was in the way, and no room, but i got that done in about 2 hours, the hardest thing about the job was fighting the 1 piece gasket around the oil pump pickup

[RadRacer]

Re: oil pan gasket question

the pan needs to come down nearly all the way in order to get the gasket out. It's a 1pc gasket. If you can get it down far enough to get in and undo the oil pickup too, then you should be able to change it; IIRC, the shop that did mine loosened up the bolts on the K-member to drop it 1/2" or so and that gave them enough clearance.

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan gasket question

the pan needs to come down nearly all the way in order to get the gasket out. It's a 1pc gasket. If you can get it down far enough to get in and undo the oil pickup too, then you should be able to change it; IIRC, the shop that did mine loosened up the bolts on the K-member to drop it 1/2" or so and that gave them enough clearance.

thanks, i see.. is there any way to basically "fight" with it to get it around the pickup? thats what i did with my other car, but it only took me an extra hour, instead of another day to lift the engine, and do all sorts of other stuff

[kristen]

Re: oil pan gasket question

i am queen of the oil pan gasket.... replace them many of times.


they are a b!tch to do. you need to lift your engine, and then play with the pan till it finally drops out. it sucks. if you have small hand and can fit them between the little gap once you drop the pan and unbolt the pick up. it will make things a little easier.

any questions fire them off. i can changes these with my eyes closed.

first time took 2 days of 6 hours each

last time took 1 days and about 5 hours including everything

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan gasket question

i am queen of the oil pan gasket.... replace them many of times.


they are a b!tch to do. you need to lift your engine, and then play with the pan till it finally drops out. it sucks. if you have small hand and can fit them between the little gap once you drop the pan and unbolt the pick up. it will make things a little easier.

any questions fire them off. i can changes these with my eyes closed.

first time took 2 days of 6 hours each

last time took 1 days and about 5 hours including everything

cool thanks, so you actually took the pan off?

i guess you have to since the old gasket will probably stick really bad

how/where did you lift the engine?

[kristen]

Re: oil pan gasket question

the way the gasket is made....looks like the oil pan just not as deep of a dip i the middle and swiss cheese. it's not just a round loop.

i have an engine hoist.

[cam98aro]

Re: oil pan gasket question

the way the gasket is made....looks like the oil pan just not as deep of a dip i the middle and swiss cheese. it's not just a round loop.

i have an engine hoist.

ah i see.. where exactly did you hook it up at?

i have an engine hoist also, but im not sure if the boom is long enough to clear the front end and get to the engine, they are set back pretty far