hey guys just thought I'd give a little bit of info... I read a lot of forums and saw lots of videos on these trucks that you have to pull the motor out or cut the crossmember out to change the oil pan gasket.. I did some research I found that you don't have to do that.. you can actually just disconnect your radiator hoses undo the fan shroud and raise the motor high enough either with an engine hoist or with a Jack under the harmonic balancer and one with a 2x4 pushing up against the exhaust if your engine is out. if the transmission is still in the truck just undo the transmission mounts And Jack up against the transmission.. if done correctly you can slip a 2x4 under each motor mount and when you do this you take off the two bolts that hold the oil tube and everything will slide out together and it will give you enough room to clean the block... trust me.. it can happen. .

 

For me, It was easier and made more sense to send the extra hour and take the front clip off and take it out and get it done right. The first time.

People go through all this trouble of doing that when I replaced my oil pan in two days. An experienced mechanic could do it in one, not counting curing times.

Started at 6pm O Clock on Friday, had the motor an pan out and engine drip drying at about 10Pm.

I was driving by end of the day Saturday.

I also didnt have my air compressor at the time. All hand tools.

 

that's true....but.. I own a small towing company and I have three of these trucks that's what I had to do before with the other ones but when I looked into the third truck it was easier and I did it about maybe 5 to 6 hours

 

How well the silicone sealed with oil residue dripping down on the inside of the oil pan after reinstallation is a worry too. I'd rather spend the little extra time to get the job done right then spending another 5-6 hours doing it all again in 1K Miles when a leak re-appears.

Also, jacking that 1000lb+ engine up by the harmonic balancer isnt a good idea.

 

Whatever floats your boat. If it works, it works.

 

If you like doing jobs over, and over, and over, do any method you choose that doesn't involve removing the engine.
Seriously, it's maybe a 15 hour man job to pull the motor, R&R the pan and put it back in. We do it in about a day here in the shop.

Do yourself a favor and pull the motor out, get it on an engine stand, flip it over and do the job once and do it correctly.

 

Although I agree with the above, theres always the danger of finding out that EVERYTHING is broken in one way or another once you get it on a stand, which is what happened to me lol.

 

And on the stand it sits...good news is that the whole motor is getting freshened up and getting a few upgrades since their easy to do on the stand.

 

I want to pull my motor this winter and work on it, but I don't have an engine stand. =\

 

Im using the 1 ton stand from O'reillys. Works great and is built extremely well. Under 200 bucks also.

 

Check craigslist, I found a HD one there pretty cheap for a second one.

 

3500 miles.. no leaks. .. bone dry... don't be such a skeptic! Lol!!!

 

Glad its working for you.

I'd have to agree with Jim. The way I look at it if you have the motor lifted that much you're not far from pulling it out anyway. Then you know it would get fixed right.

 

I guess it's one thing to wrench on your own truck. If you want to take a quicker, easier way out, that's your call, it's your truck, whatever makes you happy.

In 2001 when my truck was 5 years old, I had to replace the oil pan cuz it had rotted out. I opted NOT to do it the easy way and I pulled the motor to do it properly.

In a shop environment, I don't want to risk having to do the job twice, especially after fixing numerous other shop's work that didn't pull the motor to do it properly.

 

Good insight here. I think the big difference for some of us is the access to all the tools and stands and everything. I do almost ALL my work in my driveway. It sucks! No lift, just a small compressor that keeps blowing a fuse all the way down in the basement, whatever Mother Nature chooses to throw at me, etc. So, doing the job like mentioned gives me a chance at being able to complete it. And, if I am patient, and careful, it might just hold a long time. It's not the perfect scenario, but if it is all ya got... you do the best you can and hope things will turn out.