Hey guys,

So I need to replace the oil pan on my 91 Bronco. Long story short my mechanic stripped the bolts and is refusing to fix their mistake😡😡😡. I have never replaced an oil pan. I don't even know where to begin, and I don't have a lift. How do I safely remove the oil pan? I know I would probably have to use jacks and then lift the engine up somehow. I just don't want to have to remove the whole engine, as I don't have the equipment or man power to do so(I'm 4'11" and weigh 103 pounds lol) is it possible to replace it without having to remove the engine? Also if the bolts are stripped, is there anything else that I would need to replace besides the oil pan, the gasket, and the bolts?

 

You will need to disconnect the engine mounts bolts and raise the engine to sneak the pan out past the oil pickup. Can you get to and remove the bolts that are stripped to confirm that it is the bolts that are damaged and not the threads in the block?

 

I've replaced the pan gasket without removing the engine before. It's not the most exciting job unfortunately but I understand the situation. Like My4Fordtrucks said, you'll need to unbolt the engine mount bolts so the engine can be bolted up as high as it can go until the transmission bellhousing/distributor hit the firewall (one of those two will probably hit the firewall while jacking the engine up I just forgot which one it is. Once they hit, that's about as much room you can make without removing the engine.)

Some people manage to take some blocks of wood and shove them between the motor mounts and the frame to keep the engine lifted up while the mounts are unbolted. I did it a very risky way and used two blocks of wood like pillars from the concrete to the engine to keep it up. That's a good way to crush your hands or something though... so I'd recommend trying to keep it lifted up with wood or something shoved between the frame and block.

Once its secured and bolted up, you should be able to access all the bolts to take the pan off. You'll definitally want to get the felpro one piece rubber oil pan gasket as well. It comes with 4 dowel starter bolts to keep the gasket in place before putting the pan on that the pan can slide over. Without that gasket and dowels, I would say it would be nearly impossible to change the gasket.




Anyways, it is also important to see if it is the bolts that are stripped, or the bolt holes. If the bolts are stripped, then it's just a matter of replacing the stripped bolts. If the bolt holes are stripped, this job will become a bit more involved...


Edit: When you try to get the oil pan off, the biggest thing that may get in your way after you have the engine mounted up is the oil pump and pickup tube. Here is what the oil pump looks like when it's unbolted:



It bolts up a little behind the timing chain in the picture, and the pickup tube goes all the way down to the back, so you have to manage to lower the pan enough to clear the pump and pickup tube.

 

I may be doing this job on my 91 and would love to hear how you did. Keep posted thanks

 

your mechanic stripped the bolts that hold the oil pan on the motor? why are you not fighting this with every bone in your body? This work is a pain in the **** to say the least and frankly if the bolts are infact toast having the motor out will be your best recourse and frankly faster. You can rent an engine hoist from most equipment rental places for cheap. and a 91 would be easy to pull the motor on. just unhook engine harness, remove upper intake plenum (cover intake ports), unbolt the mounts, remove fan/radiator and unbolt the bellhousing. Oh and dont forget to unbolt the TC from the flexplate.

 

Whichever way you go, make sure to chase the threaded holes in the block with a tap before trying to bolt pan back on. And if you do pull the engine out you might as well roll a new set of main and rod bearings in it .

 

I second what Kemicalburns is saying as well. If they really did strip those bolts, they messed up and should be fixing it. It's so hard to trust mechanics these days it sucks... That's a main reason I stated to learn so much in the first place.

Also, if you did rent an engine hoist, it would make the job easier. I purchased an engine hoist from harbor freight for under 200 now so I'd use that again if I needed to do the job (the hoist was good enough to lift out the 7.3 motor as well.) If I didn't have one, I'd probably go rent one instead. If that isn't an option though, it is doable with the engine in the truck still.

This is also a very important step as well. If the bolts got stripped, there is a good chance the threads in the block are slightly (or quite baldy) damaged as well. Taps are readily available at ACE or other hardware stores as well as auto parts stores. I don't know the tap size you'll need off hand though.

 

What we have here is a Hobbit.


Ok Froda Baggins, you most likely need to lift the engine high enough. Unbolt from the trans, motor mounts, and you will have to pull it out. Yeah, i know. Sucks. But better call Samanthawise Gamgee to help. But thats the only good way youll know you have the gasket in line because them corner and the Crank dip on the oil pans are a pain and will leak if you dont get the gasket right AND i recommend the non crushable gaskets and some RTV gasket maker though i use aviation gasket maker on the straight runs of the gasket.


Thats what i hate about TTB vehicles..that crossmember is in the way.


But i would try to get them ****heads at the shop to tap the hole thats stripped and fix it right. Jokers must work for Sauron

 

Hey guys sorry I was away for a bit, so haven't had a chance to work on the Bronco in awhile. Thank you guys so much for all the info and guidelines!! I really appreciate it! I'm replacing the starter system on it as well, so finishing that up this week and will keep you updated once I start to pull the oil pan. As I will definitely need help!! And trust me I would love to rip them a new one. But they were already super defensive, trying to deny it was their fault and then were trying to come up with excuse after excuse when I started to press more and ask more questions. My favorite excuse was it's just normal wear and tear for bolts to strip and for the threading to strip in the engine block. Yeah I just pulled a bunch of seized bolts while I was replacing a bunch of cables, wires, and parts... not one of them was stripped lol. Except for the parts they worked on. So yeah it's just easier and less of a headache to deal with the truck than the jerks that messed it up. Plus I can take my frustration out by working on the truck, yelling and cussing at it the whole time lol.

 

Well we live and learn