Oil pan gasket
Freshman User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
Oil pan gasket
I've noticed that I am loosing oil pretty quick and I investigated and saw that it was my oilpan gasket. I tried tightening the oil pan but that didn't work. I've come to the conclusion that I need to replace the gasket. However, most mechanics in my town won't do it or will charge 600 bucks or more to do it because they all say you have to pull the motor to get to it. I tried pulling the pan down without pulling the motor and I couldn't even get my hands Into all the tight spots to get to the bolts. Is there a way to change the oil pan gasket without pulling the engine??? I would love to inform the smart people at Ford that it wasn't a good idea to design it that way.
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
Oil pan gasket
Dont know what your working on but Fel Pro makes a one piece gasket for 300 straight, 302s, 351s. Its still a bitch to do but this makes it a whole lot easier. What I did on mine is remove all the bolts (Yes it is possible but some are a pain to get to), drop the pan down on the crossmember, clean the gasket surface as much as possible, the gasket is made out of rubber so its a little forgiving for not having the suface spotless but it still needs to be pretty clean so take your time. The gasket comes with 4 little plastic tabs that hold it up to the block, so you dont have to position the gasket on the pan and perform a miracle to get it up to the block without it falling off. DO NOT USE ANY RTV!!!!!!! Start your bolts, tighten down from the center out, and do not crank them down like HEE-MAN, snug is good enough.
Elder User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 662
Likes: 0
From: washington
Oil pan gasket
You can do it that way or you can loosen the exhaust, and tranny mounts, then take the nuts off of the engine mounts and jack the engine up a few inches. This will give the clearance that you need to take the pan out of the vehicle. If your rig has a ton of miles on it, I would replace the oil pump while I was in there. The oil pump shouldn't run more than $40.
