I recently installed a Fumoto EZ Drain Valve. With 3500 miles before my next scheduled oil change, I used the shop vac trick over the oil filler tube to keep from losing any oil. The vacuum was to powerful and sucked the O-ring on the (already distorted) dip stick fitting out of place. When I started the truck up, it leaked like a heart shot. I had fixed this in past, but I dropped the fitting on the inside into the pan. Unable to verify that it went all the way into the pan, and with the pan leaking anyway, I decided to pull the pan. BLah,blah,Blah. New fitting and RTV from dealership. It's back together. Everything was great. Except for a slight drip at the front of the pan. The leak was only happening at higher than idle RPM's. I cleaned the area with Denatured Alcohol, and ran a bead of Silicone Rubber Sealant. Its working so far.

 

Maybe, I should have used this for the entire sealing gasket material. Time will tell.

 

When you pulled the pan, which method did you use?

1. Remove engine from truck

2. Leave engine in truck

 

I went with #2. Leaving the engine in the truck. Remove two drive shafts, degasser bottle, loosening fan shroud, removing transmission-transfer case, Fly wheel, Turbo, Turbo pedestal, Spider pipe connector. Then removing nuts on bottom of motor mount bolts and jacking up the engine to get it to set on 2 inch square tubing. It still was not high enough, but I was ever uncomfortable going any higher. To get the pan all the way off, I had to remove the pick up tube to the oil pump.
I thing that is where I messed up. The sealant from the dealership doesn't take very long to set up. The instructions stated to allow an hour to dry. I put the sealant on the pan, then had to get the pan close and then reinstall the pick up tube before I could set the pan in place. I had sealant all over my arms. I put extra in the places I rubbed off, but I guess not enough in the front. I ran the bolts in till it felt like it was almost metal to metal contact and let it dry. that was 12 days ago. I just torqued the pan bolts yesterday to 15 ft pounds. I would not recommended this way unless you have other issues to address in route to the oil pan. I could not get the motor mounts back to the exact spot they were before, but close. If a guy lifted the cab enough, left the tranny attached to the engine and removed the transmission nuts across the cross member supports that engine should drop right back down where it was.

 

I wanted to report again. We have had several nights dipping down into the teens here and started and drove the truck on those days. Still no leaks on the oil pan. Maybe it will hold.