Oil pan gasket removal... | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Oil pan gasket removal...

35Remmy

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City, State
Binghamton NY, Hazleton PA, Northern NJ
Year, Model & Trim Level
'88,'99 Ranger, '00 EX
While we're on the topic of gaskets...to replace the oil pan gasket, is it possible to just unbolt the motor mounts and lift the engine high enough with a jack to make clearance to remove the pan?
 



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Yes. Each engine is a bit different though. Some may require lifting the engine a long ways...practically out of the car! But it can be done that way.
 






While we're on the topic of gaskets...to replace the oil pan gasket, is it possible to just unbolt the motor mounts and lift the engine high enough with a jack to make clearance to remove the pan?

Where will you place the jack if you remove the pan?
 






Where will you place the jack if you remove the pan?

If your just changing the gasket, its possible.. You will need to fish the gasket through the pan, under the oil pump to get it all the way across.. I've heard of someone doing it on EF before.. Changing the oil pump is a different story.. you would have to lift the motor so high you might as well pull it out.

~Mark
 






Actually, I was just going to use an engine hoist to lift the motor up since I wouldn't have the oil pan.

I was also wondering if this would place too much strain on the driveline (trans, transfer case, driveshafts, etc. ???
 






Actually, I was just going to use an engine hoist to lift the motor up since I wouldn't have the oil pan.

I was also wondering if this would place too much strain on the driveline (trans, transfer case, driveshafts, etc. ???

I was thinking the same thing... Also would the exhaust manifolds have to be separated from the block to do this?
 






Im not sure how much of a gap you have, prolly 1/4-1/2 inch. If I ever have to do this im just gunna unbolt the pan. Clean up both surfaces as best I can with the pan still on but unbolted. Then Black RTV the thing back on. RTV holds better and lasts longer than a gasket any day.
 






Does the tranny have to be removed from the engine to do this?
 






Ithink it would depend on the vehicle configuration...

If your just changing the gasket, its possible.. You will need to fish the gasket through the pan, under the oil pump to get it all the way across.. I've heard of someone doing it on EF before.. Changing the oil pump is a different story.. you would have to lift the motor so high you might as well pull it out.

~Mark

On my 99 Explorer, removing the oil pan and changing the pan and oil pump was simply removing the 23 or 24 bolts in the pan, removing the starter to get it out of the way, and pulling the pan straight down and out of the vehicle...Now my truck is a 2wd OHV ...Start to finish took maybe an hour and that included cleaning the pan and underbody since I was there...And the pan gasket is a metal and neoprene piece that will not leak unless you over tighten it...

I am assuming a 4wd and/OR SOHC requires more hardware to either be removed or raised out of the way...
 






I was talking 1st Gen X (its what I know).

From what I've seen though, its "more possible" to do on a 2nd gen (true IFS) front end explorer than a TTB explorer (1st gen). If the 2nd gen has a lift kit, the suspension needs to be pulled first (Turdle did this somewhat recently)

~Mark
 






On my 99 Explorer, removing the oil pan and changing the pan and oil pump was simply removing the 23 or 24 bolts in the pan, removing the starter to get it out of the way, and pulling the pan straight down and out of the vehicle...Now my truck is a 2wd OHV ...Start to finish took maybe an hour and that included cleaning the pan and underbody since I was there...And the pan gasket is a metal and neoprene piece that will not leak unless you over tighten it...

I am assuming a 4wd and/OR SOHC requires more hardware to either be removed or raised out of the way...


Really??!! I thought all the OHV's had the crossmember underneath making the oil pan gasket replacement near impossible (without unbolting the motor mounts). I have a 2000 4wd OHV. Do I have to lift the engine? If I do, do I need to remove the tranny? Exhaust manifolds? Upper intake? EGR tube?
 






I think the difference is 2wd vs. 4wd...

On my 2wd Explorer, there is a front crossmember to mount the rack and the power steering cooler.. That is under the harmonic balancer and the very front of the oil pan...From that point on, there is nothing but open space where the oil pan resides until you get back to the transmission bellhousing... The engine mounts are on the frame rails and out of the way completely as is the exhaust out of the way...

Obviuosly the 4wd has the transfer case and the front pumpkin and axles in the way of removing the pan...

I don't specifically have pics of the underside of my truck but I do have some that show the clearance under the engine... Since I will be changing a shortblock in mine this weekend I can take some better pics of the frame and the space available...
 

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Ranger, just curious as to what kind of oil and how
often it was changed on that engine? Seems like an
excessive amount of gunk built up down there....?

Did the oil pump screen clog; is that why you pulled
the pan?
 






Can't tell what type of oil was used...

I bought the Explorer with a dead oil pump and fuel pump...I pulled the fuel system supply and plumbed in a stand-alone fuel system and got the engine to run...I cannot even tell if this engines' oil and oil filter were ever changed in 151k miles...

That is when I found this engine had no oil pressure...So drop the pan and replaced the pump and screen...This is what I found when I dropped the pan...

After running the engine with oil pressure one of the rocker arms stuck down and its pushrod fell out of the top of the arm so I developed a dead miss...When I pulled the pass valve cover I found the cover full of solid sludge except for the path of the rockers...I cleaned all that out and started using synthetic oil and for the last 15 months drove the truck...

Last week I pulled the heads to replace them and replace leaking head gaskets and found 2 of the cylinders were not good or reuseable...And I also found that synthetic oil did nothing much to remove sludge buildup in this engine...

I am installing a new shortblock this weekend...
 












Ithink it would depend on the vehicle configuration...



On my 99 Explorer, removing the oil pan and changing the pan and oil pump was simply removing the 23 or 24 bolts in the pan, removing the starter to get it out of the way, and pulling the pan straight down and out of the vehicle...Now my truck is a 2wd OHV ...Start to finish took maybe an hour and that included cleaning the pan and underbody since I was there...And the pan gasket is a metal and neoprene piece that will not leak unless you over tighten it...

I am assuming a 4wd and/OR SOHC requires more hardware to either be removed or raised out of the way...

Is it really that simple? If it is, then I’m glad I have a 2wd OHV. It’s about time to change the stock gasket on my 2000, and I wouldn’t mind adding a high flow pump while the pan is off.
 






I have cut the new oil pan gasket in the past. Cut it at one of the front corners
This allows you to fish the gasket in place without having to go down and around the oil pickup
Then you just glue the gasket together at the cut corner with some permatex
It may not be the perfect way to do this, but you end up with a better repair then a old leaky gasket.
I have done this on several 4x4 Explorers both V6 and 5.0 when lifting the engine more then 2" is impossible without half way pulling the whole engine
 






î î î That is an outstanding idea!! And if you think carefully about where to cut it, (i.e. on the driver's side where the crank won't throw the oil), you can keep most of the oil away from the seam you create.
 






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