Engine oil pan gasket replacement

[vlad588]

I’m looking to replace oil pan gasket on my 2003 Liberty 3.7, and i’m trying to gauge if it a diy job or not. Reading some post here it seems like engine needs to be lifted a bit to get to it, yet on youtube there are videos of people just undoing pickup tube with oil pan sitting on the cross member and removing it that way without ever lifting the engine. So i’m just wondering has anyone here done one and can confirm that it is indeed possible to replace the gasket without lifting the engine and dismantling all of the front suspension and diff?

 

[Willonious]

It's definitely DIY, but not the easiest job. There are a few different ways to go about it. I just did mine recently using the following procedure:

1. Drive onto oil change ramps.
2. Remove Front drive shaft.
3. Remove flywheel cover from transmission.
4. Loosen two engine mount bolts, do not remove. Make sure they can easily slide up, off the mounts.
5. Lift the engine using preferred method. I used a 2x4 "T" placed in front of the oil pan and my floor jack. You should get a few inches of clearance.
6. Remove the two rear most engine cradle bolts. this will lower the front diff several more inches. you will now have enough clearance to remove\replace the oil pan from the rear of the front axle.
8. The gasket/windage tray is one piece and has two bolts under the oil pan, you will also have to remove the pickup tube to remove the oil pan by removing the bolt where it goes into the block.

Watch the videos on you tube and you will see variations of this method, along with some people that pull the front diff.

 

[vlad588]

It's definitely DIY, but not the easiest job. There are a few different ways to go about it. I just did mine recently using the following procedure:

1. Drive onto oil change ramps.
2. Remove Front drive shaft.
3. Remove flywheel cover from transmission.
4. Loosen two engine mount bolts, do not remove. Make sure they can easily slide up, off the mounts.
5. Lift the engine using preferred method. I used a 2x4 "T" placed in front of the oil pan and my floor jack. You should get a few inches of clearance.
6. Remove the two rear most engine cradle bolts. this will lower the front diff several more inches. you will now have enough clearance to remove\replace the oil pan from the rear of the front axle.
8. The gasket/windage tray is one piece and has two bolts under the oil pan, you will also have to remove the pickup tube to remove the oil pan by removing the bolt where it goes into the block.

Watch the videos on you tube and you will see variations of this method, along with some people that pull the front diff.

The engine lifting part is the one that scares me a bit. Can you give a bit more detail on where you place 2x4? Thanks

 

[MKnight318]

I just did mine this weekend. Non 4x4 so I didn't have to mess with the front driveshafts. I will say this mine had the gasket stuck on there like all do. It was a pain in the ass. I resorted to a propane torch to heat/melt a portion of the gasket but applying the flame to the flange of the oil pain. Once it melted some in one spot I slid a pick in and then a pry bar to work around the edge of the flange separating it from the gasket. It worked great and fast, I wish I had thought of it first. would have saved me an hour or more. Everything else was straightforward. I bought a new pan and gasket for about $120. The work alone that it would have taken to clean up the pan made it worth buying a new one since they were so cheap.

 

[Willonious]

This is what I used to raise the engine. There's a lip in front of the oil pan that the 2x4 pushes up on

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[blackhawk]

I helped a friend to do this and frankly quite it's a hard job. It was a 2wd.

 

[Willonious]

I helped a friend to do this and frankly quite it's a hard job. It was a 2wd.

2wd is a cake walk. No front diff in the way. I'm about to do it again on the rusty 4x4 manual I just picked up. I'm thinking this time it'll take maybe 4 hours plus however much bullshitting I do along the way.

 

[Willonious]

Update: Doing another 4x4 right now. No need to remove front drive shaft.

 

[vlad588]

Update: Doing another 4x4 right now. No need to remove front drive sha

I’ll have to build myself one of those 2x4 and attempt this. Sounds like it a doable diy job.

 

[Willonious]

I’ll have to build myself one of those 2x4 and attempt this. Sounds like it a doable diy job.

The hardest part is separating the gasket from the pan, as it has to be done with everything in the way. All I can say is don't give up. I just finished (except for reinstalling the flywheel cover) in about 5 hours start to finish, by myself, on a dirt driveway with cardboard to move around on.