Oil Pan Leak

[4tiresngas]

Okay, I have a leak around my oil pan. I'm not sure exactly where it is coming from, but I wantv to get it fixed ASAP.

1) Can I pull the pan with the motor still in or by loosen the mounts and lifting it slightly with a hoist?

2) Someone had mentioned a one-piece gasket kit for an oil pan before. Where can i buy one of these and do they work well? I can just imagine it being a real pain to get the front and rear seals in place while the motor is still in the truck.

Thanks for any advise.

[Longhorn Man]

I've never been able to do a 2 wheel drive oil pan in the truck...at least, not the right way.
I dropped a pan down 4 inches once, and scraped the gasket... but wayyyyy too much gasket ended up IN the pan.
Road side repairs on long trips really suck.

[76bonanza]

Is it a bad leak?

[4tiresngas]

&6bonanza, it is not real bad. I do park my 69 SWB Step in the garage. The 2004 Dodge Ram Quad Cab gets parked in the dirt across the street. I'd just like to have it with no leaks if possible.

[Longhorn Man]

I don't know if you have done this yet... but MANY valve cover leaks, and rear intake leaks are blamed in the oil pan... These are both 10 times easier to repair... may be worth a look.

[76bonanza]

I hear ya but from my small dealings (only three old chevys so far) A small leak is sometimes as good as it gets. What do they say if it aint leaking it aint a chevy.. Anyway good luck, I work on fort leonard wood mo if you ever get down here look me up.

[super72bb]

Hey Dan,

I installed a one peice gasket on my 350. The truck I changed it in is a 1972 4x4 1/2 ton. I must say that it was not hard at all, just labor intensive. I was able to remove the motor mount bolts and jack the motor up. The difference with the 4x4 is that the cross member under the pan is easy enough to remove. I was able to unbolt it and slide it forward enough to remove the pan. I do not know if it is possible on a 2wd truck.

If you find that it is possible, I can tell you that the one peice gasket kit is the way to go. I purchased it at a local parts supply place. The kit is made by Fel Pro. It is a bit on the pricey side but well worth it if you are doing this job in the vehicle. In fact I think that is what this kit is designed for.

If you are able to get the pan off in the truck then it is just a matter of cleaning off the old gaskets. Ensure that you use a de greaser on the bottom of the block. I used some brake clean on a rag and wiped it all down. Fel Pro recommended a small amount of high temp silicon in the corners around the rear main block and the timing cover. Also a good idea to make double sure that your pan gasket surface is nice and straight. Often if the pan has been off before it will have high spots around the bolt holes. If needed tap them down so they are at or just slightly below the pan gasket surface. The kit comes with 4 plastic studs that thread into the bottom of the block. You just slip the gasket into place over the plastic studs and then the pan. Once you have it in place just put all your bolts in and remove the 4 plastic studs and you are away.

I replaced the gasket about 6 months ago and not a drop of oil since.

Curt

[67-72williso]

You can get the pan off of a 2WD with the moter in place. But it`s close and the key is having the front journal of the crank turned just rite. I just replaced the one in my truck three weeks ago with the 1 piece gasket. The 1 piece gaskets really seam to work well, no silicon in the corners either.
Later Willis

[70GMCer]

Pretty much everything "super72bb" said and it is probably easier to drop the pan on a 2wd, as mine is 2wd. It just so happens that I'm at the end of doing my pan gasket change. I didn't have a leak though, as I had to change the oil pump. This is the 1st time I have used the 1 piece gasket, and will use them from now on. It is on the pricey side, but well worth it. I paid $25.00 at Auto Zone. See the picture for the part number.

The only hard part to doing this job, is when it comes time to put the motor mount bolts back in. And that's not saying it's that hard. Look at my pictures as far as how high you jack the engine up. I didn't use a lift. I used a floor jack with a 4X4 piece of wood placed under the pan. It doesn't have to be a 4X4 piece of wood, just something that will hold the weight of the engine. Make sure that what ever you're using, is placed on the outer edges of the pan, as it will dent the pan in if you don't.

The following is what I did before lifting the engine.....

1st, make sure that the timing mark on the balancer is pointed in the down position (or at 6 O'clock). Don't pass this step by, as the oil pan will fight you coming out. Remove both engine mount bolts, then the top bolts holding the fan shroud so that the shroud moves up with the engine. If you have an auto trans w/column shift, put it in neutral, and make sure you chalk up the back wheels so that the truck doesn't move on you and use the E-Brake if you have one. Same goes with a manual column shift trans. Most truck and auto manuals say to remove the distributor cap. I didn't have to do that, as I had plenty of firewall room and I use a HEI dizzy. A big block dizzy cap might have to be removed though.

You don't have to bother with taking off any hoses or lines, as they all move when lifting the engine.

The only other thing I had to move out of the way, was the starter in order to get to the pan bolts on the one side. Also, if it is an auto trans, you have to remove the bottom bell housing cover (4 bolts).

As you can see in the pics, I only had to raise it about 3" and then placed 2X4under the engine mounts to support the engine. Now lower the floor jack and move it out of the way. As soon as you remove all the pan bolts, the pan will just slip right out. No fighting it at all. You might have to pry on the oil pan with a putty knife to loosen the old gasket.

Follow the instructions that come with the gasket kit, and just reverse the process to complete. MAKE SURE you clean everything, including the inside of the oil pan.

Again, this is an easy fix and only takes a few hours to do!!!

Hope this helps you out......

Steve

[70c10]

Nice write up Steve!. Your engine looks great. I need a new pan and gasket also.

[4tiresngas]

Hey Steve and everyone else, thanks for the input. I think I will give the one piece gasket a try. I'll do it at the post auto craft shop, so I gan use their engine hoist. I was trying to find a new oil pan online at Auto Zone or Kragen, but have not found anything but chrome ones. The craft shop does not allow any painting on the premises so I can't really pull mine off and clean it up the way I would want to. I thought if I could find a a new OEM type one, I could go ahead and paint it and make the swap.

I replaced the transmission pan gasket a while back and it seems to still leak just a little. I think it ids because the pan was so wacked. I'm considering a chrome pan for that. But, that's really not my priority right now. It's just damp, not dripping like the oil pan.

Thanks again.

[70GMCer]

I just completed this project and took the truck for a test drive. No leaks from the pan area. So, it does work!! And my oil pressure problems are solved also.

Dan, Auto Zone shows one on line for $58.00, but you would have to order it. The part number is "GMP08A". Might try a local junk yard. Any early 350 would work. The only other place that I know of would be the Chevy dealer. That would be a big price. I know you can get them on Ebay. I'm not one for the chrome ones. Hard to keep clean and starts to rust.

[PanelDeland]

I don't see what the fuss is all about,
"She's just markin her spot!"

[76bonanza]

I agree I figure if I put a new quart of oil in once a month I dont have to change it.

[70GMCer]

Yeh Jim....get this gasket for sure.......

[Long Roof]

I did this exact replacement on my 86 4x4 sub. Piece of cake on the 4x4, remove the starter and tranny bottom cover and unbolt.

I also used the one piece gasket from felpro. I had to buy a new pan also and the damn gasket cost more than the pan. BUT, I will never use anything but a one piece gasket ever again. Fit great with no leaks!

By the way my rusted pan was leaking a quart a week. Now thats what you call an auto oil change.

Aaron

[truckdude239]

Originally Posted by 4tiresngas

Hey Steve and everyone else, thanks for the input. I think I will give the one piece gasket a try. I'll do it at the post auto craft shop, so I gan use their engine hoist. I was trying to find a new oil pan online at Auto Zone or Kragen, but have not found anything but chrome ones. The craft shop does not allow any painting on the premises so I can't really pull mine off and clean it up the way I would want to. I thought if I could find a a new OEM type one, I could go ahead and paint it and make the swap.

I replaced the transmission pan gasket a while back and it seems to still leak just a little. I think it ids because the pan was so wacked. I'm considering a chrome pan for that. But, that's really not my priority right now. It's just damp, not dripping like the oil pan.

Thanks again.

got mine at summit for 40 buxs chrome

[OLDIRON69]

Summit and JUGS.. I'm mean Jegs sells a steel OE style pan for $20 and it is a good pan. It is orange or bare, what ever you want, just a couple bucks different.

[grayw0lf]

I just did this last night on my '70 2wd. The old gasket was rubber & came off nicely in 1 piece, so I didn't need to remove the oil pan.

I was able to replace it w/o having to lift the engine at all. It was tight, but not too bad.

Although, ask me again tomorrow, after I see how well it sealed.

[2bits]

I've always heard that a chrome oil/timing cover tends to not seal as well. I don't have any bad experiences with an oil pan, but never had a chrome one either, but it makes sense given the texture of chrome. Just tossing that out there.