Ater 295k and 17 years, the original oil pan gasket on the 92 LC 3FE had done its time, and with both the valve cover and pushrod cover gaskets replaced, this was the last big ticket item on my quest to stop the leaks. The procedure was straight forward and not that big of a deal. Remove the tie rod, remove the DS stiffener bracket(mounts with 2 bolts to the engine block and 2 bolts to the tranny), then remove oil pan. Simple!
The tie rod was a bear to remove, however. Not only did I use a floor jack to lift upwards on the tie rod bar, I also used a tie rod puller on the tie rod, cranked down, and heated the knuckle arm till the rubber booty of the tie rod ignited, and used a BFH to pound downwards on the knuckle arm after torching. This was the trick, but I'll be replacing those tie rod ends soon. After gettting the first side loose, I snugged the nut back up, then worked on the other side of the tie rod bar. This allowed me to use the floor jack on the second side, and once that end was loose, I went back to the first side, removed the snugged down nut, and tapped out the previously loosened tie rod end. With both sides removed, I pulled the whole tie rod assembly out, giving me plenty of room to get at the oil pan bolts, and for removal/installation of the oil pan itself.
I also suggest taking the stiffener bracket off the DS before pulling the pan. I used a thin putty knife and hammer to break the gasket loose on the DS, and with the stiffener bracket removed the whole DS gasket was exposed front to back. It will also be much easier getting the pan out and back in without the bracket hanging in the way. I seperated as much of the gasket on the PS as I could, and used a bottle jack between the frame and the oil pan, moving it from the DS and PS several times to work the old gasket loose. With the bottle jack on the PS, I used a 24" wood clamp and piece of wood to clamp from the PS oil pan to the DS frame. This lower torque point worked great and the pan came right off.
Clean everthing and reassemble. Viola! I used several dabs of ultra black gasket sealant to hold the new gasket in place on the block, while i fished the pan in. This way I knew the gasket was exactly in place on the arches. Some pics for your enjoyment!
1st pic....Jacking the tie rod bar. Not shown is the tie rod puller, torch, or hammer. Hard to snap flicks with all the action going on.
2nd pic....24" clamp on PS of the oil pan, wood used to disperse pressure. Notice bottle jack in background, between frame and pan
3rd pic.....clamp on the DS frame
The tie rod was a bear to remove, however. Not only did I use a floor jack to lift upwards on the tie rod bar, I also used a tie rod puller on the tie rod, cranked down, and heated the knuckle arm till the rubber booty of the tie rod ignited, and used a BFH to pound downwards on the knuckle arm after torching. This was the trick, but I'll be replacing those tie rod ends soon. After gettting the first side loose, I snugged the nut back up, then worked on the other side of the tie rod bar. This allowed me to use the floor jack on the second side, and once that end was loose, I went back to the first side, removed the snugged down nut, and tapped out the previously loosened tie rod end. With both sides removed, I pulled the whole tie rod assembly out, giving me plenty of room to get at the oil pan bolts, and for removal/installation of the oil pan itself.
I also suggest taking the stiffener bracket off the DS before pulling the pan. I used a thin putty knife and hammer to break the gasket loose on the DS, and with the stiffener bracket removed the whole DS gasket was exposed front to back. It will also be much easier getting the pan out and back in without the bracket hanging in the way. I seperated as much of the gasket on the PS as I could, and used a bottle jack between the frame and the oil pan, moving it from the DS and PS several times to work the old gasket loose. With the bottle jack on the PS, I used a 24" wood clamp and piece of wood to clamp from the PS oil pan to the DS frame. This lower torque point worked great and the pan came right off.
Clean everthing and reassemble. Viola! I used several dabs of ultra black gasket sealant to hold the new gasket in place on the block, while i fished the pan in. This way I knew the gasket was exactly in place on the arches. Some pics for your enjoyment!
1st pic....Jacking the tie rod bar. Not shown is the tie rod puller, torch, or hammer. Hard to snap flicks with all the action going on.
2nd pic....24" clamp on PS of the oil pan, wood used to disperse pressure. Notice bottle jack in background, between frame and pan
3rd pic.....clamp on the DS frame
