FJ80 3FE Oil pan removal puzzle***

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kangjinsoo

kangjinsoo

Joined
Dec 8, 2021
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california
Hey everyone,

I unbolted and broke loose my oil pan today. That was fun!

Now I am at a stalemate with the FJ! The oil pan does not seem to have the appropriate clearance to pull out from under the truck? I looked at the front cross member and it does not appear to be removable(welded). I don’t want to start ya long on it and damage the oil pan. Please help!!! I must be missing something…..

***For reference this is a ‘92 FJ80 3FE engine auto transmission combo***

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I can't speak to the 3FE but the 1FZ has the same issue in that you need to lift the engine a few inches in order to get it out.
 
I did this on a 92 years ago. All I remember undoing was the sway bar to make room. Are you lifted or stock height? I was lifted 4", so try jacking the front of the vehicle up to let the axle hang more.
 
Omg! I really hope I don’t have to lift the engine to take an oil pan off! What a pain!
I do have a 2.5” old man emu lift on the truck. I can unbolt the front sway bar but there is an additional cross member that it’s hitting not the sway bar….
 
If you don’t want to lift to create the tolerance, cut an re-weld the crossbrace.
 
ugh, thats some dumb engineering right there
 
You shouldn't need to cut anything. I don't have my 92 anymore to look but it should slide right out. It's supposed to be easier than the 1fz oil pan.

If anything loosen the engine mounts and jack the engine up a little as mentioned.
 
kangjinsoo said:
Omg! I really hope I don’t have to lift the engine to take an oil pan off! What a pain!
I do have a 2.5” old man emu lift on the truck. I can unbolt the front sway bar but there is an additional cross member that it’s hitting not the sway bar….
Click to expand...
I’m not sure how a suspension lift would matter given the cross brace and engine remain in the same positions regardless of lift.

If you can’t lift the engine you might be able to remove the tie rod or swaybar and pull it down and back behind the axle.

But again, I don’t know the 3FE, just spit balling ideas.
 
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sawzall all impediments to sucess 👍
(pro tip....dont do this)
 
Last edited:
WTF are you people cutting/welding/drilling to get the oil pan off???
None of this is necessary. Remove the front swaybar and pull the tie rod. Remove the lower front cover plate and unbolt the steering damper.
Lift the front of the truck so the suspension droops a bit. This is simple on a lift, but I've done it in my driveway as well.
OR you can remove the 2 17mm nuts on the motor mounts and put a floor jack under the engine and give it a bit of a lift. Not really a big deal.
 
jonheld said:
WTF are you people cutting/welding/drilling to get the oil pan off???
None of this is necessary. Remove the front swaybar and pull the tie rod. Remove the lower front cover plate and unbolt the steering damper.
Lift the front of the truck so the suspension droops a bit. This is simple on a lift, but I've done it in my driveway as well.
OR you can remove the 2 17mm nuts on the motor mounts and put a floor jack under the engine and give it a bit of a lift. Not really a big deal.
Click to expand...
LOL!!!
 
Rather than berating all the "cut it" suggestions as Jon did, I will assume you are all joking. Please tell me you are joking. If you are not, please never offer advise on Mud again.

Unbolt the sway bar from the frame. Remove the tie rod. Unbolt the fan shroud from the radiator. Unbolt the motor mounts from the frame. Lift the motor a couple of inches. Lifting just one side while the other still rests on the frame will usually do it. My preference is to use an engine hoist and lift from above rather than trying to mess with a jack from below while I am down there pulling the pan off (never even tried to do it that way actually).

It has been a long time since I had need to pull a 3F pan off the engine insitu in an '80, so I will not definitively state that you have to lift the engine. You do in the 1FZ powered rigs and my memory is that you do in the 3F powered rigs too.

Mark...
 
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And make sure you use the OEM 1 piece cork gasket 12151-61011 after cleaning the mating surfaces with scotchbrite followed by acetone. No FIPG is used.
You should spend some quality time cleaning the front and rear arches (bearing caps), as these are prone to leaking. The rear arch is often misdiagnosed as a rear main seal leak. The rear is a PITA to get clean with the transmission mounted.
The 22 bolts should be snugged in a circular pattern to 69 INCH lbs.
I typically use a 1/4" drive ratchet and go round and round until I see the cork gasket just start to deform.
 
Mark W said:
Rather than berating all the "cut it" suggestions as Jon did, I will assume you are all joking. Please tell me you are joking. If you are not, please never offer advise on Mud again.

Unbolt the sway bar from the frame. Remove the tie rod. Unbolt the fan shroud from the radiator. Unbolt the motor mounts from the frame. Lift the motor a couple of inches. Lifting just one side while the other still rests on the frame will usually do it. My preference is to use an engine hoist and lift from above rather than trying to mess with a jack from below while I am done there pulling the pan off (never even tried to do it that way actually).

It has been a long time since I had need to pull a 3F pan off the engine insitu in an '80, so I will not definitively state that you have to lift the engine. You do in the 1FZ powered rigs and my memory is that you do in the 3F powered rigs too.

Mark...
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
jonheld said:
And make sure you use the OEM 1 piece cork gasket 12151-61011 after cleaning the mating surfaces with scotchbrite followed by acetone. No FIPG is used.
You should spend some quality time cleaning the front and rear arches (bearing caps), as these are prone to leaking. The rear arch is often misdiagnosed as a rear main seal leak. The rear is a PITA to get clean with the transmission mounted.
The 22 bolts should be snugged in a circular pattern to 69 INCH lbs.
I typically use a 1/4" drive ratchet and go round and round until I see the cork gasket just start to deform.
Click to expand...
I am partial to using a thin coat of silicon sealant between the gasket and the block. Not for any real sealing benefit, but after removing more than my share of original oil pan gaskets that had been cooked into the pores of the iron over the years, I don't ever want to have to fight that fight if I can avoid it. The silicon will keep the cork for mating to the iron with the insane adhesion that the bare cork will develop. Hopefully once the oil pan gasket is replaced during a rebuild or whatever, it will not need to be removed for another couple of decades and another 300K miles. ;)

But when it does, I know it will come off with a lot less battle.

I always just snug the bolts enough to get consistent contact all the way around the pan and then let it sit that way for at least a couple hours (over night even better) before torquing it all down. Otherwise the silicon can encourage the gasket to want to slip as you squeeze it. This can make it more likely for the cork to split.

I expect this is not anything new to Jon, but for anyone else reading this thread who has not done a few of these...


Mark...
 
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