3.7 oil pan removal

Good old YouTube.com would not give me a straight answer so I'm asking this wealth of info.

Can I remove and replace the oil pan on my '02, 3.7 without pulling the motor completely out ? I overheated it and dropped a valve seat so both heads are off but I need to replace the damaged piston.

Link: http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/f196/oil-pan-replacement-51572/

Really does not sound like much fun.
Mileage may vary but.. There are some videos that seem to support the idea that it can be done another way..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9-NDhQdLk

LibertyTC
Yes I had watched that one and was encouraged till I read the 1st comment.

"My exhaust was not the same on my 02. I had to remove my y pipe and Jack up the engine to all hell. I also had to cut my old one out because it's bigger then the aftermarket"

Yeah. Those pans are a pain. The gasket used is tough to get lose from the pan, gasket itself bolts to about the point of the oil pick up. Some KJ owners have said they lowered or unbolted the suspension, I dunno how well this works. On the XK (commander) there is too much crap in the way it easily get the oil pan loose.


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I would always pick it and work off of a stand. On the Cherokee w/ 4.0 I did need help aligning the trans and engine a bit, but I never pulled a 3.7. Just my .02

Conundrum2006 said:

Yeah. Those pans are a pain. The gasket used is tough to get lose from the pan, gasket itself bolts to about the point of the oil pick up. Some KJ owners have said they lowered or unbolted the suspension, I dunno how well this works. On the XK (commander) there is too much crap in the way it easily get the oil pan loose.


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Click to expand...

Aceofspades said:

I would always pick it and work off of a stand. On the Cherokee w/ 4.0 I did need help aligning the trans and engine a bit, but I never pulled a 3.7. Just my .02

Click to expand...

^^Both of these^^

The oil pan can be removed from the engine but can't really be taken out from under the engine without also removing the oil pickup - which Conundrum stated. But the oil pickup is hidden behind the windage tray/gasket. A REAL pain, so...

Your best bet is to take the engine out of the bay and put it on an engine stand. If you don't have a stand they're less than $75 at Harbor Freight. Check out my engine swap thread in the How-To section for some pics and more info :waytogo:


Bob