How I changed the oil pan gasket (the easy way?)

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Loggato

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To start off, It's NOT easy, but I was able to change the oil pan gasket (windage tray) without removing the front axle/crossmember or removing the engine. The one thing I did do was lift up the passenger side of the engine as far as it would go and that was enough to move the oil pan around to get at the 3 bolts holding the gasket on.

So let me start by saying this whole job was a bitter one, because roughly a month ago the engine was out of the Jeep, and for some reason changing the oil pan gasket just never crossed my mind... nor did I expect it to leak so bad or be so difficult to replace!

So the basics are:
1. remove lower transmission bracket
2. undo oil pan bolts
3. loosen passenger side engine mount bolt
4. raise that side of engine (I used an engine hoist and small strap to the exhaust manifold)
5. using 13mm socket on 2" extension, I was able to undo the pickup tube bolt from the front of the engine, reaching over the steering rack and under the harmonic balancer (from under the vehicle).
6. use fingers to further unscrew that bolt and pull it out.
7. move oil pan left to right to gain access to the 2 rear pickup tube bolts. I used a 13mm wrench on those. the pan moves forward about 6" which really helps get to these.
8. pry gasket from pan, and gasket wiggles out through the front. there Is just enough room. you will have to rotate the gasket once it is out to fit it under the radiator and then remove it from under the vehicle.
9. assembly is reverse of removal

at this point, I was unable to remove all the excess gasket material from the oil pan, so to counter this, I added a bead of gasket maker. hopefully it does the trick. when tightening the windage try, use a couple of oil pant bolts to hold the edges in place, or the holes will be misaligned when you put the pan back on.

big note: it's very tricky. but doable. there is a big advantage to reaching over the steering rack from the very front of the engine, especially when getting the pickup tube back in place. once you get an idea of how far the oil pan can move out of the way, it really helps.

hope this comes in handy for someone!
 

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