LB 2L Oil Pan Gasket Change

[Jim Fierst]

Assuming the car is on a rack is it possible to change the pan gasket?? Who has actually done it?My LBZ is leaking like a sieve

[Wallace]

I've heard that it is . . so long as you can drop the sump by 1/2" or so, it should theoretically be possible to slide a new gasket in . . it might be a bugger to get all of the old one off . .and I've also heard bad things about using any kind of sealant as it can get into the oilways and block them !

But no - I've never done it !!!!!!!

[SubGothius]

IIRC, Allen and/or Jim K. have done this and once had some advice to share... Poke around the archives here or in the lanciabeta Yahoo!Group (http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/lanciabeta) if one o'those gents doesn't pipe up here soon. ;)

[Jim Keller]

My hard drive failed and I have to use my daughters computer till my computer engineer brother gets mine back, so I am having problems sending emails ??? but I am getting them :D sorry for not replying direct to you Jim.

Nope, never done one in a car but I have heard tell, it is possible. I do know you will have to drop the pan so far then reach in and unbolt the oil pump to do it in the car because you have to turn the oil pan to get it off the pump while bolted to the motor and there isn't enough room to do that with the frame surrounding it from what I have read :-\

[Jim Fierst]

Thanks All, I checked the archives and doidn't find anything before I posted, Allen L got back to me and he did his on the garage floor and had to raise the engine above the frame to get the pan off. I am betting it will come out the bottom and have a session on the rack to do an assement with my local shop.
It is leaking so bad around the pan gasket. I will post the results when it is complete.

[DJ]

Geez, Jim.

It's just one thing after the other with that car. You should have bought from a more reliable source. ;)

[Will]

Try cutting the gasket right through a bolt hole, then wrap it around and gob up the ends with some RTV after cleaning the sump pan and block flange with acetone,and clamp them with the bolt, let it cure overnight.

This has worked on my Fords that have the same issue with the trapped pan and the oil pump being too deep to snake the gasket around.

You'll also want to make sure the breather/cyclonic trap exit hose is clear and unkinked, any additional crankcase pressure is going to hurt your chances of sucess.

Yeah it's a kludge fix, but it works on my trucks and if you've ever tried to jack up and block the motor mounts of a 5L so you can sneak the pan out over that I-beam they use for the front suspension on F-250s and 350's then you'd immediately recognise the merits of this approach. Add a transfer case in there and trying to do it on your back, and it makes a LBZ on a lift look like a walk in the proverbial park!



Good luck with it.

-Will

[Wallace]

You could probably jack the engine up a bit on its mounts (block of wood / jack under the gear box or front pulley ?) Don't over do it though and tear the rubber !

[Jim Keller]

Don't jack it up without un-bolting the motor mounts! they are very, very! easy to un-bolt, no reason to over stress a rare and difficult to obtain motor mount