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Hey Folks-
finally dealing with persistent oil weep and want to replace Pan gasket.
Center steering Link runs across middle of oil pan. Wondering which bits or where to disconnect steering components to clear for pan drop.
Any one done this that can offer tips?
I'm not certain it can be done in the car to be honest. I've always removed the engine to do an oil pan and front cover reseal job. More so because of the thrust washers on the eccentric shaft. There was never a gasket on the oil pan when the engine was built. Mazda used a light grey RTV type sealant. Very good stuff. I had been buying it from the dealer for resealing my oil pans. With that said, you will want to ensure that both surfaces are clean and dry. May be difficult with the engine in the car.
Have you considered raising the engine up slightly off the mounts with a hoist to see if you have adequate room? Might be a bit of work, but if you don't want to pull the engine, it might be a viable option. Never tried it before. It would have to be raised enough that the oil pan could be slid towards the rear of the car and the sump will have to clear the suspension. Might be a tight job.
the shop manual has you pull the center link, off the top it is tight on the front. it would be easy on a lift, on your back its kind of upside down and backwards
I've done this on my old GSL-SE and I used an engine hoist, disconnected the front cover mount and the idler arm from the passenger side. It's just a couple of inches of clearance but do-able. It does get tricky to get around the oil pickup
I'm a fan of using the Banzai oil pan studs but don't think they offer enough clearance to R&R the oil pan with them. If I did it again, I think I'll remove the shifter cover, trans cross member, and front cover cross member and use a engine hoist.
Last edited by KansasCityREPU; Nov 11, 2018 at 07:24 PM.
unbolt the front cover, unbolt the idler arm, raise the motor via bellhousing with a wood block on top of the floor jack. use 1/4" ratchet and 10'm socket
You will need patience and get everything ready to go on the reinstall. I did the removal of engine mounts, jack it up and dropped the center link. It's very tight, but I think better than getting a hoist and remove lots of other bits.
Many thanks Gents:
I was thinking that the center link would need to move away somehow. Not sure just disconnecting the Idler assy will be enough? I wonder if I need to disconnect the center link at the Idler so I get more motion range, or even disconnect idler AND INNER tie-rod (on Pass/Rt), so center link will pivot away from the pan towards the driver side (pic). Too much?
I like the idea of raising the engine off the fr. mounts by jacking up at TX bell-housing. I know I can raise it up till it touches the TX tunnel
And I WOULD like to install a stud kit as well.
Anyone have anything to add?
OOP - well, bugger. The photo won't load...
Stu Aull
(leaky) 80GS
AZ
Removing the steering components isn't for me on this job. Personally I would rather remove the engine and ensure the surfaces are clean and dry and have plenty of working room. There may be other issues you would want to address while the engine is out as well such as cleaning of the engine bay, clutch replacement, front cover gasket, engine cleaning etc. Might be worth it just to remove the engine in my opinion. It can be removed in about an hour so no big deal if you go that route.
no need to remove the centerlink. you will have plenty of room with the idler arm unbolted from the passenger side frame. another trick is to have a couple of long 10mm bolts with head cut-off and slotted. you can use then as a stud to line up the oil pan during installation and use a flathead screwseiver to remove the temp studs
Last edited by Siraniko; Nov 12, 2018 at 09:25 AM.
Pic of what i thought I might need to do.
But consensus seems to be that just the idler arm disconnected from the frame will allow enough range to pull the suspension and clear the Pan.
Some great tips here. Many thanks!!
no need to remove the centerlink. you will have plenty of room with the idler arm unbolted from the passenger side frame. another trick is to have a couple of long 10mm bolts with head cut-off and slotted. you can use then as a stud to line up the oil pan during installation and use a flathead screwseiver to remove the temp studs
BTW, I've noticed that you seem to have a habit of posting the same questions in multiple threads. A single thread topic is normally enough and helps keeping things consolidated.
My answer to your question, Yes you can disconnect the motor mounts and raise the engine. Personally, I just take out the 2 bolts that hold the Idler arm to the body. You can rotate the idler and center link down and gain enough clearance to remove the pan. A couple times, I've also had to remove the 2 bolts that hold the pickup tube to the bottom of the keg to get enough clearance. Either way, you need to twist the pan and finagle it around to get it off, but it does come. Here's another thread that asked this same question with other responses on the topic.
Banzai.....THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Just disconnected the idler arm from the frame and BOOM!! Oil Pan came right out and cleared the oil pick up easily!!! Thanks again!!
Glad it worked out. Not sure why, but some cars have more or less clearance when doing it that way. Like I said, the work around is to reach above the pan once loose and remove the pickup tube.
