easier pan removal
 

Just removed my pan without removing the subframe.
It might be necessary for you to have a downpipe, as it's
a tight fit.
I used the proceedure everybody else does except I
removed the turbo control actuator and the 2 oil cooler
lines.
The trick is, after removing all the pan bolts, let the pan
drop to the subframe and then turn the pan 45 deg.
clockwise, until the drain plug is facing the front of the car. You now cleared the pickup tube and can move the pan to the right, then back thru the gap between the
subframe and downpipe.
I put the silicone on the engine and not the pan, so I
didn't make a mess squeezing the pan back in. (It's a
very tight fit). I didn't use a gasket.
Remember to raise the engine as much as possible.

Jack

I'd rather pull the motor. That seems to take me 30 to 45 minutes tops.

Good for you! :rolleyes: For the majority of us, pulling the motor requires a great deal more time, effort and equipment. It's not something many of us want to make a habit of.

jagwrjack - Great info! Thanks for the tip. This may come in handy someday.

Rob

nope, you pull the motor for pretty much everything. After a while it's like changing tires....
ex:Q- You need to clean the spark plugs?
A- Pull the motor.

hahaha

oops, i spill some oil

pull the motor to clean

Yep, I can't pull a motor in 45 mins but I got it down to 120mins HeHe!

-JP

If you are removing a factory installed oilpan, it is a very, very good idea to clean out the oil pan mounting holes in the engine with a tap. That is pretty much possible to do that without dropping the subframe.

If you are worried about leaking (and you should be), you might consider dimpling the block (do a search). You need to drop the subframe to do that.

You don't need to remove the subframe. Just unbolt it from the frame and lower it a few inches. Maybe unbolt the rack and the shocks.

I am worried that dropping the subframe will affect alignment. Is there any play in the subframe to chassis bolts?-meaning are the holes in the subframe about the size of the bolts or are they large enough to allow for some movement of the subframe left to right, front to back prior to tightening them down?

Here's an additional subframe option:

To eliminate any alignment change, unbolt only the rear two subframe bolts and pry the subframe down about 1/4." It is flexible enough to do that, and that gave me the clearance I needed to get the pan out.

I also pulled off the turbo actuator to get more room.

Here, also are some tips that should give a better installation:

1) I dimpled the pan (with a center punch) only, and made sure the areas around each bolt hole were well-dimpled. That will help lock the pan in place as the raised dimples dig into the aluminum sections of the block. I did not dimple the block.

3) I attached motor-mounts and torqued the mount bolts while the silicone (no gasket) was still uncured. If you wait untill the silicone is cured before torquing these, then the mounts are bolted in place with a layer of silicone between the pan and the block. This will lead to the motor mount bolts working loose, the same as what happens with a gasket in between.

Otherwise, I did as jagwrjack (1st post in this thread) indicated.

:bigthumb:

A couple more things that I forgot...
 

Additional notes:

Make a couple of ~3/4" long threaded rods, and, after applying the silicone sealant to the block, screw the rods into two of the holes in the bottom of the block near the front (I used two holes in the steel sections) and leave about 1/2" protruding. This will help guide the pan into the proper position while you are starting the bolts and hopefully prevent screwing up the bead of sealant that you just applied. Obviously, remove these rods and replace them with the last 2 bolts after the rest of the bolts are in place.

I used 1/4" hardened SAE washers under the bolt heads to spread the load and get good pan pressure so the dimples would be pressed firmly into the block. I also prepared for putting in the bolts by placing them head down (with the hardened washers in place) on reversed duct-tape wrapped around a piece of wood so I could grab them and install them with a minimum of fumbling. I then torqued the bolts in 3 stages to 8 ft-lbs.