oil pan gasket question
 

how possible is it to pull the oil pan just by raising the engine till the trans. hits the tunnel, without dropping the subframe?

not possible

i dont know..but mines leakin and the warranty company BETTER pay for it.. :)

you have intake, exhaust, and blow off valve....they are going to deny your warranty :)

i've read many write-ups and some said its easily done and other say impossible

if the subframe is dropped do i have to remove the oil cooler piping?

*power steering, yes*

Dropping the subframe is a pain but less of a pain than pulling the engine. No you do not need to remove the oil cooler piping.

Be carefull pulling oil pan, I bent the shit out of mine had to replace it

its off. ;)

My oil pan has been leaking for almost a year now.... had it fix xx # of times. It always come back after a week or so. There's a trail of oil from the entrance of my neighborhood, up the driveway, and into the garage :mad:
I just ordered a new pan & gasket from Malloy for $120.57 (not sure if that was w or w/o shipping).
Not a bad price.....

I've heard of it being done by having the engine raised but its not fun very tight and is likely to still leak. I personally think thats a crap job to do it that way. If your going to change the pan do it right. I would remove the subframe to do it. Just suck it up, spend a half a day and getter done!

And perhaps most importantly, DO NOt use a gasket, rather use a GOOD silicone sealant, like Hondabond. Further, make SURE there is no oil on the pan rail when you place the sealant on it. Best to clean the surface with acetone before applying the sealant. Motor mounts too, and make sure on those you clean to old selant if there is any, AND clean out the bolt holes (so the pressure doesn't split the rear plate as you thread the bolts).

Heres a good link to some ideas that might help you seal it up and keep it from leaking


here

i've heard that permatex has some stuff called "the right stuff for imports" that works wonders on oil pans. i used the normal orange sealant and it holds up decent. i've got a couple leaks around my motor mounts

i concur

so does everyone agree on no factory gasket.

also can i get a list of what needs to be removed to drop the subframe, again i read tons of different statements, of which none are the same.

yes, no factory gasket

My mechanic does not use a gasket , does use Honda bond . The Honda bond needs 3 days cure time . If a customer can not leave the car 3 days he will not do the job .

honda bond is not a good choice for this oil pan, stiffer and stronger silicones are not the answer, in fact it's a step in the wrong direction

you want something that will not move and self lubricate creating leaks, that's why this link is a good technique to elimiate this from occurring

the best sealant to use is mazda's own, if you call malloy they know the part number, i do not have it on hand

i'm sure honda bond works great on <400hp cars with OEM motor mounts or torque bracing, but when you run a true high horsepower system with solid mounts, you'll want something with some "give"

I have actually heard that there is a metal aftermarket oil pan gasket available for the FD. Has anyone had any experience with it? I am not sure, but I believe it is available thru Baker Products.

any info on a link to a metal oil pan gasket would be appreciated, i've search but i couldnt find any thing

I checked Baker Precision and I did not see it listed there. I do know there is one; saw the scoop on it 8-10 months ago and cannot remember who made it. Someone on here should know. Come on guys!

No way it can be done properly without dropping the subframe. Period.

Helpful hints:

The engine MUST be suspended from above with an engine hoist or similar - you need to pull it up until the tranny hits the bottom of the body. This clearance is required in order to access everything. It is also a good idea to brace the tranny from underneath for safety and to avoid putting stress on all components. Once the subframe is off the entire engine and tranny needs to have firm support - or you'll end up trashing the car or killing yourself.

The whole outcome of the job depends on how well you clean everything - especially ALL the bolt holes with a couple of different sized cylindrical wire brushes that you can pick up at plumbing specialty stores. You MUST clean all the bolt holes completely and then spray/rinse them with solvent to get them completely free of any debris. This allows them to be re-torqued evenly. Using minimal pressure on the oil pan bolts is adequate to seat them firmly.
If you overtighten them you will have a leak.
You MUST use a quality torque wrench to set the 6 engine mount bolts. DO NOT PUT SEALANT ON THE BOLTS!! Where this came from is beyond me.

You MUST scrape the oil pan and mounting surfaces with a razor blade to remove all of the old sealant. A Nylox blue cupped rotary brush on the end a drill is a big help to clean the bottom of the engine surface.

Everything MUST be cleaned with Acetone or Alcohol to remove ALL traces of oil. Do it 3 times or until your rag is completely clean after wiping.

The repair manual has specific instructions on the pry points for removal of the oil pan without damaging it - it is very fragile and prone to bending if you are not gentle and take your time when removing it.

I recommend using a gasket and sealant just like the repair manual shows - and so does Ray at Malloy.
I prefer "The Right Stuff" from Permatex - it does not require ANY cure time but leaving it over night will not hurt.

When you remove the steering gear from the subframe mark the postion of the alignment plates with a sharp punch on both sides of each indicator before you take it apart - you can avoid having to pay for a new alignment after you put it back together.

Clean ALL bolt threads completely before re-assembly and put a drop of oil on each bolt so that it does not hang up when you re-torque everything.

This is a monster job and if you don't do it right the first time you get to do it ALL over again.

This job ranks right up there with vacuum hose replacement. If you are not willing to take your time and have some serious tools and mechanical aptitude you are MUCH better off having someone do it for you.

Just make sure they have a WRITTEN WARRANTY on their labor - 'cause that's what you get to pay for on this job.

Have fun! :) (Did I mention to clean everything?) :eek:

for a possible solution (in the case of no gasket) do you think i can place copper crush rings around all of the bolt holes to give me an even spacing all the way around?

***comments***

Nope.

Sure would be nice if it was this easy.:D

well here's the deal i have a gasket, but from most people this seems to be the biggest point of failure. so i just wanna make sure that the use of the gasket will be the best solution, and more often then not the anwser is or has been no.

Use the gasket and sealant - exactly like it shows in the repair manual. Or believe all the amateurs and don't....

You DO have the repair manual - right?