How to Change an Oil Pan Gasket

This is a general overview of how to change an oil pan gasket. While this procedure will be different for all of the different types of vehicles, the same basic principle applies.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Air compressor (not necessary, but extremely helpful)
• Ratchet
• Sockets
• Flat head screwdriver
• New oil pan gasket, or Toyota FIPG (Form In Place Gasket) Seal Packing
• Shop rags
• New oil
• Jack
• Jack Stands

1. 
   Car on jack stands.

   First you need to park the vehicle on a flat, firm, level surface. Put the vehicle in Park (automatic), or reverse/first (manual). It is also a good idea to put a brick or block of wood behind the rear tires. You can never be too careful when working on a vehicle. Now jack the front of the vehicle up, and then lower it onto jack stands. Make sure that you have enough room to crawl under the vehicle and work, and that the vehicle has cooled enough for you to work on it.

2. 
   Drain oil into drain pan.

   Now drain the oil into a drain pan. From this point on the steps vary depending on the vehicles make and model. Take a look around. Find out what is in the way of you removing the oil pan. On many vehicles the exhaust runs under the oil pan, on others there may have a cross member in the way, or brackets that will hinder oil pan removal. These parts need to be removed. The exhaust nuts/bolts will most likely be rusted. It is best to spray them with penetrating oil. You can use WD-40, PB Blaster, Deep Creep, or something similar. After you have sprayed all of the nuts/bolts, let the penetrating oil soak in for about 10 minutes. Now remove the exhaust pipe that runs under the oil pan. The catalytic converter may, or may not be in the piece that you have to remove. If you have to remove a cross member, simply unbolt it and set it to the side, it is best to mark which side is the front, as some will only go on one way.

3. Now that you have clear access to the oil pan, check to see if there are any hoses attached to it. If there are, remove the hose. The hose may be attached using hose clamps or a pinch clamp. Using the appropriate size socket, begin to remove the oil pan bolts. A swivel socket will make this a lot easier. Once you have all of the bolts out, most likely the oil pan will not fall off, and you will have to pry it off. You need to be very careful when prying on the oil pan. Most likely it is made of fairly thin aluminum, and it will bend easily. You also do not want to scratch the block, as this will make it harder to get a good seal. If you have a "soft" hammer, (rubber mallet, plastic dead blow hammer) you can GENTLY tap on the side of the oil pan to see if it will fall off. DO NOT hit the oil pan hard or you will dent it. Another method is to use a flat head screwdriver and a hammer to pop the oil pan off. Carefully insert the screwdriver between the oil pan and the block as far as you can. Try to twist the screwdriver to pry the oil pan away from the block. Keep doing this around the oil pan and it will eventually pop off. Note that there will be some oil remaining in the oil pan. Take care when you remove it to not splash the oil everywhere.

4. 
   Oil pan gasket.

   Now that you have the oil pan removed, inspect it. Are there any dents? Did you strike gold/silver? (Are there metal flakes in the bottom of the oil pan?) A small amount of metal flakes are to be expected in a vehicle with some age on it. This is from all of the metal parts that rub against each other. However, too much is a sign that you may have far bigger problems. You now need to clean off the old gasket from the oil pan, and the bottom of the engine block. Your vehicle may or may not have a gasket on it. Some vehicles do not use a gasket, they instead use some type of sealant. I prefer to use a scraper/putty knife to scrape the oil pan/block. Once you have cleaned the oil pan and engine block, take a shop towel and wipe them down. They need to be dry when you install the new gasket.

5. 
   Oil pan.

   If your vehicle has/you choose to use a gasket, lay the new gasket on the oil pan and make sure that it is the correct one for your vehicle. As always, factory parts are best. After all, who knows your vehicle better than the people that made it. To make things easier lining up the gasket with the holes both on the oil pan and the engine, you can insert a bolt through each side of the oil pan and gasket and then start them by hand in the engine. What I do is use a very thin bead of yellow weather strip adhesive on the oil pan, and then place the oil pan gasket on it and let it set for a few minutes. This will hold the gasket in place while you are installing the oil pan. Just make sure that you do not use too much weather strip adhesive. Now that you have the oil pan installed reverse the steps that you took to remove the oil pan. Make sure you install the drain plug and fill the engine with the correct amount of oil.

6. 
   Toyota FIPG Seal Packing

   Some vehicles specify that you use sealant instead of an oil pan gasket. If this is the case, you can go to your local parts store and tell them that you need gasket sealant for your oil pan. I prefer to use Toyota FIPG (Form In Place Gasket) Seal Packing. You can pick this up at your local Toyota dealership. It is part number: 00295-00103. This is the only sealant that I use. I use it for everything from water pumps, oil pan gaskets, to valve cover gaskets. It is more expensive than what you will find at the parts store, but you don't really want to go cheap when it comes to your transportation. The best way to use sealant is to apply a bead around the oil pan, and then smooth it out with your finger. Try to get it even all the way around the oil pan, you don't want it to be too thick. Once the sealant is in place put a bolt in each side of the oil pan in start them by hand in the engine. Make sure that you start all of the bolts by hand. You don't want to have cross-threaded oil pan bolts. Tighten the bolts using a criss-cross pattern. Run one down, then move to the other side and tighten one down, repeat this until they are all snug. Now, using the same pattern, tighten all of the bolts. Be careful not to over-tighten them, or they will strip or break off. As above, reverse the procedure that you used to remove the oil pan.

Tips & Warnings

• Let the vehicle cool before beginning work.
• Always use caution when working under a raised vehicle.
• Avoid rocking the vehicle while it is on jack stands.

Resources

• Oil Pan Gasket Sets

[robertbo]

on 2/4/2009 Great article, nice detail!!! :)

[miasavc]

on 12/28/2008 Helpful information! How ever i let my husband do it! 5*****