I'm in the process of installing my new clutch and TOB, and I think my Oil Pan gasket is leaking.. I don't have a cherry picker, but I'd really like to change this gasket while the car is this far apart. Has anyone done it? Tips? I do have a new felpro one piece gasket and have no reason to pull the pan completely, just enough to get the new gasket in there.
Has Anyone Changed The Oil Pan Gasket With Motor Still In The Car?
- Thread starter turbogt
- Start date
First of all make sure it's the oil pan gasket. Valve cover gasket leaks are sneaky, and will leave cloaked trais of oil from the top of the engine down to the oil pan. You will need to elevate the engine a little bit. You can do this by using a length of wood (2x4 if possible) layed across the inner fenders. Put rags under the wood to keep it from scratching the paint. Make sure it doesn't touch the outer fenders as they are very thin and will distort. Then jack up the engine from the oil pan and chain it to the wood. You should be able to get the oil pan down low enough to get the gasket out. It is possible to get the gasket in without moving the engine up at all, but it is very tricky. It is also very tricky to scrape the gasket surfaces without getting crap in the oil pan.
Kurt
Kurt
95Vert383AOD
15 Year Member
Yeah I've had a crazy leak down the back of the motor before that came from the valve cover.
Personally i think its a great excuse to drop and upgrade the K member if it hasn't been done yet. I'll be doing that in the spring sometime as i built my motor before i realized the fantastic 1 piece ones existed.
Yes it's possible to change that gasket with the motor in the car. You'll have to get creative.
You can purchase this tool from Harbor Freight which basically bolts to the top of the strut towers. Just undo the motor mount bolts and this tool will bet the motor up a few inches.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-engine-support-bar-96524.html
You can purchase this tool from Harbor Freight which basically bolts to the top of the strut towers. Just undo the motor mount bolts and this tool will bet the motor up a few inches.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-engine-support-bar-96524.html
I really really wish I had a harbor freight here or I would have already bought the engine support bar 
It's definitely a pan leak. It's nasty. I'm going to try to block her up and see what happens.. Other than that, she's ready to go back together so I can get her out of my garage and into storage. I have a bunch of work to do on my new DD 
I'll post my struggle or results later today lol
It's definitely a pan leak. It's nasty. I'm going to try to block her up and see what happens.. Other than that, she's ready to go back together so I can get her out of my garage and into storage. I have a bunch of work to do on my new DD I'll post my struggle or results later today lol
I really really wish I had a harbor freight here or I would have already bought the engine support bar
I'll post my struggle or results later today lol
They have $6.99 shipping on just about everything. I'm buying a 7" electric polisher for $29.99 but none of the stores have it.
I'm gonna say screw it, buy the tool later, and change it when I install my intake and cam.. NO biggie..
I do have a question on my flywheel that I can't seem to find an answer to..
When i removed the pressure plate, only one of the flywheel dowels stayed in the flywheel while the others came off with the pressure plate.
I indexed the flywheel to crank, so no biggie there, but when I go to try to line up the pressure plate on the flywheel, the single remaining dowel is too big, and larger than the other 3 dowels I have, unless the machine shop put a different one in? I do have the other 3 that I can put back in, but it will require removing the larger one.. It has me stumped.. Anyone else run into this??
I do have a question on my flywheel that I can't seem to find an answer to..
When i removed the pressure plate, only one of the flywheel dowels stayed in the flywheel while the others came off with the pressure plate.
I indexed the flywheel to crank, so no biggie there, but when I go to try to line up the pressure plate on the flywheel, the single remaining dowel is too big, and larger than the other 3 dowels I have, unless the machine shop put a different one in? I do have the other 3 that I can put back in, but it will require removing the larger one.. It has me stumped.. Anyone else run into this??
I replaced mine without even lifting the motor a little bit.. It took some time to get the pan cleaned of all the old cork gasket and to clean the block surface.. Be sure to not let any pieces fall into the oil pan.. flush with oil a couple times and drain before starting engine to get and small pieces out of the pan. it can be done good luck
What you should really do is buy a new 5.0 Mustang and I'll buy yours with the leak. Problem solved, you don't even have to get your hands dirty and everyone wins.
Knock the two dowels out of the pressure plate, and intall them on the flywheel before putting the pressure plate on. This is the way it's supposed to go on. The dowel is supposed to be tight fit to the flywheel. It's not going in because even the slightest angle or flexing in the pressure plate will cause it to not fit.
Kurt
Kurt
If there wasn't so much money tied up in this car relative to what it's worth, I'd be in a new boss already!! This car always seems to end up on the backburner though.. I've spent 10x more on my new DD in the last month than I have on the Cobra in the last 3 years.. Kinda sad really.
I removed the dowels from the old flexplate and installed them in the flywheel. What threw me off was the 4th, larger dowel.. Still no clue where it came from lol.. I bolted the new flexplate up, but the dowels seem to be holding it back a little off the flywheel, although I looked at the old flexplate and the flats where the dowels go do not sit completely down on the pavement like the flats where the bolts go, but just to be safe, I am going to take a round file and open up the holes just a hair so I know I am not binding the flexplate. I really don't want to have to remove my headers again lol.
Has anyone else run into the dowel issue? This is my first time ever messing with a clutch, no biggie, but I have no one to ask for advice with the strange things like the dowels
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