Replacing an oil pan gasket.

Mach1Run said:

93 LX Vert - stock 302 far as I can tell.

What is the best way to do this? And what parts do I need? My skill level is late beginner/early intermediate and I dont have anyone with much experience to guide me other than what I can find on the net.

Click to expand...

Best way is to build a 331 and swap it in. Being that the k member is slotted, I'm not sure if you'd change the alignment by pulling it. If it were me, I'd either deal with the leak(see ford 302 rear main seal) or pull the motor.

This tech note covers replacing the oil pump, but the process is the same.

Been there, done that - You can do it in the car, but it is hard to do. The best way is to pull the engine.

Disconnect the battery at the battery ground terminal, remove the fan and fan shroud. Both motor mounts will need to have the large nuts that secure them to the frame removed. The trans mount will also have to be loosened, and it is a good idea to remove the drive shaft.

I also had to disconnect the cat pipes at the headers to get the engine high enough to remove the oil pan. Be prepared to have to drop the steering rack and disconnect the steering shaft. Jack up the engine with a wood block under the oil pan and watch for things that bind or hoses/electrical wiring that may need to be disconnected. I put a couple of wood blocks between the headers and the frame to support the engine. You will likely need to jack up the rear of the transmission as well to get the required clearance.

Scrape the pan mating surfaces clean as possible - old gasket stuck to the surfaces are a source of leaks.

Get a high volume/heavy duty pump, and a replacement HD pump shaft. FMS makes one, and ARP does too. When you install the pump, the funny looking washer thingy goes on the part of the shaft that fits into the hex socket in the distributor shaft. It keeps the shaft in place when you remove the distributor, which you will have to do to prime the pump. Forget to put it on, and the pump shaft can come loose and fall down in the bottom of the oil pan.

There is a one piece oil pan gasket which will help re-assembly if you can find it. If you can't get this gasket, use weather strip adhesive to secure the cork gasket to the pan rails and the rubber strips to the bearing caps. Use lots of Acetone or MEK to clean the gasket surfaces so the weather strip adhesive will stick good. Read the instructions on the adhesive carefully to make sure the gaskets are permanently stuck in place and won't move when you slide the pan in place. Use lots of blue silicone sealer on top of the front and rear rubber seals where they mate with the pan.

Fill with oil, replace the filter. Reconnect the battery, switch the ignition on to enable the gages, but DON'T crank the car. Remove the distributor and use a 1/4" hex socket to turn the pump counter clock wise (same direction as distributor rotation) until you see oil pressure (an external gage is a great help long about now). And keep turning for about 30 sec after you see the pressure come up. A reversible drill is the best tool to use to turn the 1/4" socket. The pressure should come up to about 50-80psi with cold oil. Once you see good pressure, check for obvious leaks, and then and only then, lower everything back into place and bolt down the mounts and anything else you had to take loose.

Re-install the distributor and set the timing with the engine running using timing light (don't forget to disconnect the SPOUT plug and reconnect it when finished) 12-14 degrees BDC is good. Start up and check for leaks, let it warm up and look again for leaks. It took me 2 days plus, but I am old and slow, maybe your granny is faster.


Drop the K member - let's think about that for a moment... I haven’t actually done this, so I will likely miss some details. But here’s the rough outline. Input from anyone who has actually changed a K member is welcome...

Disconnect the battery at the battery ground terminal, remove the fan and fan shroud.
Jack up car using floor jack under the K member
Remove the front wheels.
Remove the front brake calipers from their mounts.
Put jackstands under the A arm close to the ball joint.
Disconnect the roll bar links.
Chain the front springs so that they don't go flying out when you release pressure on them. Flying springs can kill you, so this is crucial.
Remove the top nut from each shock strut or remove the bottom shock strut mount bolts.
Put floor jack under the A arm, put pressure on the A arm so that you can remove the jackstand.
Move the jackstand to the K member to A arm pivot point. Place it so that it des not inhibit the A arm movement.
Slowly release the pressure on the jack while watching the spring. Once the tension is off the spring, remove the chain and the spring.
Repeat the process for the other side.
The flex coupling for the steering shaft needs to be disconnected before you can remove the K member. You should disassemble the coupling by undoing the 2 bolts that hold it together.
Both motor mounts will need to have the large nuts that secure them to the K member removed.
The trans mount will also have to be loosened and the bolts removed.
Use a chain host or engine lift to support the engine.
Put the floor jack back under the center of the K member and relocate the jackstands to support the car.
Remove the bolts on each side that secure the K member to the body.
Disconnect the hydraulic lines from the steering rack.
Lower the floor jack with the K member on it and remove it from under the car. You will need a helper on each spindle to keep the K member from falling off the floor jack. Your helpers may need to turn the K member so that it lays flat to have enough clearance to get it out from under the car.

Reverse the process to re-assemble. The springs will probably need a spring compressor to re-install them. Again, caution is the main thing, since a flying spring is very dangerous.

Some alternative possibilities are to leave the springs and struts alone and remove the bolts that mount the A arms to the K member. Again, I haven’t tried this, so I don’t know if it can be done successfully.

After looking at all the work, I think that I would rather pull the engine or do it with the engine jacked up to clear everything.

thehueyPilot’s comments:
That's pretty close......I did not remove the fan or shroud or the trans bolts. I used a cherry picker to hold the engine in place. The k member is held on by eight bolts (four on each side) I left the spindles in place still attached to the struts but removed the rotors to get better access to the lower ball joint.

I've done it, I think the previous post covers it, I had to unbolt the motor mounts and raise the engine. It's a pain in the hindquarters. My motor still leaks from the rear main seal though, but it is a high mile motor, so until i rebuild it (Stroker?) I will continue to add oil.