Change Oil Pan While in S30?

[z-ya]

Any one replace their oil pan while the engine was in the car? Specifically a L28ET in a 240Z. Do you need to raise the motor up to do it?

Thanks,

Pete

[Bambikiller240]

For a regular L24 you must raise the engine off the mounts in order to pull the pan.

I'd be astonished if you didn't have to raise an L28ET in a 240Z to pull the pan.

[EricB]

I can confirm that for an L28 in a 240Z you need to raise the engine quite a bit to get the pan on/off... If you're fitting an Al cast oil pan with a baffle plate you'll have a VERY hard time getting it on if the tranny is also still attached... Don't ask me how I know.

-e

[PrOxLaMuS©]

Here's a post from Zcar.com

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Just want to note that I surveyed the archives and found all the hints for removal of oil pan while the engine is in the car BEFORE I attempted to do this on my '76 280Z to replace a leaky gasket. And I must report, once you know the tricks, it is a very simple process requiring no removal of crossmember or jacking of engine. Since the hints were scattered in several posts, I thought I would take you through the process with all hints in one place:

1. Jack car up on crossmember and block it there. Even better, I slid ramps under the front wheels (the car is too low to drive up them). This gave me plenty of working room, and was much safer than jack stands.

2. Drain oil. Remove dipstick.

3. Remove all pan bolts. Note that there are two different-length bolts used on the pan. The longer ones go throught the angled metal "spacers" or whatever they are on rear sides of pan.

4. Remove bottom two bolts in the tranny bellhousing. The pan will hang up on them otherwise.

5. On my car (76 280Z), there was a small "anti-torque" thing on the steering rack. It's put together with a U-clamp like you'd find on an exhaust clamp, and is there I guess to keep the rack from twisting. Anyway, mine was situated at the driver's side of the rack. It's in the way for lowering pan. It's simple to loosen it and either remove it or (as I did) simply slide it to the other end out of the way.

6. Knock pan loose with rubber mallet. After 20+ years, mine was almost 'welded' on and had to be pried loose with screwdriver, which actually bent one corner before it would bust loose. You may have to go this way, too, but try to do it only as last resort. Straightening small bends in pan rim is no big deal.

7. Loosen the two 12mm bolts on the oil pickup. They're on the driver's side about halfway down the block. Be careful not to damage the thin gasket. You don't have to actually remove this piece, but I did so to clean it up and replace the gasket.

8. Once the pan is loose, you can get a flashlight and see where your rod journals are situated. The pan will not come out unless the front journals (or more accurately, the crank counterweights in front) are rotated up into the engine. So you need to get your 27mm socket on the crank snout and turn with a big ratchet or breaker bar. (I meant to see where this was compared to TDC, but forgot.)

9. Once the frontmost counterweights are up inside engine, the pan will slide back, down and out. It's a tight fit and takes a bit of jiggling, but it will make it.

10. To install, "reverse the procedure". If you've removed the oil pickup, screw it very loosely into position BEFORE you slide the pan on. Once the pan is back in position, don't forget to tighten the oil pickup bolts before you start in on the pan bolts.

I tried sticking the pan gasket on with sticky sealer, but you have to wiggle everything around so much, that it still came loose. It's okay. You can fudge it around when the pan is in position, just be patient and make sure all the screws are indeed going through the gasket. Finally, do NOT overtighten pan bolts. I think they spec out at 7ftlbs. The pan gasket I used was so thick and squishy that I had to make 3-4 passes around with a small torque wrench before they would 'hold' torque. Also note that there are two or three bolts on the passengers side under the crossmember that you'll have to do with a box end, as you can't get a socket on them.

11. Don't forget to put oil back in the engine! ;-)

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[wal280z]

Well, I'm in the process of doing that (among other things) right now. The engine is suspended in the car by a brace and chain (see http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=14307&sort=1&cat=500&page=1) where I was able to remove the crossmember and suspension (cleaning/painting/replacing/repairing) so the task was 'eaiser' to do now than with the crossmember on. FWIW, I did not attempt to remove it while the crossmember was on. The transmission is still bolted to the engine, transmission is supported by it's crossmember, and the body is supported on the frame rails with jack stands. Note, I had very little slack on the chain prior to disassembly.

My pan/gasket also seemed to be 'welded' together. I used a interior clip tool (flat stamped sheetmetal with a groove in it) to 'cut' the existing gasket and 'chase' it around the mating surface. Left no scarring marks nor did I bend the pan.

Wayne

[z-ya]

I'd like to install an Arizona Z aluminum one. Anyone install one of these without lifting the engine from it's mounts?

Thanks,

Pete

[EricB]

Pete

I installed one and trust me you're much better off doing this with the engine out of the car entirely...

You have to lift the engine off the mounts to get the pan even close to going on, but then you'll run into another issue because the position of the opening in the baffle plate for the oil pickup is such that when you go to put the pan in position you will hit the tranny bellhousing... big headache... lift engine and drop tranny or just pull engine altogether and do it on an engine stand... MUCH easier.

-e

[mdbrandy]

Is it the crossmember or the steering rack that is in the way of removing the pan? I've got my steering rack out now, and I have a nice powder coated oil pan to replace my currently rusty and leaking one. Would be nice to do it now, but I'd really like not to have to lift the engine. Weather is getting nice, and I'd like to drive this thing some day! Anyway, there seems to be quite a bit of room under the pan over the crossmember now that the rack is gone....

[EricB]

(For the cast one, everything seemed to be a PITA...)

I do remember pulling the original pan out was a lot easier than putting the cast one back in so you might be a-ok Mark

-e

[28oz]

i removed my oil pan without lifting the engine...

all i did was remove all of the bolts (pita), and slid it back and to the passenger side some, and took off the oil pick-up, and wham... it was out.