Oil Pan Replacement - '89 2WD - I searched!

[rvaughn801]

I dropped my pride and joy off the floor jack and dented the oil pan. Whoo, it feels better having confessed.



Now I need to:



a) Source a used oil pan ready for cleaning and installation (not needing a bunch of work, I am not good at that).

b) Get a recommendation for a shop near Kansas City, KS that could replace this thing, if I decide I am not up to it.

c) Go over the replacement procedure, in case my hands stop shaking and I can look at Big Red without tearing up.



If anyone has/knows of an oil pan, I would appreciate the contact info (PM me, please).



If anyone knows of a shop near the KS Speedway that would be good for this, I would appreciate that info.



Here is the info on replacement that I culled from several posts. If you have ever posted on this topic, I probably borrowed from your ideas, and I greatly appreciate your imput:



1. Start with a clean replacement pan and new gasket. Clean the bottom of the engine and underneath the truck. Remove the fan so the engine can be lifted and the upper fan shroud for better visibility.



2. Take off the two ¾” nuts that hold the engine mounts to the cross member. Loosen the transmission mount. Support the rear of the transmission.



3. Lift the front of the engine with: a) cherry picker on the front lift eye or b) bottle jack on the A/C bracket. Support the rear of the transmission. Raise the engine until the head hits the firewall. Lift slowly and check for wiring harness(es) that need to be disconnected. Support the motor with wood blocks.



4. Remove the oil pan bolts and nuts. Remove starter cable and transmission cooling lines from the bolts/studs and zip tie out of the way. Make note of where the longer bolts and studs go.



5. Drop the oil pan down. Reach into the pan and remove the two bolts on the right side and the two were the pickup seals on the left front. All bolts are 10mm. Clean the block mating surface.



6. Put the pickup tube in the pan, and put the pan on the cross member. Bolt the pick up tube in place. Put the bolts and studs back in proper place. Smear LockTite 515 gasket eliminator, on the block. Use string to tie the gasket to the pan in several places, cutting and pulling the string out. Torque everything to 25ft. lbs.



If there are any changes/additions to this procedure, I would appreciate that info.



Thanks again for your help.



-Richard

'89 Dodge D250 Reg Cab

All stock

 

[Mopar_Tim]

i would even consider taking out the drive shaft and chocking the wheels ..... probably not necessary but it might make the combo More free to move around

 

[rvaughn801]

Are you thinking that would allow the engine and transmission to slide back? If a cherry picker is used to lift the engine, that rig could be rolled backwards. You're right, it is not very hard to drop the drive shaft, and if it gains a needed couple of inches...

 

[boatpuller]

You said the pan is dented, if it's just dented but not torn with a hole in it, I would turn the motor over by hand to make sure that the crank has clearance from the pan and if it turns over without any interference I would start the truck and watch the oil pressure gauge to be sure that the pickup didn't get cracked, but if you get oil pressure then I would just run it. I've seen many vehicles with smashed oil pans live long lives.



Just another thought for you, good luck with whatever you do,

 

[PToombs]

Depending on how bad it's dented, just bang it out. You can't trust the "turn it over method". The pickup may be against the bottom of the pan. I'd pull the pan, bang out the dent. Then measure the pickup to block. Then measure the pan to pan rail. If there is enough difference, put the pickup and pan back on. I'm not sure what the pan to pickup clearance should be, but I think over 1/2 inch should be ok. I'm sure somebody knows and will chime in.

My $. 04.

 

[JFaughn]

Take a picture or give a good description of the dent , to tell if the pick up is involved , if not use a body mans dent fix , spot welding short rods on to the dent to use a slide hammer dent puller .
I pick up was involved , cut above the dent , hammer out the dent , straighten out the pickup , weld the cut out back & flush the pan a few times by dumping a gas & diesel mix down the fill tube till clear [ do not turn eng over ] , then new oil , after maybe , 50 miles change filter .

 

[rvaughn801]

Dent details...

I turned the motor over briefly, along enough to hear a

"chuff-chuff" of something scraping the pan. It wasn't a loud bang, but it makes contact. I checked all over the bottom to make sure it wasn't something else.



The dent is in the front of the pan, ahead of the cross member. There are no tears or holes (except for what I did next). I believe the oil pick up would be in the sump, and the dent is well clear of that.



I tried a slide hammer to pull the dent out, but the kind where you drill a hole. I found some heavy duty oil-proof metal putty to patch the holes. I wanted to buy some time to find a new pan, not make a permanent repair.



The metal seemed way to thick, and I don't think it budged before the screw pulled out of the hole. Would the weld on studs like this Eastwood Co. - Stud Welder Dent Pulling Systemhave enough pulling power to pull the dent(s) out of the thick metal?



Thanks for the replys and the ideas.

 

[Mopar_Tim]

probably not ... . i would find a new pan especially now that its go a hole in it .....

 

[Rebel Ram]

If your dent is where you discribe then your in the danger zone. The sump is out of the way but the shallow part of the pan is close. You can clock the crank into a position where all moving parts are above the pan gasket surface at one time. But as the crank rotates it will drop below the gasket by aprox 1 inch or more. You could pull the pan out and "Dolly" out the dent and as long as the gasket serface is flat, you should be good to go. (yes, I've done it)

 

[rvaughn801]

I looked up dolly techniques, and that looks like a good way to go. I am not much of a craftsman, but if I could get the contours close I could get everything welded back up and painted.



I am looking for a pan, thinking that this would be less time if I can find one for a reasonable price. Otherwise I will order some hammers and dollies.

 

[PToombs]

If it's in the front, I'd pull it, beat it out, weld the holes, and call it good. It doesn't have to be pretty, just functional. Spray some paint on it and put it back in. I wouldn't spend money on something that easy to fix. If it had a big tear, or was really mangled, that would be different.

Just my opinion, but I don't have much money, with 2 little kids.

 

[rvaughn801]

"Just my opinion, but I don't have much money, with 2 little kids. "

Ditto, and ditto. Do those two things go together, somehow?

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

The pickup goes from the front of the pan to across the front of the sump area. It starts on the pass side just under the oil pump that is inside the front cover.

 

[PToombs]

"Just my opinion, but I don't have much money, with 2 little kids. "



Ditto, and ditto. Do those two things go together, somehow?

Money, and kids? No way they go together! :-laf

 

[Fordiesel69]

I usually don't read the 1st gen too much and wish I had seen this sooner. I put my front drive shaft into the oil pan on my 74' W200 360CID gasser. I had a buddy mig weld a bunch of pull pins to it, and he then used a slide hammer and pulled it out like new. Ground off the pins and brushed on some rustoleum and it was perfect.



Too bad you drilled holes, other than a little burned oil on the bottom of the inside I think this would have worked for you.