Oil pan — removal and installation
Removal
1. Disconnect the cable from the negative terminal of the battery (see Engine electrical systems).
2. Remove the oil dipstick tube.
3. Raise the vehicle and support it securely on jack stands, then refer to Chapter Tune-up and routine maintenance and drain the engine oil and remove the oil filter.
4. Remove the oil pan skid plate, if equipped.
5. On 5.3L and 6.2L models, remove the electric steering gear assembly (see Driveline).
6. On 4WD vehicles, remove the front differential carrier (see Driveline).
7. Remove the transmission bellhousing covers from the rear of the engine block.
8. Remove the crossmember bar support bolts and bar.
9. Remove the lower transmission-to-engine bolt (s). These bolts vary depending on the model of transmission used but all screw into the oil pan.
10. Disconnect the wiring from the engine oil level sensor.
11. Disconnect the wiring harness retainers from the oil pan.
12. Disconnect the oil cooler lines from the oil pan on models with automatic transmissions.
13. Remove all the oil pan bolts, then lower the pan from the engine. The pan will probably stick to the engine, so strike the pan with a rubber mallet until it breaks the gasket seal. Carefully slide the oil pan down and out, to the rear.
Caution: Before using force on the oil pan, be sure all the bolts have been removed.
Installation
14. On 6.0L models, drill out the rivets securing the oil pan gasket to the oil pan and remove the old gasket (see illustration). Wash out the oil pan with solvent.
14.14 The manufacturer uses rivets to hold the gasket to the oil pan during assembly — carefully drill them out (it isn’t necessary to rivet the new gasket to the oil pan)
15. Thoroughly clean the mounting surfaces of the oil pan and engine block of old gasket material and sealant. Wipe the gasket surfaces clean with a rag soaked in brake system cleaner.
16. Apply a 3/16-inch wide, one-inch-long bead of RTV sealant to the corners of the block where the front cover and the rear cover meet the engine block. The gasket tabs protrude at these points and must have sealant around them. Attach the new gasket to the pan, install the pan and tighten the bolts finger-tight. Be sure the oil gallery passages in the pan and the gasket are aligned properly.
Note: Oil pan gasket rivets do not need to be installed on assembly.
17. Install all of the oil pan mounting bolts snug.
18. Install the lower transmission mounting bolts snug.
19. Tighten the oil pan bolts and the trans- mission bolts to the torques listed in this Chapter’s Specifications.
20. The remainder of installation is the reverse of removal.
21. Add the proper type and quantity of oil (see Tune-up and routine maintenance), start the engine and check for leaks before placing the vehicle back in service.