Oil pan gasket on a 4x4

[MichaelSE]

Has anyone ever done this job? I suspect my gasket is leaking; every oil change both the rear of the pan and the front axle, right below the front of the pan, are wet with oil.

I figure for the $30 for the gasket and (hopefully) just a few hours of my time it's worth the try. I know I'll have to remove the crossmember, no big deal there, but can it be done without dropping the front diff? Just looking at it it's tough to tell, it looks like it may be possible to slide the pan forward once the bolts are off and then angle it downward to pull it out, but there's only a few inches of clearance between the bottom of the pan and the top of the axle.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Maxclass]

For whatever reason on this forum this question seems to go unanswered. Did you end up removing the front differential in order to remove the oil pan?

 

[fiatdale]

If you’re going to remove the pan, might I suggest changing the o ring on the pickup tube at the same time and the deflector. They’re both very cheap and well worth it if you plan on keeping it for a while.

12639759 - oil pan deflector
12584922 - oil pump oring
12612350 - oil pan gasket

 

[fiatdale]

For what it’s worth too, I didn’t have to drop my diff but that’s because of my lift. It definitely needs to drop 3-4” though to get it out. I also had to take the 4 bolts out of the steering rack because the front of the pan hit the power steering lines. That part was really no big deal.

 

[mikeyss]

If you remove the lower shock/strut bolts, unbolt the front diff from the frame and let it drop down, it gives enough room to drop the pan out.

 

[largewon62]

Also, while you have the pan off, check and clean the oil pickup screen too. You have to pull it to replace that O-ring.

 

[daniel tran]

you dont have to drop the diff out completely, but if you have access to a lift, it helps. i went ahead and installed a new o ring on the pick up and rear main seal while replacing the oil pan gasket..