[columbiar]

I'm going to try and do this tomorrow. I've been searching the forum and doing reading about this and have a few questions.

1. Do you guys usually put the truck on a ramp to do this? Can it be done without a ramp? Or, can you just jack the truck up from under the differential and place jack stands under each side of the axel?

2. When lifting the front to get the pan out, what lift point are you using for the jack?

3. I've read where several guys say to use something called "the right stuff" instead of the seal all together when replacing the pan. I've also ready that you should use the seal but use RTV on the engine side. Some say to use RVT on both sides of the gasket.

4. Should I use RVT on all the bolts? I'm thinking not on the threads but on the underside of the top of the bolts to prevent leaking. Or, should it be used on the threads?

Also, would something like hylomar be preferential to RVT?

Sorry for the simplistic questions. I've never attempted anything like this before and want to do it right. Thanks!!

 

[Dane!]

Jack the front off the ground. I jacked it up via the cross members (they dented a little) and set the jackstands on the two triangular pieces near the radius arm ends, Put something behind the rear wheels and put the ebrake on for safety, mine came off the jack, because my mechanic used a bottle jack on 3 pieces of 2x4's and jacked it up at an angle :complain: . If done elevated, it'll be a lot easier, I recommend it, im not sure if its impossible to not do it elevated also, but itll be harder to wiggle around under there. I used Black RTV on both sides of the pan, no leaks yet, its been 6 months. I sealed around the top of the bolts, a little on the top half of the threads.

Hope that helped.
Dane.

 

[lowest bidder]

You need the truck to be lifted by the frame so the front suspension extends at maximum. That's because you need some clearance between the front differential and the engine bay shield to be able to remove it first, to remove the oil pan.

 

[columbiar]

Thanks Guys! Very helpful. I didn't quite get to it this weekend due to some really dumb mistakes but at least I got all the fluids drained.

When lifting from the frame, where is the best point to do this from? I'd hate to dent my cross member.

Actually, I was thinking that if I jacked just the passenger side up at the regular jack point when it was time to take the pan out, it would increase the clearance on the drivers side eenough to slip the pan out. Just a thought. Probably be easier just to jack up the entire vehicle once though from the frame and place jack stands under those points for the entire job. I'm afraid I won't get the jack and stand in the right place to not damage something though.

 

[columbiar]

Jack the front off the ground. I jacked it up via the cross members (they dented a little) and set the jackstands on the two triangular pieces near the radius arm ends, Put something behind the rear wheels and put the ebrake on for safety, mine came off the jack, because my mechanic used a bottle jack on 3 pieces of 2x4's and jacked it up at an angle :complain: . If done elevated, it'll be a lot easier, I recommend it, im not sure if its impossible to not do it elevated also, but itll be harder to wiggle around under there. I used Black RTV on both sides of the pan, no leaks yet, its been 6 months. I sealed around the top of the bolts, a little on the top half of the threads.

Hope that helped.
Dane.

So is it recommended then to use the sealant to cover all of the mating surfaces and not just the front and the back as written in RAV? Also, what are they talking about using sealant to cover the ends of the cruciform seals? If I cover the entire mating surface, will this get covered too?

 

[Dane!]

I used a sealant on everything, rtv black and copper spray for engine/oil parts and just rtv on both sides for anything with coolant running through. I didn't want it leaking ^.^