Oil pan gasket replacement

[bobbo]

Well, my buddy is a Saab mechanic at a dealership, so he let me throw my V6 Merc up on the lifts yesterday to take a look around, rotate my tires and do a brake service and so on.

There's a lot of oil leaking from around the oil pan on my car. There is no visible damage to the pan, and all the leaking oil seems to be coming from around the pan and nowhere else.

She needs a new oil pan gasket I do believe... eek. Well, what did I expect for a $1,500 '98 Mercury LS?

I'm used to doing things like brakes, spark plugs, and that sort of thing. this is prolly out of my league without some planning and a long weekend.

So, few questions:
What do I need to buy replacement parts for (oil pan gasket of course... anything else)?
How long should this take on my car?
What other suggested items should I have on hand for it (other than my Haynes manual and a steam cleaner)?
How long (an educated guess is fine) could I hold off on this without my car deciding to die on me?

I'm calling the local Ford garage to see what they want for the job just in case it's too much for me... probably 4-5 hours of labor with my luck, plus an obscene price for the gasket...

If you have any advice for me... like saying to hell with it and taking it to a garage or just selling the car (I'm starting to really like it...), don't be shy about it.

Thanks a lot,
Bob

 

[SVTJON87]

well I'm going to be replacing mine myself soon.

your going to need:

- y-pipe to flex pipe gasket

- and if your flex pipe bolts are rusted beyond removal with a socket you will need new ones. as your going to need to cut them off. any grade A bolt will work.(hardware store).

-if your y-pipe to manifold studs/bolts are shot then you need new ones as well.

-the ford CD says you need gasket silicone for the pan gasket.

 

[98SVTC]

The car (engine) won't die on you unless you run it out of oil so keep an eye on the dipstick oil level.
Karl

 

[dairdevyld]

I had a supposed gasket leak. Ford wanted 600 to change it. My suggestion is to try to do it yourself. Spray the y-pipe bolts with some PB blaster let them sit for a few hours then tackle the pan.

 

[SVTJON87]

you can certinly do it your self. just take your time and have a repair manual. if in dout let us know.

 

[todras]

Not that big of deal. The gasket alone is $40. Have to drop the ypipe of course. The 2 bolts over the subframe are the hardest to get to but not a biggie with the right tools. I wouldn't think more than 1.5 hrs. w/o any issues.

 

[genesis14]

oh sweet, I was just about to do my oil pan tommorrow. I don't like the looks of that one bolt hanging over the subframe though. you shouldn't need rtv for the gasket. It already has a silicone bead built into it. The book says 30 foot punds of torque (40Nm). in my experiance if you over torque you could warp the gasket then you are going to have to use silicone because you crushed the gasket. But, I would put a very, VERY lite layer of silicone on there just to help seal it. Use something like Dow Corning 736 Red high heat. It has a high adhesive property and can withstand extreme temperatures and oil resistance.

 

[eepals]

... you shouldn't need rtv for the gasket. It already has a silicone bead built into it.

Check the link below scroll down on the page till you get to the V-6. The gasket needs two beads of RTV at the oil pump parting line.

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1b/c5/54/0900823d801bc554/repairInfoPages.htm

 

[genesis14]

Whoops, your right, it does require a sealant. I must have been tired when I wrote that last night. This is from the ford manual...

BTW What is the best oil to use? 20 weight or 30 weight? (ie 5w20 or 5w30?)