True.

 

Really? My manual (admittedly, not a shop manual - it's a Haynes, but it's been good so far) says to drop the axle. I think I actually read a guide for it somewhere that also said to drop it. Not having to drop the axle would be, well, really awesome!

So what would I do? Unbolt the pan, slide it out and that's it?

Thanks so much!

 

Advance/Auto Zone/ O'reillys all carry what's called a oversized plug. Put in slowly and forcefully, it rethreads the pan as it goes in. We do it all the time at the shop after people run them on with air tools.

 

This won't crack my oil pan? I was told this would put a lot of stress on the metal and eventually (and most likely quickly) crack the pan. Seemed kinda odd to me since it is steel, but after hearing that from several people I figured it was true. I have also heard that they will quickly wear out and you'll have to replace the pan anyway.

If you have had great success doing this I'd love to give it a try. Have you ever had a failure? Is there any issue with oil changes afterwards? There are better places I can spend my money than on a new oil pan. You know, like new brakes and tires?

Thanks!

 

Well, I only have a budget boost up front, 2 inches with RC shocks and I just got the wheels off the ground and then put a small hydraulic jack between the axle and the frame rail over by the oil filter. Then after a little bit of wiggle, it came out (after unbolting it of course). If that does not get it, you may have to start unbolting things, like the sway bar, spring retainer, shocks, etc to make the axle drop more.

 

Yep, we do it all day long with no problems. We steer clear of aluminum pans just for that reason. Make sure you remove your dipstick when installing the new one. I've seen RTV get ahold of one and notlet go after installation.

 

Why would I be using RTV when installing the oversized drain bolt?

Will the temperature affect the effectiveness of the bolt? It gets down in the teens where I'm at, and up in the hundreds during the summer.

It make sense aluminum would crack. Steel is much more, pliant I guess.

 

If/when I decide to pull my pan I will definitely keep this in mind.

Thank you!

 

Sry, thinking about dropping the pan still. lol
Temp wont effect it either

 

You just saved me a few hundred bucks. Worst case I give myself a bit more time to get the cash together for a new pan. You rock!