Can your son and you change 98FordZX2 oil pan and seal without too much dificulty and how do you go about it?

Answer 1

It is relatively simple. Drain the oil. Just remove the bolts holding the oil pan on. You may have to remove a cross member to be able to remove the pan and may not. Look at the area and see what if anything will be in the way when you try to remove the pan. If the engine must be jacked up to remove the pan, I suggest you seek out professional help. After removing the pan, clean it out thoroughly with kerosene or paint thinner. Do not use gasoline to clean it. Scrape off any of the gasket material from the pan edge and from the engine block where the pan makes contact with a putty knife. Do not use a chisel or screwdriver as you may damage the surface. Thoroughly clean off these areas. Now look to see if the mounting holes in the pan are flat and are not dimpled in. If they are, use a small hammer to carefully flatten the surface out as best you can. Install a new gasket being careful to make sure it is properly in place. You can use sewing thread to hold it in place or a small amount of vaseline will hold it while you get all the bolts started. Hand tighten all the bolts. Not work in a cris-cross pattern and slowly tighten all the bolts to 20 Lb/Ft of torque. Do not over-tighten!! Fill with proper amount of oil.