How do you change the oil pan on a 1997 Mercury Villager?

Answer 1

1 Remove the plug on the oil pan with a wrench and drain the oil into a drain pan. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Place a support jack under the crankshaft pulley.

2 Remove the support bolts on the front and rear engine mounts, along with the hold-down brackets on the two rear refrigerant/heater pipes.

3 Disconnect the front and rear transaxle bolts and the brace holding the transaxle to the engine. Unhook the connector on the oil level sensor.

4 Loosen the bolts on the oil pan, working from the outside towards the center. Remove the pan and scrape away the old seal with a paint scraper. Make sure that all the parts are clean, and that the old gasket seal has been completely removed.

5 Put a new gasket in place and seal it with silicone sealer. Replace the oil pan and tighten the bolts in sequence, starting with the inner bolts and working out.

6 Replace the connector on the oil level sensor, the front and rear transaxle braces, the exhaust inlet pipe, the crossmember bolts and crossmember, and the front and rear engine support through-bolts.

7 Slide out the support jack and lower the vehicle. Fill the engine with clean oil. Mercury recommends that the optimum oil for the Villager is SAE 5W-30.