What's involved with oil pan gasket replacement

Not uncommon (Helicoil) when the old threads get stripped out. But they don't leak if properly installed.

For an oil pan gasket? That's nuts, unless he's planning to do some more thread/helicoil work. Otherwise it's a simple remove and replace of JUST THE PAN.

 

you will need to remove dip stick and the tube... this is a pain cause theres aint much room in there for a spanner to undo the nut on the tube.... then remove the oil temp sender... the pan will come off nice and easy with a bit of gentle prying .............good luck!!!!

 

When I was looking through parts books I recall that a Helicoil is installed in the oil pan casting by the factory in the 308. Check it out - I think it isn't a repair, but original.

 

do a search for shifter shaft. there is a very detailed outline on pan removal and installation. you've got to be careful because there's little springs and ball bearings and a spacer cup hiding in there. hate to be one of those "while you're at it" guys but.. this might be a good time to replace the seals on your shifter shaft. the seals are inexpensive. basically they're just o rings. check out the repair thread. good luck.

 

First of all Heli-coils are good not bad. I manufacture a veriety of parts mainly for the aerospace industry. Since most aerospace parts are aliminum we install heli-coils in any holes that will be subject to maintainance. The heli-coil is steel which prevents galling and wearing threads that have to be removed a lot.

Secondly I came across some copper crush washers that have rubber "O" rings built right into them. I'm sure I posted somewhere but I'll see if I can track down the palce where I bought them. It was a hydraulic supply company in Florida but that is all I remember. These may help.

The name of the place was "Hydraulic Supply of Sunrise Florida".
You are probably going to have to contact them if you want to try them because I don't remember the part number or the catagory.
http://www.hydraulic-supply.com

 

Rick, the ball bearings are on the tranny pan, not the engine.

The only trick with the engine pan is getting the dipstick tube out. You can unbolt all the nuts on the bottom of the engine pan, but the sucker still won't come all the way off because the dipstick tube goes down there and bends around, causing the pan to catch on it. So you need to pull the dipstick tube.

1. Remove the big nut at the base of the tube, accessible from under the car. Most people end up buying an open-end wrench of the correct size (I forget the size....pretty big though something like 28 or 30 mm) then cutting it off with a cut-off wheel to make a "stubby" wrench that will fit in there.

2. Remove the nut holding the top of the dipstick tube to the cam cover.

3. Remove the dipstick tube.

4. Using a coat-hanger with a little hook bent into the end, reach into the hole where the dipstick tube connected to the crankcase and fish out the dipstick tube extender which is sitting in there.

5. Now remove all the nuts on the engine pan and pull it straight off. Be sure to replace the gasket when you put the pan back on and I suggest using a *tiny* amount of black silicone hi-temp gasket-maker on both sides of the new gasket to be sure it seals.

Birdman

 

Bruce,
I hope you did not crack the oil pan after your meeting with Mr. Speedbump.
Did you check the pan?

Good luck.

 

Hey Birdman, your step number 4 is confusing, is there an additional tube that sits down in the hole? What if you can't fish it out? When you re-assemble, how do you get that tube back in?

 

Sorry. It's hard to explain but simple to see when you do it. Yes, there is a smaller tube down in the hole. It just sits in there, but you can't quite get it out with just a finger because it's too tiny, hence the coat hanger. To put it back you literally just drop it in.

Birdman

 

I'm in the middle of changing the sump on a 328. Pic shows spanner needed for dipstick tube nut, the dip stick tube extension that goes into the sump and the oil temp sensor that has to come out too. My tube did come out by hand, a magnet would prob work too.

Take out your dip stick before you start ~ moving the dip stick about while undoing the tube may damage it. Yes, I know it is bendy but better safe. Also, make sure you are turning the top nut and not the bottom fitting. Had a bit of a battle with mine, it started to turn ok and then locked up. I found the the angle of the dipstick tube was critical and had to hold it up out of the way with pipe pliers (wrapped in tape to protect the tube) then the big nut turned freely.

On a 328, its a wrestle to get the sump off when everything is loose. I found it came off angled to the rear of the car. The large hole in steel oil baffle only just squeezes past the oil pick up. A lift would have made it sooo much easier

cheers Nige
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One more suggestion, when re-assembling the pan, use new nylon lock nuts. The nylon in the nut acts as a gasket to prevent oil running down the stud threads. I had a leaker too and replaced the lock nuts with new ones. Leak gone. My pan gasket was fine, just the oil running down the threads.

Spang

 

When I removed my pan the first time, i used an exploding view in one of the ferrari manuals , but it didnt have this sender in the photos, so i could get the pan down to save my life, ended up flat bedding itto the dealer, who simply undid the sensor.....

 

When I tried emoved the dipstick tube extension, extending into the sump, I had difficulty. It seems a DPO bent the tube, probably when trying to pry the sump cover off and not knowing the tube extension had to come off first. The bent portion eventually broke off with some persuation and I replaced it with a good used piece upon reassembly.

Bill

 

Bill,
Mine was bent from a PO too. What a pain in the butt!

And I completely forgot to mention the oil temp sender removal! This is why I say to myself never to post step by step instructions on fchat unless I have just done this recently and truly remember EVERY step. Looking at it myself, I would remember the oil temp sender, but doing it from memory....oh well.

In any case, somewhere in there, remove the oil temp sender....!

Here's a (hopefully) complete set of directions for posterity....

1. Remove the big nut at the base of the tube, accessible from under the car. Most people end up buying an open-end wrench of the correct size (I forget the size....pretty big though something like 28 or 30 mm) then cutting it off with a cut-off wheel to make a "stubby" wrench that will fit in there.

2. Remove the nut holding the top of the dipstick tube to the cam cover.

3. Remove the dipstick tube.

4. Using a coat-hanger with a little hook bent into the end, reach into the hole where the dipstick tube connected to the crankcase and fish out the dipstick tube extender which is sitting in there.

5. Remove the oil temp sender. Just remove the wire from it and unscrew it.

6. Now remove all the nuts on the engine pan and pull it straight off. Be sure to replace the gasket when you put the pan back on and I suggest using a *tiny* amount of black silicone hi-temp gasket-maker on both sides of the new gasket to be sure it seals.


Bruce, sorry to hear about the body damage. Let me guess.....dumbass mechanic that didn't realize the car was a body on frame, not a unibody, and he jacked it by the sheet metal and bent some stuff? I think every 308 has some damage from this at some point. Mine does, but you can't see it from up top.

Birdman

 

I have pulled the dipstick extension out and I pulled the temp sensor out. The oil pan dropped a little more than an inch, but won't come off. It seems like the pan is caught on something up higher, maybe towards the back of the car and in the center. Any tips or tricks? Everyone seems to say it just falls out, but mine sure isn't!

 

I haven't pulled the pan on one of these cars but I'm always interested in any of the threads re disassembly of anything on them. In reading this I'm wondering what the heck the dipstick tube extender does from a functional point of view. The tube could stop at the point where it joins the sump and the dipstick would still go into the sump - as it does on many cars. I don't get it. What exactly is the extender's purpose?

One thought...does the tube extend all the way to the bottom of the sump? If so, then it might be designed so as to allow oil to be sucked from the pan through the dipstick tube. This is a common way of changing oil on some car and marine engines but I wouldn't think a 3x8 would have been set up to do that. Then again, if that extender is not sealed to the rest of the tube, you couldn't pull oil up through it. So... why's it there?

 

I removed mine by only removing the dipstick itself. The pan comes right off, but you must angle the bottom portion of the pan towards the rear of the car. No problemo.

What do you plan on using as a gasket sealant for the new gasket? The jury is still out on what's best. I've tried Hondabond (really small leak) and Loktite 518 (smaller leak).

 

Hi All,
I'm reviving this old thread, as I need some assistance in a similar area. I've had a couple of oil leaks that I've been wanting to fix for a while, and with the 'corona-craziness' and lockdown happening thought it would be a good opportunity. I traced the leaks to the shifter seal so ordered some of Verell's upgraded seals, and it also looked like some small drops coming from both the gearbox and engine pan gaskets. So in preparation while waiting for the parts I decided to strip everything down.

Here is where the fun started, as I was unaware that the dipstick tube had to be removed, and that there was an inner tube also. I had to go buy a 27mm spanner and cut the back off it. No worries, got the tube out pretty easy. As per Birdman's post above I made a hook out of a coat hanger and spent the next two hours cursing Ferrari and their engineers

I could not get the tube out, no matter how hard I pulled on the hook wire. I then removed the pan bolts and dropped the pan as far as it would go. With a torch looking through the gap I could see my hook was grabbing the tube, but noticed the tube was curved almost horizontal. This seemed odd, and when I researched the part number online found the below picture which shows the inner tube as straight.

Can anyone confirm that the tube is indeed straight, and that it why mine won't come out. I assume a previous owner has bent it trying to get the pan off without removing it? And more importantly, how do I get the pan off now, because the gasket is trashed and can't be put back.

Thanks BB


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Inner tube is straight. Yours is damaged by previous attempt at removing it. Will it come out partway, enough to get the pan out? Can you insert a stiff hook through the gap and straighten out the tube, then replace it? Now that it is bent, its shape is no longer round and may not fit through the hole to come out nicely anymore.

At this point, I would be tempted to muscle the pan out and replace the inner tube. It is very thin wall metal tube and probably not going to cause damage to the pan itself.

Some picture of how big the gap is might help coming up with better idea.

 

Thanks yelcab,
That was what I suspected. I tried taking a few photos, but its hard to get a clear shot. Anyway here is one form the front and one from the back view. Its hard to see the bend in the tube in the photos. You can see my hook still hanging out the end. There is not much room to work, the pan doesn't drop any lower. I couldn't capture this in the photo, but it looks like the bend in the tube is jamming against the top oil baffle in that area of the sump.
Thx BB
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Even when the tube is out, the pan does not come straight down. It comes down a bit and pivots toward the back of the car to come out. Try that first. Muscle it out that way and replace / repair whatever you need. Even the oil baffle can be repaired or replace. It's just stiff sheet metal.

 

Practice this phrase. You often need it. "Fooking Italian engineers"

 

At this point, I'd consider a small prybar between the baffle and tube, and gently pry to push the tube up.