Oil pan removal/replacement

IRISHFURBUSH

MEMBER
2008 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
200,000 MILES

A couple years ago the oil change place I used over-tightened the drain plug on my car listed above, after a couple more oil changes they replaced the plug with a self tapping over sized plug (I'm sure you see where this is going). I usually do all my own work on my vehicle (except transmission and A/C work) however I do not own an engine lift. Before I start removing bolts to replace the oil pan I was wondering if this job requires the removal of any motor mounts. I believe the earlier version of my car did, but I'm hoping to get lucky and not have to purchase/rent a lift. As a side note, I hate this car. Just did the alternator last week, who designs a car that requires the removal of an axle to change an alternator? Chrysler.

Any advice or repair guides would be much appreciated. Thanks.

5 Replies

DANNY L

MECHANIC
5,648 POSTS

Hello, I'm Danny.

From what the repair guides I can attach show, No, you will not need a hoist. It shows everything from the bottom. It will probably help raising the car considerably high enough off the ground for room. I've attached the repair guides for removal and installation below. Hope this helps and thanks for using 2CarPros.

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Saturday, June 13th, 2020 AT 9:32 AM

IRISHFURBUSH

MEMBER
4 POSTS

Awesome. I sincerely appreciate the quick response and images. I expect parts to arrive tomorrow and to knock this project out early this week. I'll post again afterwards to let y'all know how it went. Thanks again.

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Saturday, June 13th, 2020 AT 11:32 AM

DANNY L

MECHANIC
5,648 POSTS

You're welcome!

Yes, keep us updated on your progress or if you have any further questions about this repair. Thanks again for using 2CarPros.

Danny-

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Saturday, June 13th, 2020 AT 11:43 AM

IRISHFURBUSH

MEMBER
4 POSTS

Hey Danny,

I just finished replacing the oil pan yesterday. You were correct about the engine mounts, I was able to do the job without disconnecting them. In fact, the instructions you sent say to remove the lower torque strut and I found that was not necessary either. (Probably because I do not have the Turbo model.)

For anyone else doing this job:
-I backed the car up on ramps and then jacked the front end up and put it on jack stands (as high as they would go).
-There are a couple bolts that were tricky to reach but nothing that was inaccessible.
-I do not own an impact wrench or any air tools and found that with a couple ratchets, a metric socket set, breaker bar and a box of towels, this job went smoothly.
-The only part I found frustrating is that there are two spots where you are instructed to use "Mopar (R) Engine RTV Gen II" gasket maker (I used Permatex ULTRA Black) and then you have to wait 24 hours for the stuff to cure before you expose it to oil. (Like most DIY-ers I don't want to wait to enjoy the end result of a day's work.)
-The whole job took maybe 5 or 6 hours (other than previously mentioned 24-hour wait).

Thanks for giving me the visual tools I needed to complete the job. Much appreciated,

Irish

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Friday, June 19th, 2020 AT 9:11 AM

DANNY L

MECHANIC
5,648 POSTS

You're welcome!
Glad things went smoothly besides waiting 24 hours. Thanks again for using 2CarPros and hope you will use us again in the future when needed.

Danny-