Changing oil pan?

[bhad133]

I have an 87 Accord LX (4 door sedan)
I went to get my oil changed today and they said that i needed a new oil pan soon or mine would rust out. I am going to go to the junk yard and see if i can find one in decent condition. Would it be a good idea to paint it up to prevent rust? I do not know anything about where the oil pan is located, if anyone can tell me anything about changing it that would be great. Thank you.

[Oldblueaccord]

Well the oil pan is one the bottom of your engine. It holds all the engine oil and has a oil plug in the bottom of it to drain the oil out. Its a large tin pan like the name says.

If your not sure where it is to start it maybe to much of a job for you to do yourself. The hardest part is you must work underneath the car with enough room to be completely under the car and safely. Otherwise it is unbolting one part and putting on another, keeping the gasket on it straight until it is bolted up.

You may on the cheap use some fiberglass mat that you buy in a kit and patch it up from the outside. It would take some time to prep the pan the do it but it works well also. I have done many when I lived up north which I imagine you are.

wp

[bhad133]

haha yea i am from the north. I knew the oil pan was under the engine. I should have been more specific. I was wondering if there was anything out of the ordinary about it. . . like the oil pump being inside it or something but i checked a manual and its not. Looks pretty straight forward. Too bad i have to change the oil i just got put in today :(

[Oldblueaccord]

The only snag is there is a large breather tube that is rubber the goes to the back on the pan is kinda a PIA to get that together and slide the pan up and keep the gasket in place. It does not flex and is just hard to deal with.

The oil pump is on the side of the block and is run off the timing belt.

Thats about all I can think of.

Is it really that badlly rusted > or is he just wanted to "refurbish" it like I used to do :beat:


wp

[russiankid]

Changing it is not hard if you take your time. The hardest parts of the job are removing the exhaust and making sure you have the gasket aligned properly and that you do not over tighten it. If you are going to replace the pan, might as well paint it with high temp paint to prevent rust.

[bhad133]

-Oldblueaccord
I haven't looked at it yet but the guy at the oil change place said that it looks like it would rust through if he poked it with his finger.

Thanks so much guys.

[ghettogeddy]

ya you have to remove the down pipe from the exhaust the cross member the breather tube can be a pita i ended up cutting mine and getting a new one the pan can be hard to get up straight its gona take a few trys to do it right

[Oldblueaccord]

Yep thats a great point the exahust nuts one the manifold could be very hard to get off with rust involved. Forgot about that one.

wp

[ghettogeddy]

Yep thats a great point the exahust nuts one the manifold could be very hard to get off with rust involved. Forgot about that one.

wp

ya i had to use some of the craftsman bolt removers to get mine off

[Dr_Snooz]

To ensure a good seal, you will want to tighten those pan bolts in proper sequence. Start in the middle and proceed in criss-cross fashion to the outermost bolts. It wouldn't hurt to use a little RTV sealer at the corners of the gasket either.

It's difficult to keep the gasket from rolling off the lip of the pan as you raise and position it. The pan is about 10 lbs., so holding it up while you fight with the gasket and stab at it with bolts gets frustrating. I haven't tried it yet, but I think some well-placed twist-ties might help. Just feed the ties through the bolt holes and cut them out as you put in the bolts.

[steveko]

I would clean the pan gasket mating surface with acetone or laquer thinner. Then spray the gasket with high tac glue too hold the gasket it in place.

[russiankid]

To ensure a good seal, you will want to tighten those pan bolts in proper sequence. Start in the middle and proceed in criss-cross fashion to the outermost bolts. It wouldn't hurt to use a little RTV sealer at the corners of the gasket either.

It's difficult to keep the gasket from rolling off the lip of the pan as you raise and position it. The pan is about 10 lbs., so holding it up while you fight with the gasket and stab at it with bolts gets frustrating. I haven't tried it yet, but I think some well-placed twist-ties might help. Just feed the ties through the bolt holes and cut them out as you put in the bolts.

I used fishing line or just plain sowing string. Works great.

Also, is it really 10 lbs? It sure seemed lighter to me.

[lostforawhile]

hey if you replace the pan,might buy the old one for a mock up, doesn't have to be good,i saw the baffles on here and i might make my own

[bhad133]

hey if you replace the pan,might buy the old one for a mock up, doesn't have to be good,i saw the baffles on here and i might make my own

Just pay me the shipping charges and whatever it costs to pack it and you can have it