Removing rusted oil pan

[lakemac]

I have a 2004 model Larson cabrio 260 with a Volvo penta 5.7 gxi f. The oil pan has rusted through ,just a few pin holes, but enough to make it look like a major leak. I was wondering if it would be possible to remove and replace the pan WITHOUT removing the engine from the boat.
The engine sits reasonably high on its mounts but I am not sure how much clearance is needed?
I am replacing the manifolds and risers at the same time so this will give good access to the pan bolts, when the manifolds are unbolted.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[72fj40]

No Title

The oil pickup is about as deep as the pan is. Only you will be able to tell if there is enuff clearance to drop the pan and remove it. You can try it, the worst that can happen, is you have to re attach it with a couple of bolts and pull the motor.

 

[gm280]

lakemac, Unless you have a lot of clearance under the pan, I would say NO. The crankshaft is the least of your worries. The oil pickup screen and tube sticks down quite far to stay in the reservoir of oil in the pan. So I would be very surprised if you could remove it. JMHO!

And since it is leaking with pin holes, it is toast as well. But another used or otherwise, clean it spotless and then tap the bolt holes flat again with a ball pin hammer while holding the pan against a solid flat surface to remove any bolt indentions that are probably there. Then wipe it down with Acetone or, my favorite, Lacquer Thinner and prime it and paint it. Then find what the true torque settings are for those pan bolts and systematically tighten them accordingly to that torque spec and no further. It will seem like too little torque, but I can guarantee you it will not leak either. We tend to over tighten such bolts and actually cause more leaks then any bad gasket would ever. I learned that the hard way over the years. There IS a reason for such light torque specs on certain bolts. :facepalm:

 

[Sunken Ship]

Rust holes? Isn't that a cast aluminum oil pan?

 

[bruceb58]

Pull the engine. Not worth the effort doing it in the boat. I did it once and wished I had just pulled the engine.

 

[Dave-R]

Pulling the engine is quite simple. My record is 1 hour, because I was mad at myself. I had to pull the engine to repair a leaking oil pan gasket I installed a day earlier. I did learn a better way to install the gasket. Not only use the sealant on the corners of the block and timing cover, but also a thin strip top and bottom of the gasket on the curved ends. And always use felpro gaskets, and like mentioned the proper torque.And wait for the sealant to cure before adding oil. Some gasket sets come with the permatex sealant. Follow the instructions, and clean both the block and pan with acetone or lacquer thinner. When looking for a replacement pan, be carefull, and make sure your dipstick will work with the new one. Guess how I know? Dave-R