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| Oil Leak on the Oil Pan (Page 1/1) |
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Firezappy
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JUL 30, 10:02 PM
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Hello, I have a 1988 Fiero 2.5 Auto and I have been doing some work trying to get this car on the road again. The original engine is popped, so I got a junkyard motor. New timing gear, rear main, etc. But I did not do a good job on the oil pan apparently. Reading some other peoples comments on the forums I see that you can get the oil pan off without taking the motor out. But apparently it is harder with the auto. Anyone here have experience with this? I am assuming I take the starter off, the flywheel cover thing, along with one of the bottom engine mounts. Is there something else I need to do because I have the auto? Basically I don't wanna rig something up to keep the motor up away from the mount if there is not enough room with the auto.
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Spoon
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AUG 12, 08:28 PM
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This may help. Same river, different canoe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVaPHoKUjuE
Spoon
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"Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
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KennyG
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AUG 15, 02:53 PM
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I seem to have a leak on my 88 4 cylinder oil pan also, after reinstalling the engine. I resealed the pan with RTV because the info I had indicated that no gasket is used on the 1988 engine. I'm now questioning that since some places seem to show a gasket available for the 1988.
The service manual indicates you can remove the pan without removing the engine, but says you have to remove a lot of things and then lift the engine/lower the car. It says to start by taking the deck lid and side panels off but I'm not sure that is necessary if you use an engine hoists and not the factory support tool.
The items it says to remove are: battery side shield, serpentine belt, generator bolts, front engine mount bolts, starter and flywheel cover, right rear wheel, splash shield, loosen lower generator bracket, A/C heat shield, A/C Compressor, engine torque strut, engine front support bracket and mount, and oil pan.
Good Luck.
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Patrick
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AUG 15, 03:14 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by KennyG:
The service manual indicates you can remove the pan without removing the engine, but says you have to remove a lot of things and then lift the engine/lower the car.
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I wonder if instead of lifting the engine, you could simply support it from above, and then lower the cradle.
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KennyG
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SEP 11, 08:48 PM
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Just update, I'm pulling my 88 pan now. You need to remove the front engine mount bracket, which entails taking the A/C compressor and alternator mounts off. Not too difficult except it's slow because you can only get to some of the bracket bolts with an open end and only turn them a small amount at a time. The oil pan bolts with the automatic trans are all easily accessible EXCEPT for that one on the rear which is very hard to get to (thanks GM). With extensions of various lengths and a socket universal joint, I was able to get it out. Reinstalling it will be fun. Since the pan is RTVed and you can only easily get to the front side with a putty knife to cut, it comes off very hard. You just have to work it slowly and make sure you don't bend the mounting surface.
I slightly lifted the front of the engine with my engine hoist using the dogbone mounting bracket to remove the engine mount bracket. Pretty easy.
I'm not a real expert on RTV, but I understand the key is to get a good bead on clean dry surfaces, tighten the bolts just enough to start squeezing RTV out and leave it for a day to set up. Then tighten to spec. I wish the 88s had gaskets, but they don't. I'm going to get some extra bolts and cut the heads off to make locating studs to make installing the pan easier without messing up the RTV beads.
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Patrick
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SEP 11, 09:23 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by KennyG:
I'm not a real expert on RTV...
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I've never replaced an oil pan on a Fiero, but I did it to my JDM Subie a few years ago (with the engine still in the car but raised a few inches). I had also never used Permatex Ultra Grey previously, and was concerned that with no actual "gasket" I'd have a leak afterwards. I spent a lot of time cleaning and preparing the surface on the block (the pan was new), and was very careful when lifting and positioning the pan onto the block. You only get one crack at it! However, it all turned out fine. I was a happy camper. 
 [This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 09-11-2023).]
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Vintage-Nut
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SEP 11, 09:56 PM
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KennyG
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SEP 11, 11:04 PM
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I know Rock Auto lists a gasket in addition to the RTV, but if you go to AutoZone or another parts store, they will not list a gasket, only the RTV. Fiero Store offers a gasket for 84-87 but not for 88. The service manual says use only RTV. I'm a little skeptical of Rock Auto although I have bought some things from them. Unless you are buying a lot, their shipping costs are really high.
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Vintage-Nut
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SEP 11, 11:33 PM
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Firezappy
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NOV 05, 08:42 PM
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I know this is much later but yes, I got the oil pan fixed. I did get the oil pan out of the car by removing the lower engine mount and lifting the motor with my engine lift. But it was to cramped for me to put it back on strait with rtv. So I just ended up taking the entire motor out again. I used a bunch of Permatex The Right Stuff gasket maker. When I put the motor back in I accidentally hit the timing gear cover and bent it in, but I did not notice till later. When I started the car I thought I was dealing with a blown engine, but it was just the timing gear hitting the cover. Replaced that and used more rtv on that as well. Now the car does not appear to be leaking at all anymore! But I also somehow damaged my cv boot so it was slinging it's grease everywhere on the exhaust. A never ending cycle, I just wanna drive my cool old Fiero already!
If anyone else is having this issue I will tell you it is possible to remove the oil pain with it still in the car, but the fact is there is really no room and you got to pull at some weird angles to slide it out. So putting it back in with Rtv everywhere is even harder. I am not going to say it is impossible, but I could not do it. For reference I have an automatic 1988 Fiero with an iron duke. I have only owned this car for like 6 years and I have already pulled the motor 3 times. Such is life >.>
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