Need Help w/ oil pan

I have a 1997 Chevy 3500 Reg Cab long bed, not a dually, with a 5.7 liter vortec. The oil pan gasket is leaking. I've purchased a new gasket but now that ive torn into the project it looks like I will have to remove the oil pump. I've read reviews and some say you will have to lift the engine in order to change the gasket. Does anyone have an experience with this. I had the dealership change the gasket five years ago and when i crawled under the truck the oil pan bolts are only hand tight. I'm done with the dealership going to do it myself so I know its done right. Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks

if its a 4wd it will probably be faster to drop the front axle, if not it should come out after you remove the starter and torque convertor cover if its an automatic, gasket probably goes around the oil dipstick tube which may make it difficult to remove, if you can drive the tube up easily with a mallet do that if not, cut the gasket off, make a small notch in the new one on the inside to allow it to slip around, also i would personnaly get a tube of permatix Right Stuff Sealant and apply a small amount around the entire pan before you stick the gasket on, then put a bit in the corners were the pan dips for the rear main and front main bearings, can do it on the pan or engine side, the tube of RIGHT STUFF is more expensive but is worth it, works way better than regular RTV silicone

Never hanged one of those gaskets as I work on construction equipment so I"m not sure exactly what the problem your having is. That said if the problem is the oil pump sticking down into the pan preventing you from getting the gasket into place (ie-the pump needs to be in the middle of the gasket to get the gasket in place) that problem can usually be handled with no problem. I say usually because I know there are lots of newfangled gaskets on the market nowdays that can"t be cut due to their shape, etc, but assuming you"ve still got the old style, flat type gasket then it"s not a problem. What you do is chose a spot on the gasket that will be easy to get to with the gasket in place on the pan or block, whichever way you plan to put it up. With the place chosen, and using a sharp razor knife so as to leave a clean cut, cut out the shape of a dove tail across the gasket. Once cut you"ll have two ends of the same gasket that will interlock once in place. Doing this will allow you to get the gasket around any obstructions in the center of the pan and also provide a leak proof seal once the pan is tightened up. For extra leak proof assurance you may want to put a little dab of sealer, such as Ultra-Blue, where you make the joint, but to be honest it"s not usually necessary with a good, clean cut joint. Manufacturers do this type of joint, or varients of it, all the time on oversized gaskets without any problems and with a little care in making the cut anybody can do it with good results also.

Ya it is a 4wd, so do you think i still need to drop the front axle or should i be able to get around it with out dropping it or lifting the motor, and i was a little curious the new gasket claims not to use a sealant, i thought it was a little b/s but wasnt sure. but ok thanks ill keep working and see what i can come up with

Yank the two motor mount bolts. Put a jack under the dampner and lift the motor/transmission assembly roughly 7" until it bottoms out against the cab floor.

Drop the pan and clean the old gasket in place under the truck.

Clean the block surfaces, then fish the new gasket up, into the pan and around that oil pump pickup tube.

Allan

Allan In NE has given you the correct advice.Also do not use sealer on that gasket.Those are not designed for sealer.If you need something to hold it in place a light application of wheel bearing grease will suffice.

I know a Dakota is different from your chevy, but my friend dropped the front axle down to remove the oil pan so he could change the oil pump and pump drive in my v6.

Before you reinstall the pan with the new gasket you might want to check the torque spec on the bolts. The 1/4 inch bolts 7-9 ft. lbs of torque, and the 5/16 bolts to 12 ft. lbs. torque - that might explain why you think they are so loose from the dealer. Thats really not that tight.

the sealer is up to you some have said not to and others may say to, ive worked at a gm dealer for 6 yrs now and the only one that dont return with some seepage or leak are the ones with a >small< amount of sealer put around them to take up the imperfections in the pan gasket surface, i would not recommend using regular RTV as it is to slippery this and causes the gasket to slide but permitex Right stuff is alot stickier. also make sure both surfaces are spotless. removal of the axle would allow more clearance, if you can get the pan out without doing it all the better

Replaced an F250 pan and oil pump last winter in my basement using the procedure Allan described, which is also in the Chilton manual.

It's not a particularly fun thing to do, but I hate to take stuff to a garage that I can do myself.

My attitude on that is softening as the years start to rack up. Don't have the same enthusiasm for that stuff as twenty years ago.

I had a 79 Ford van one time that leaked oil bad. I had a shop look at it they said it was the intake gaskets. They replaced them and the darn thing was still leaking oil. Took 5 quarts to go 200 miles once. I was sitting reading a Chiltons manual one night and it said the major cause of oil leaks was loose bolts. I went out crawled under the van and tightened the oil pan bolts. Never leaked again. toughest motor I ever saw. I drove it from Mid TN to Disney World and back with a bad motor knock and it never quit. I had another truck (Ford) that developed a knock and did not make it 10 miles.

Here is what we use to do in the engine shop.Put the rubber gasket pieces front and rear(timing cover and rear main cap) and use RTV Ultra black silicone on the sides.Discard side gaskets.Gaskets will slide around if you put sealant on them.Just use sealant where there is a sharp corner.Just wondering; you can't get a full one piece rubber gasket for that engine?Did you try to tighten bolts first?Just my two cents worth .Installed many of engines back in the day.One more thing don't over tighten bolts it will split the gasket.Good Luck.BlaineF(WA)