oilpan removal 351C

[mycoses]

factory shop manual does not state engine has to be raised to remove oilpan in 351C. Is that correct ? do I have to raise engine to remove oilpan ...or not. ? mentions removing cross member bolts but I am not sure which bolts they are talking about.

 

[Manu Mach1]

I read somewhere that the oil pump does not help to remove it with the engine still on.

 

[goodnigh]

My cross member is welded so we had to raise the engine.

Now would be a good time to also replace the engine mounts.

We found a broken one.

mike

 

[Bill73Ragtop]

Yes, you have to raise it. You also have to reach into the gap between the pan and the block and remove the oil pump & pickup to remove the pan.

For mustangs, up until 1970 you could unbolt and remove the cross member, but that changed in 1971 to welded cross members and Ford never changed the shop manuals.

 

[73vertproject]

Yes, you have to raise it. You also have to reach into the gap between the pan and the block and remove the oil pump & pickup to remove the pan.

For mustangs, up until 1970 you could unbolt and remove the cross member, but that changed in 1971 to welded cross members and Ford never changed the shop manuals.

Bill is spot on here. You have to raise the engine to remove the pan.

 

[MeZapU]

You will sometimes also need to rotate the crank to be able to fish the oil pan out.

 

[mycoses]

You will sometimes also need to rotate the crank to be able to fish the oil pan out.

well I guess I answered my own question. I had to removed the sway bar then rotated the crank to move the con rods out of the way and the oil pan slipped out without lifting the engine up or moving the oil pump but it is a very tight fit.

 

[73vertproject]

You will sometimes also need to rotate the crank to be able to fish the oil pan out.

well I guess I answered my own question. I had to removed the sway bar then rotated the crank to move the con rods out of the way and the oil pan slipped out without lifting the engine up or moving the oil pump but it is a very tight fit.

Wow. I would have never believed that possible. Did you even have to loosen the motor mounts?

 

[MeZapU]

I did not need to loosen the engine mounts. Hardest part is the oil pump bolts. On and off.

I removed mine because when I first got my car the distributor was stuck. Stuck so bad that after I pulled the pan I had a friend prying up on the distributor with a 3' crowbar, while another was twisting it with a strap wrench, while I was underneath the car pounding up from the bottom with a piece of pipe and a 3lb hammer. Needless to say I broke the distributor to bits getting it out, but I had another ready to drop in.

Previous owner had poor maintenance practices and there was overheating evidence.

 

[cheezsnake]

So, I got into the project of removing the 351C oil pan on my 71, thinking the sway bar would be the only obstacle. I'm reading now that you need to loosen motor mounts, jack up the engine and support with blocks, and also remove the oil pump before the pan can be removed. Somehow, mycoses avoided all this by just turning the crank? I'd love for it to go that easy! My question, if I have to remove the oil pump, do you also end up removing the distributor and fitting it back together after the pump is reinstalled? Or, can you get the pump shaft to fit the distributor from the bottom (with the oil pan half in place)? I've never attempted it from this direction. Thanks.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

i did mine last month..i lifted the engine and stuck 2x4 scraps in between the mounts. idid not need to remove the oil pump.

older mustangs had bolt in crossmembers. the oul pump drive should have a prng retainer, but i would expect is easier to just pull and reinsrall the distributor

 

[cheezsnake]

Thanks. Hopefully, the 2x4 will be enough clearance for mine also. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[cheezsnake]

So, I've added enough bolts back in the pan to keep it from moving under the jack. What did you find is the best way to prop the engine to support it and allow clearance for the pan. Pic attached. Did you remove the mount bolts at the block and place the 2x4 there (A)? Or, remove the bolt at the frame mount and wedge the wood block in the gap (B)? Thanks for the advice.

 

[rcadd1ct]

"B"

Put a 2x4 in the gap that opens up when you jack it up.

 

[cheezsnake]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I got the pan off, and did not need to remove the oil pump or turn the crank. And it's a good thing I pulled the pan. The sump area was filled with little pieces of what looks like broken, hard plastic. Any guesses what this used to be and where it came from?

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

nylon from the factory timing gear would be my guess

 

[cheezsnake]

Wow! I had assumed those were all cast iron. If those shards are really from the nylon cam sprocket, it's a wonder the engine even runs! There's easily a 1/4 cup of pieces that came out of that pan. Unless someone already replaced the gear at some point. Looks like something else I need to tear apart.

 

[rcadd1ct]

Wow! I had assumed those were all cast iron. If those shards are really from the nylon cam sprocket, it's a wonder the engine even runs! There's easily a 1/4 cup of pieces that came out of that pan. Unless someone already replaced the gear at some point. Looks like something else I need to tear apart.

You might be able to see it through the fuel pump mounting hole. The pump runs off the eccentric of the cam sprocket

 

[secluff]

Nylon cam gear teeth is exactly what you've found. Ford used those because of cost and they felt were quieter. I did a lot "Late Night" drag racing with my M code Mach 1. Was always capable of running with the Big Blocks. All of a sudden it started running like I was pulling a fifty foot trailer full of cinder blocks, then in the blink of an eye, it would pull like an out of control locomotive.

On the advice of one of our shop techs, I pulled the pan and found it was full of nylon teeth. When I checked the timing gears 3/4 of the teeth were missing from the cam gear. With a combination of missing teeth and a very worn chain, the timing was all over the place. No one could figure why it was even running at all.

I installed a metal timing gear set and didn't notice any increase in engine noise. And now would be the perfect time for you to do so since your already there.

Just be glad that you don't have a 302, or you would have found some piston skirts along with some cam gear teeth! Lol