Replacing Oil Pan

First off just wanted to say hey to all the avenger owners on this forum. Ok here's the deal. I had a 96 avenger until november when she was in an accident and written off. So I decide to buy another same style just three years newer a 99. I have the ES 2.5 litre. I bring the car home put it up on jacks to have a look see under the body, to find how everything looks. I noticed the oil pan was really rusty. I thought man it this thing rotted right through, that's how bad it looked. I thought to myself no way, oil pans should be thick enough metal not to be rusted through. Well I cleaned it up and spray it down with some rust paint to help preserve it. After about a month I did an oil change. Changing out the crap oil and replacing it with 10w30 Mobil One synthetic oil. I noticed it started to leak. I thought maybe it was the gasket due to the syntetic oil. I lifted the car againg and noticed there was a small hole in the wall of the oil pan. Sorry for the long story. My question 1) is it hard to change the pan out (I have some mechanical background) 2) Where should I pick a new pan up. and 3) What would this thing cost me???
Thanks for listening.

n8j

it shouldnt be to hard to replace, just buy one at an auto parts store, and buy a new gasket for it while your there, you cant use the same one it wont work. just unbolt the old one and take the gasket off. then put the new ones on. oh yeah, drain your oil first.

I changed the pan on my 98 ES 2.5L V6. It had the same problem that yours has. The pan rusted through on the welds but once I got it off I noticed it was a small pin sized hole but it still leaked pretty good out of it. The pan is not hard to change. Jack the car up, take off the lower engine frame member, pull the downpipe off, pull off the starter, pull off the trans to engine mount support brackets, then you can unbolt the pan. It took me about 1.5 hours to due it all. That is basically all I had to remove to do it. Sorry if I forgot anything but it was like 8 months ago when I did it. Either way it was really easy to change. I got a used oil pan off of a 97 V6 from a junkyard to put on it. That pan also was rusting. I cleaned it up, checked it for leaks(it didnt), then I painted it black with rustoleum really good. For a gasket I just used RTV black. It worked really good. The gasket was too much of a hassle to get it to line up so I said screw it. I have my original oil pan that I fixed and repainted, nothing wrong with it if you are interested send me a PM.

Cool. I read my haynes manual and it said most of that you talked about but didn't mention taking off the frame member. I am kinda concerned about the bolts holding the exhaust on and the pan. They seem pretty rusted. I think I might start hitting them with some lubricant, hoping it will loosen some rust up. I appreciate the offer of the pan but I have bought one from a 98. I paid about 75 bucks Canadian, that is delivered right to my door. Not bad I was expecting it to be way more. I am surprised it only took you 1.5 hours. That makes me feel better. I was telling my wife earlier I wasn't looking forward to doing this job. Thanks for the help. I'll keep ya posted. The thing that sucks is I did an oil change like 5 days ago. (Mobil One)

Thanks
n8j

Cool. I read my haynes manual and it said most of that you talked about but didn't mention taking off the frame member. I am kinda concerned about the bolts holding the exhaust on and the pan. They seem pretty rusted. I think I might start hitting them with some lubricant, hoping it will loosen some rust up. I appreciate the offer of the pan but I have bought one from a 98. I paid about 75 bucks Canadian, that is delivered right to my door. Not bad I was expecting it to be way more. I am surprised it only took you 1.5 hours. That makes me feel better. I was telling my wife earlier I wasn't looking forward to doing this job. Thanks for the help. I'll keep ya posted. The thing that sucks is I did an oil change like 5 days ago. (Mobil One)

Thanks
n8j
I would have sent you mine for $50 but thats alright. Im sure others will be looking for a new pan because it seems to be common. The frame member is not serious it just unbolts and braces the underside of the engine but make sure to keep the bolts in the right places. Spraying the bolts wouldnt be a bad idea or maybe put some new stainless ones in instead if possible. I have had to take the downpipe off a couple of times before and it was a pain. Then I got a good deal on some XIRacing headers and downpipe for $85 used but still very nice off a junked Sebring.:grinyes: The stainless bolts always come off really easy. Only a suggestion. You may even want to gut your precats for some extra power also why you have it off.

I thought that cross member actually held the engine up. When you said to take it off I thought man that would be abit of a pain. But you say it only adds support. So by removing it the engine should still be supported and doesn't have to be held up by a jack or jackstands?

Thanks for all you help. Very much appreciated.

PS
I jimmied some sealant on the hole to stop the oil from leaking on my driveway. I live about 15 miles out to the nearest large city and my wife drove it all the way and the sealant held up. I was kinda surprised. Good stuff. :naughty:

n8j

there are 2 different oil pans for your vehicle, california or usa/mexico
they are both $175.00 ea but the usa/mexico one is on back order
should be available soon

No there are other mounts that hold the engine and it wont fall out or anything. The brace actually holds an antiroll mount.
Good luck with it.