Oil pan removal tricks?

[Safety Guy]

I'm trying to get my oil pan off the engine block from under the car. It's a B6, so there is the main bearing support plate to keep away from. I only need to get the pan off.

I'm cutting around it now with a razor knife. This might be the hardest part of replacing my oil pump! It was hard enough when the engine was on a stand. Now everything's in the way. I did take the grille off, which helps a bit.

Anyone got any tricks up their sleeves?

A magic wand, perhaps?

Thanks,

Karl

[Safety Guy]

Ah! Making headway. Got a painter scraper in a corner, then moving it along to cut the seal. Slow progress.

Wish it were easier!

"Hard work" must be the "trick," eh?

Karl

[91mcnasty]

no advice here but never give up!!
i honestly would have pulled the motor its gonna be a pain too do in the car.

[thered56]

Typed magic wand into google images, and:

http://waynelippold.com/Media_Foundations/images/Magic_Wand.jpg

Okay, I really don't suggest using this! haha...I don't remember having trouble with an oil pan, but I've only removed them from engines on an engine stand.

[Safety Guy]

It's off!

Just pick a corner and keep working it. First a razor or sharp, thin knife, then painter's scraper(s) and very fine flat screwdrivers to pry with (not too hard or you may deform the pan!). Increasing size of screwdrivers to pry with, and keep working the painter's scraper, and you'll get there like I did.

Whew.

Thanks!

Karl

[Safety Guy]

I just had an idea for a "trick" to more easily remove an oil pan.

You have to do this when you seal one up. It may also be limited to ones that use sealant instead of an entire gasket. The B3 uses a whole gasket set, while the B6 uses two half-moon shaped rubber end gaskets and a tube of sealant. This is what my idea pertains to.

Get a very thin, but strong wire (about as thick as a thread), about as long as one long side of your oil pan. It doesn't have to be the exact length, as we just want to "cut" the dried sealant when it's time to remove the pan. After you apply your sealant to the pan and before you put it on the block, run the thin wire just inside of the bolt holes from one end to the other. Leave about one inch of wire outside the pan on each end. Finish installation as usual and then paint the ends of the wire poking out with a rust inhibiting paint so they don't rust away. It may help if the wire is very thin stainless steel, too.

When it's time to remove the oil pan, especially if you are doing it on a car, remove all the pan bolts and then use a pair of pliers to grab one wire end while you hold the other end with another pair of pliers. Pull the wire out, cutting most of the gasket material so now it will be easier to pry the pan off. I think it should only need one side to work well.

BUT...would this "zip to remove" idea work? It may not, as even a thin wire may be too thick to provide proper sealing of the oil pan. A wire thin enough might also not be strong enough to cut the sealant, too. I don't know. This is just a crazy labor saving idea I had.

Comments from the mechanics out there in Festiva land? Am I showing my laziness too much now? Of course, I prefer to call it, "creativity."

Karl