Various issues/older model

[tst1967]

I have a 97 corolla that is leaking oil from the oil pan. How difficult would it be to change the oil pan gasket myself?

[kline27]

Originally Posted by tst1967

I have a 97 corolla that is leaking oil from the oil pan. How difficult would it be to change the oil pan gasket myself?

if u havent figuredit out yet it is not that hard..just take the bolts 4 pan out(make sure you have pan oils gonna go everywhere) scrape old 1 off then replace with new 1..

[94_Rolla_Guy]

if its a 7a-fe it is a little bit of a pain because of the dual pan thing, 4a-fe is easier because pan is different (only 1 main pan)

post back with which it is and i will try to help...

[tst1967]

Thanks for the info, I should be all set now...at least with that.

[Donald]

With the 4A, isn't the engine brace bar in the way of the rear bolts? (the ones up against the tranny)
On my '92 I had to lower the brace bar to get to them.

[punter]

As above, it's easy to do.

Just take care to keep everything clean and tidy.

Also you will not have a gasket in there, toyota just use sealent.
If your not going to use toyota sealent make sure you get some that sets hard, if its soft/easy to break off, it could fall into your sump and block you oil pick up.

[schn0354]

tst1967,

Do you have the 7A-FE? Where is the leak coming from? There is the smaller steel pan and also the upper aluminum oil pan. Crawling underneath a car and scraping off the old gasket material is a pain. Just wear goggles and jack the car up far enough and put it on blocks so you have adequate room to work on it comfortably. The lower pan is easy to work on. The upper assembly is challenging due to access and the number of bolts that hold it in place. It requires a 6mm allen socket as well. You also have to partially remove an engine support crossmember.

Use Permatex Ultra Grey RTV sealant and follow instructions on where to apply the bead in a repair manual. I have repair instructions and pictures if needed.