Generation III Internal Engine 1997-2006 LS1 | LS6
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

is it a must to drop the oil pan...

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Sep 17, 2006 | 02:29 PM
  #1  
00454sscamaro's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
From: south jersey
Default is it a must to drop the oil pan...

is it a must to drop the oil pan to change the oil pump? or just loosen it?

is jacking the motor up and dropping the k down part of the process??

i got plenty of material to read about this but all of it with the engine out.... they all have the oil pan off to do anything with the oil pump...

also how do the roller rockers go , i mean the holes hafto face an exact side or either side is ok? they didnt seem in any special order in when i was taking out the trays.
Reply
Old Sep 17, 2006 | 03:07 PM
  #2  
HavATampa's Avatar
TECH Addict
iTrader: (49)
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,128
Likes: 1
From: Louisiana
Default

Read www.ls1howto.com , all your answers in one place. Just drop the front of the pan a little for the pump removal. No need to jack up the engine or to loosen the k-member. I'm assuming you meant roller lifters and not rockers, the lifter oil holes aren't lined up in any particular direction on stock engines.
Reply
Old Sep 17, 2006 | 07:29 PM
  #3  
HeapaShifter's Avatar
TECH Resident
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Myrtle Beach, SC
Default

It's possible to take the oil pump off without loosening the pan at all. You just need a little wrench, a magnet, and patience.
Reply
Old Sep 17, 2006 | 10:01 PM
  #4  
zspot98's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (87)
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
From: Charleston, SC
Default

I just lowered mine like the howto says (2") and then sent my wife and her little hands in after that oil pump bolt.
Reply
Old Sep 17, 2006 | 10:09 PM
  #5  
HavATampa's Avatar
TECH Addict
iTrader: (49)
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,128
Likes: 1
From: Louisiana
Talking

heh.....did you tell her that her life is over as she knows it if she drops that freaking bolt in the pan? I don't know if I have enough trust in anybody but myself to do something like that.

Originally Posted by zspot98
I just lowered mine like the howto says (2") and then sent my wife and her little hands in after that oil pump bolt.
Reply
Old Sep 17, 2006 | 10:15 PM
  #6  
ArcticZ28's Avatar
TECH Senior Member
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
iTrader: (14)
 
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,125
Likes: 4
From: Alexandria, VA
Default

Originally Posted by HeapaShifter
It's possible to take the oil pump off without loosening the pan at all. You just need a little wrench, a magnet, and patience.
...and the luck of a friggin leprechaun. I much prefer to drop the pan as much as possible. I need all the help I can get to get that SOB bolt back in.
Reply
Old Sep 17, 2006 | 11:51 PM
  #7  
zspot98's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (87)
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
From: Charleston, SC
Default

Originally Posted by HavATampa
heh.....did you tell her that her life is over as she knows it if she drops that freaking bolt in the pan? I don't know if I have enough trust in anybody but myself to do something like that.
I got a tip from a friend also. Tie some sewing thread w/ a washer on the end of the bolt so if you drop it you can pull it right back out. We dropped it twice and just pulled it put using the thread and tried again. Mike
Reply
Old Sep 18, 2006 | 11:54 AM
  #8  
00454sscamaro's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
From: south jersey
Default

Originally Posted by HavATampa
Read www.ls1howto.com , all your answers in one place. Just drop the front of the pan a little for the pump removal. No need to jack up the engine or to loosen the k-member. I'm assuming you meant roller lifters and not rockers, the lifter oil holes aren't lined up in any particular direction on stock engines.

oops, yeah i meant lifters.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Sep 18, 2006 | 11:56 AM
  #9  
00454sscamaro's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
From: south jersey
Default

thanks for all the replies.
Reply
Old Sep 18, 2006 | 12:19 PM
  #10  
black_z's Avatar
12 Second Club
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 3,322
Likes: 0
From: Midwest
Default

Originally Posted by zspot98
I got a tip from a friend also. Tie some sewing thread w/ a washer on the end of the bolt so if you drop it you can pull it right back out. We dropped it twice and just pulled it put using the thread and tried again. Mike
thats a good tip.
Reply
Old Sep 18, 2006 | 01:38 PM
  #11  
00454sscamaro's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
From: south jersey
Default

well oil pans lowered,oil tube bolt loose(cant find pen magnet at the moment to take it all the way out) ... now i got to go find where a snake is hiding in my garage besides the pen magnet i already got to find(theres a million places this snake could be just in the spot my dog was biting, grouling, and so on with-a pile of stuff i took out of my car(trunk matting, rear seats, front bumper reinforcment etc.) i thought it was just a lizard (its what he is usually after, and there always some around the garage, so i kept working on my car.. went out of the garge for a minute and came back in, my dogs looking all weird, so i go over to him and he grouls at me-( never grouls at me, im thinking wth ) so then i see a snake skin, looks big enough to put a hurting on my 15lb jack russel/faist. but now i got another thing to do before finishing my car...
Reply
Old Sep 18, 2006 | 08:28 PM
  #12  
N4cer's Avatar
10 Second Club
iTrader: (11)
 
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,526
Likes: 1
From: Ashland, KY
Default

Changed mine without dropping the pan. Small wrench. Pen magnet. I've seen it dropped in the pan. No big deal. It's the only magnetic object in there, so fish it out VERY EASILY with a pen magnet. It's MUCH MUCH easier than dropping the pan.
Reply
Old Sep 19, 2006 | 10:52 AM
  #13  
00454sscamaro's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
From: south jersey
Default

well found the snake.. but dont know how to get rid of it, maybe i should finish my car- with it running it would be a real good snake charmer (for most snakes). guess its good thats its eating the mice, but its already pretty big (3.5-5 foot long) and soposedly get to about 8 feet so i dont wanna be in the garage laying on the floor with it in there or it to bite my dog even though he'd probly kill it pretty fast the size it is now.. he is half jack russel( specifically rodent etc. hunting dogs). i need a long reach grabber or something.. or just let my dog go after it now that i know its not poisenous.

^ also thought about not dropping the pan , but looked to hard to get any kind of wrench on there. it was easy dropping the pan , but i still managed to drop a bolt in the pan... a timing chain bolt fell down but i easily got it with my hand. so im sure the oil tube bolt would of been the same , but my hand might not of fit in the pan with it up. a magnet would though..

is it a must to line up the pan with the special tool or just bolt everything back up and orient them as close as i can tell to where they were? theres a measurment in a book i got of exactly were its soposed to be but i think thats only in reference to the back of the block..

Last edited by 00454sscamaro; Sep 19, 2006 at 11:20 AM.
Reply
Old Sep 22, 2006 | 12:46 PM
  #14  
ChevyThunder17's Avatar
TECH Resident
20 Year Member
iTrader: (48)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 927
Likes: 0
From: Michigan, the land of cold
Default

Originally Posted by N4cer
Changed mine without dropping the pan. Small wrench. Pen magnet. I've seen it dropped in the pan. No big deal. It's the only magnetic object in there, so fish it out VERY EASILY with a pen magnet. It's MUCH MUCH easier than dropping the pan.
x2. When I installed my LS2 oil pump, I dropped that damn bolt in there at least 6 times. Murray's sells the extendable magnet pickups for $2.99 each. Fished it out every time with that thing. It's got a 3 lb pull so you just have to be close and you'll hear it click on to the magnet, as you pull out the magnet you'll hear the bolt drag across the pan. Thank goodness for aluminum pans.
Reply
Old Sep 22, 2006 | 12:53 PM
  #15  
89tang's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (15)
 
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 264
Likes: 0
From: Newark ohio
Default

Originally Posted by ChevyThunder17
x2. When I installed my LS2 oil pump, I dropped that damn bolt in there at least 6 times. Murray's sells the extendable magnet pickups for $2.99 each. Fished it out every time with that thing. It's got a 3 lb pull so you just have to be close and you'll hear it click on to the magnet, as you pull out the magnet you'll hear the bolt drag across the pan. Thank goodness for aluminum pans.

Same here dropped that damn bolt in the pan too. After about 10min's of fishing around i got it.

That tip about putting some sewing thread on the bolt that's a good idea.
Reply
Old Sep 22, 2006 | 12:56 PM
  #16  
ChevyThunder17's Avatar
TECH Resident
20 Year Member
iTrader: (48)
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 927
Likes: 0
From: Michigan, the land of cold
Default

You slide it around the crank, with a good magnet, it grabs that bolt no problem. It doesn't go that far away, a couple inches at best. It's just a blind area.
Reply
Old Sep 22, 2006 | 02:08 PM
  #17  
N4cer's Avatar
10 Second Club
iTrader: (11)
 
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,526
Likes: 1
From: Ashland, KY
Default

I forgot to mention... the magnet will also fish out the stubby wrench that we used to put the bolt back in. Hahahaha!
Reply
Old Sep 22, 2006 | 06:20 PM
  #18  
Mssingkid's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 546
Likes: 0
From: Carmel, NY / ATL, GA
Default

Originally Posted by zspot98
I got a tip from a friend also. Tie some sewing thread w/ a washer on the end of the bolt so if you drop it you can pull it right back out. We dropped it twice and just pulled it put using the thread and tried again. Mike

Great tip, i recently did this and i have to say, thank god i did it.. must have dropped that bolt 3 or 4 times, and not having to fish it out with a pen magnet def saves some time.
Reply
Old Sep 22, 2006 | 08:57 PM
  #19  
Beasst8's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,142
Likes: 0
From: Goldsboro, NC
Default

Will deff remember that tip for the next install that I do!!! For sure.
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:35 PM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE