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Working on the 356. Attempting the drop the oil pan.

At first the pan seemed glued to the block with the old cork gasket (who knows when or if that was ever removed). Then the front of the pan dropped and I thought all was good. But the back of the pan wouldn't come loose and I realized I had to remove the rear retainer w/seal. Thought that would do the trick. Then there were two internal bolts and one nut that needed to be removed before the pan would come loose completely. Was really concerned that I was removing the rear main seal retaining bolts but couldn't see any other way to drop the pan, so I took them out and the pan dropped to where I could see it was free of the block. Thought I was in the clear. NOPE - tried shoving oil pan forward and tilting the rear edge of the pan down so I could slide it out. The front edge of the pan is contacting the back of the damper. The very rear edge of the pan that protrudes into the bellhousing is not clearing the housing lip by millimeters.

What's the issue? I have the car up on ramps. Is the frame literally flexing just enough to cause me to be unable to drop the pan? I've witnessed some body flex before with doors and such when a car is jacked up that causes doors not to close well. Maybe the same thing is happening here? I can't see why in the world I'd have to remove the trans cast iron bellhousing cover just to drop the oil pan. Are people familiar with this clearance issue?

UPDATE:

This just feels like oddness. After posting the above, I lowered the car off ramps. Now the back of the oil pan clears the bellhousing lip opening behind the seal retainer. BUT...the kicker...the pan is so long in the front that it's not tilting down far enough to clear the lowest point of the 'bell' of the cast iron bellhousing. The pan is resting on, and not clearing the center link in the suspension.



Is one supposed to remove that cast iron flywheel housing just to get the pan off? This doesn't feel like typical Packard intuitive engineering. The small format FSM's instructions are a joke. They say "remove the oil pan". Umm...?

Checkout my videos, might be of some help.
youtube.com/watch?v=8uyrBl3oq0I
Wes

Your front engine mount sounds like it has sagged so much that it has dropped far enough to make clearance impossible. Try lifting your engine about an inch or two and see if you can get the pan out.

What West says for sure, and you will probably have to rotate the crankshaft a bit for the pan to clear the counterweights up front.

Quote:

Is there a visual inspection indicator for sagging front mounts? I did not observe any noticeable sag, but this is the first Packard I've owned and the mounting setup is unusual to me, so unfamiliar.

To replace the front mount, do people chock a block of wood under the engine at a certain point and lift with a floor jack? Or do most use a picker chained to the head from above?

@Wesley - thanks, found your video while searching this site in another link. Helpful!

@Owen - thanks for the note on the counterbalance - will rotate to be sure it's clearing the pan. That may be the issue.

One way to check for a sagging motor mount in front is to see if you can get a socket on the lower water pump bolts; with a fresh mount they can be accessed but are still quite close to the mount. If you can't get a socket on them, the mount has sagged, pretty basic and easy job to replace the rubber parts. Using a broad and thick piece of lumber under the oil pan as far front as you can get usually does the trick easily.

I removed the cast iron lower flywheel cover when removing the oil pan on my 47 Clipper Custom. I also disconnected the steering linkage where the idler arm fastens to the frame on the right hand side. You may need to rotate the engine so the front crankshaft journals are moved up. This is a relatively simple job.

When replacing the pan affix the gasket to the pan with adhesive and coat the engine side of the gasket with a light coating of grease. Having the gasket adhered to the pan will make it easier to remove next time, and the grease will allow the pan to slide on the engine to line up the bolt holes without hurting the gasket.

While the pan is off, check the bolt holes on the flanges for any ones that have been raised due to previous tightening. Check on a flat surface or with a straight edge. A ball peen hammer with the pan on a flat surface will restore the flange. This will insure the pan will seal to the gasket and engine. The bolts do not need to be overly tightened, just up to snug and a little bit more.

That should do it.

(o{}o)

@JW - Thanks for the notes on how to attach the oil pan gasket to the oil pan and to reinstall.

@Owen - that's a great test to recommend. I went ahead and tried a socket on those two lower bolts and I could not get it on, so the front mount needs replacing. Is the front mount a standalone replacement, or should you replace other mounts when you do that one as well? I actually have not seen the other mounts except the ones hidden at the very back of the transmission - are there only two mounts?

Evan, I sent you a PM to your email listed, attached is a video.
Happy to hear videos helpful.
Wes

Unless you see that the rear mounts need replacing, you can start by replacing just the front mount.