1999 c1500 Suburban oil pan removal

[OBSBurban]

Sorry if someone has already asked this. I’m new (obviously).

Anyways, got the 99 c1500 suburban with the 5.7. Oil pain got a healthy dent on the bottom and has been leaking at the gasket for years. Have a new pan and gasket ready to go. Got the oil filter housing off and cleaned up and the pan unbolted but I can not get it to clear the tranny. Do I need to unbolt the pump to drop it? Really don’t want to have to unbolt and move the tranny especially since the truck is sitting parked on loose gravel and not blacktop or concrete. Not the easy surface to slide a jack on.

 

[OBSBurban]

In case anyone is wondering I have the solid bellhousing around the torque converter and can not remove the bottom.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

In case anyone is wondering I have the solid bellhousing around the torque converter and can not remove the bottom.

Probably the 4L60E, that's what mine has. What you'll probably need to do, is pull the motor mount bolts, and jack the engine up a little. You can put a big piece of plywood under the truck, to put the jack on. When the harmonic balancer and pulley are off, you can jack up on the crankshaft snout, very carefully. When I did the timing job on my other 99 Burb, several years ago, I used a piece of 4x4 wood that was cut with a curved notch. Dad had made it for a bottle jack, to lift on the axle tube.
The pan has a windage tray in it, and there's a baffle attached to the main bearing cap, in the middle of the engine (#3 main cap). These will interlock if you don't move the engine up a little bit. If I remember correctly, it only needs to go up an inch or two.

 

[OBSBurban]

Ah ok. I was about to start loosening the tranny thinking I could slide it back a little to gain clearance. I’m probably just going to do the gasket today and get this back together. The pan itself is not leaking. Just wanted to put a nice clean pan on her. Have new radiator and cooler lines as well. Just figured I’d do it all now but idk about jacking up on the crank. Not with my luck. Hell last night I snapped the dry rotted plastic on the starter solenoid just trying to loosen the 10mm nut to get the starter out of the way. I’ll wait until I get my engine hoist back and do it then. Thanks for the response! Had this truck for about 5 years now. Learning that 4x4s are the way to go. Little easier to work and the parts are in more abundance and cheaper. I like my c1500 but some of the crap we have to dance around due to the engineering is ridiculous.

 

[Pinger]

My 1999 with 5.7l has the 4L-80 and the removable steel cover. But I don't remember removing it to get the oil pan off and back on. From memory, I tried to remove it and decided against as it required removing the exhaust from the driver side bank. My memory is a bit sketchy (it was a while ago) but I have no recollection of the steel cover being removed - so pretty sure I did it with it in situ.

There's mention (in the GM manual I think) of orienting the crankshaft to a particular position so that it doesn't foul the pan. Probably at the front where you want it raised to tilt the pan so the back is lower.

 

[Schurkey]

If the pan is dented, be certain it didn't move or crimp the oil pump pickup screen/tube.

 

[OBSBurban]

If the pan is dented, be certain it didn't move or crimp the oil pump pickup screen/tube.

That was my fear too but what little I could see while the pan was 3 inches down looked good and the truck doesn’t make any rattling sound like broken or loose pieces are tumbling in the pan. In about a month or so I’ll be taking her to mom’s who has the garage I can work in and is also where my engine hoist resides. I’ll raise the engine, drop the pan and do a better visual check. Maybe even replace bearings since I’m in there.

 

[Schurkey]

The oil pump pickup tube wouldn't necessarily fall off and rattle. Since the tube is round, and a press-fit in the pump, it could just be pushed "up". You'll want to verify that it's 3/8--1/2 inch above the bottom of the pan.

 

[OBSBurban]

The oil pump pickup tube wouldn't necessarily fall off and rattle. Since the tube is round, and a press-fit in the pump, it could just be pushed "up". You'll want to verify that it's 3/8--1/2 inch above the bottom of the pan.

10-4. How exactly would I be able to measure how far from the bottom of the pan it’s sitting if the pan is attached? Are there any identifying marks on the tube?

 

[Erik the Awful]

Stick a 3/8" thick magnet on the bottom of the pan right where the pickup hangs. The pan should fit flat with a gasket. Then stack a nut on top of the magnet, and the pan should not fit flat. Typically I do this with the engine upside down on an engine stand, and then I put a tack weld on the pickup.