Well today has been a rather bad one. This morning I backed a trailer into a new overhead shop door and demolished it.

Then, I went to take an oil sample out of my Dmax and the sample tube broke off inside the dipstick tube!

I'm afraid to start the truck since the tube is wedged way down in there...far enough so that it was sticking in oil before it broke.

I think pulling the drain pan is my only choice. What should I know before I pull the pan? Can someone walk me through reinstalling it, including torque specs on the pan bolts? I picked up some "Premium Blue" RTV sealant that says it's designed for oil pans at NAPA. There is no actual gasket, right?

PM atschevytech, he is online right now. He has that he is a technichian in his sig. I'm not sure if there is an acutual gasket or not. But if you pull the pan. And there is one I'm sure the RTV you bought would work in its place, since you're in a tight spot.

I don't think atschevytech is online anymore. I got all the pan bolts out, but now I can't get the pan off! Is there some trick I'm missing? The RTV they used at the factory must be some super-strong stuff.

You have to drop the tranny to get pan off.

You have to drop the tranny to get pan off.

I know THAT is not what coyotekid wanted to hear!

Kelly, There is a method in the Helms manual. Either the upper pan or the lower pan uses a GM sealant. The manual states a sealant cutter (PN J37228) is required. I guess you'll have to improvise. When installing the lower pan it says to apply a 2-3mm wide by .5-1.5mm bead of (P/N 97720043) sealant to the lower oil pan mating surface. Then install the pan and install the bolts. Torque to 89 lb in. Here is a pattern in the manual for tightening the bolts. It's not a good pic since I used my camera phone to take the pic. Hope this helps.

Here's a better pic I hope.

Thanks a bunch lakingslayer! I still can't get the pan off, but maybe some fishing line would help me?

I know you'd have to drop the tranny to get the uppper pan off, but I don't think the lower pan is going to require this. Either way, it may be headed to a dealer.

Man this has been a s hitty day.

Hey Kid,

There is a thread on here about oil pans, deiseltechally and some others, try a search.

Idahofox

One more question: Is dropping the lower pan going to let me get at this? In other words, where does the factory dipstick go? Does it just go down into the upper pan to get the reading? I can't really tell because the starter is in the way.

This is going to run into a lot of $$$ I don't have and lost business because I don't have my truck...such is life I guess.

I might be missing something (I usually am) but why can't you just remove the dipstick tube and hope the piece is stuck in it? I think that there is one bolt that holds the tube in place and the tube itself slides into the block above the pan (I think).
Keith

I'm investigating that right now, but I think I'll have to remove the starter to get to the dipstick tube.

When i bought my truck (2002 model) the bolt was missing from the tube mount ( high on the right side of the engine) and the tube felt like all you would have to do is pull it straight out.
Keith

One more question: Is dropping the lower pan going to let me get at this? In other words, where does the factory dipstick go? Does it just go down into the upper pan to get the reading? I can't really tell because the starter is in the way.

This is going to run into a lot of $$$ I don't have and lost business because I don't have my truck...such is life I guess.
It looks like it goes to the edge of the upper pan right above the lower pan (between bolts 6 and 10 on the pic I attached). Looking at the picture I would think if something dropped down the tube it would fall directly into the lower pan. To remove the tube you need to remove the exhaust manifold and starter. It has some bends in it that probably requires all this extra work to get it in and out. Also the bolt that holds it in is also a bold for the FICM.

Just a suggestion. Get a Fumoto valve. It works great for getting samples and for oil changes.

Oh how I wish I had used a Fumoto instead of this whole mess. I'm not making any progress whatsoever, so I guess it's gonna have to go to the dealer. There goes a few hundred bucks.

Alright, I'm headed in the right direction. I was able to pull the dipstick tube out of the block and at least push a bunch of the pipette I was using to collect the oil sample through. Now the dipstick tube is clear. I still want to pull the pan and make sure there is nothing else in there, but things are looking better!

As a side note: I thought a medical pipette my dad uses as a veterinarian would be great for collecting oil samples since it's sterile and really flexible. Not a good idea! It seems these tubes get brittle as HELL when the hot oil contact them. That's where it all went wrong.

Any more suggestions on how to get the pan off? I've tried using fishing lines to saw through the RTV sealant, but I just can't seem to get it off. I'll work some more at it tomorrow I guess.

Thanks to all you guys for the help--this place is like my second home! If I can ever help anybody out, just say the word and I'm there!

Here is a web site I came across. It's a Mitsubishi car but it also has the pan stuck on using the RTV sealant. It has some good pics.
http://www.stealth316.com/2-oilpan.htm

This is motor related, not really truck down scenario....Moving this thread there..

Sorry...truck most definately was "down" though with this problem. I think I've got it fixed now though.

Hey Kid,

You may be aware of this, but be careful if you have to remove the starter. There have been several posts discussing how easy it is to break the solenoid during removal. I would hate to hear about your bad day getting worse. Here are a couple of threads (read the notes from GMSID):

http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7655&highlight=starter+break

http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23507&highlight=starter+break

All right, I think I've got it all fixed and the weekend is going to end on a good note!

I didn't have to remove the starter--I was able to get the pan loose with a BIG prybar, clean the pan, and then get it all back on without any LEAKS (knock on wood).

Thanks to everyone who helped me--I couldn't have done it without help from all you guys! And I will never, NEVER, put anything down my dipstick tube that doesn't belong there again. ;)