I need to replace the pan gasket in my wife's 87 300D but wasn't too keen on having to pull the pan completely out so I wanted to pose this question to all of you. I have read many of the posts concerning this but wanted to ask if it would it be possible and advisable to do this:
1. drain the oil
2. lift the engine (support it under the motor mounts w/ wood blocks) just enough to drop the pan down an inch or so
3. remove the old gasket w/ the pan resting on the crossmember
4. install the new gasket
5. bolt the pan back
6. lower the engine.

I was hoping to lift the engine as little as possible so as to reduce the possibility of damaging an oil cooler line, etc with the engine lifted higher.

clint

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81 300D N/A 130K miles (Nelly)
87 300D Turbo 80K miles (The Scalded Dog...because it runs like a scalded dog)
95 e320 Wagon 104K
2003 Sprinter 47K miles.
1999 Tandem Bicycle
One beautiful low miles wife (who likes diesels) (that's my wife holding the sign)

My son and I fixing Nelly's odometer

this is one of those ideas that sounds plausible on paper but wont work out in real life. imho.

you can get the pan out i hear if you lift the motor up high enough. but you really need to be able to get in there and scrape it all very clean. are you sure you really need a gasket? they dont often fail.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Thanks Tom,
Your information was what I was looking for. It sounded plausible but I didn't know it was actually recommended. I have degreased the engine and the leak is coming from the pan gasket just forward of the oil pressure sending unit. The sending unit was leaking last year and we had it replaced by an indy we trusted. It doesn't appear to be leaking from the sending unit but its possible that he pinched the gasket when installing the new sending unit. I'll look at it closer. It leaks a good bit but not enough to affect oil level.
Thanks again,
clint

__________________
81 300D N/A 130K miles (Nelly)
87 300D Turbo 80K miles (The Scalded Dog...because it runs like a scalded dog)
95 e320 Wagon 104K
2003 Sprinter 47K miles.
1999 Tandem Bicycle
One beautiful low miles wife (who likes diesels) (that's my wife holding the sign)

My son and I fixing Nelly's odometer