57 Oil Pump Inlet Tube to Oil pan

[valhalla 4771]

Actually I'm still trying to drop the oil pan. The shop manual says to "Disconnect the oil pump inlet tube at the oil pump, then remove the "O" ring. Remove oil pan retainer screws, then remove oil pan". I've unscrewed the retainer nut connecting the tube to the oil pump, but that is as far as can get. The tube appears to extend further into the pump and there is no wiggle room and I can't see the O ring. The oil pan won't move because the tube is holding it firm. The retainer nut holding the tube to the oil pan is on very very tight and I don't want to add force unless I'm sure this is the correct action. I've loosened the two bolts on the oil pump closest to the oil pan, but the pump doesn't want to move. I'm stuck! Help!

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[ron56]

I have a 56 but I think they are all the same. You need to undo the large nut holding the pickup tube to the pan and then you should be able to wiggle the pickup tube free of the oil pump. The pickup will stay in the pan until you remove the pan from the engine. I also think there is a sweet spot to position the crank to make it easier to remove the pan if the engine is still in the car.

 

[valhalla 4771]

OK, I'll give it a try. I assume the nut holding the tube to the pan will unscrew in a counterclockwise motion. Since it wasn't coming off with "usual" force I want to be sure it's not somehow coming off clockwise.

 

[doug7740]

Actually I'm still trying to drop the oil pan. The shop manual says to "Disconnect the oil pump inlet tube at the oil pump, then remove the "O" ring. Remove oil pan retainer screws, then remove oil pan". I've unscrewed the retainer nut connecting the tube to the oil pump, but that is as far as can get. The tube appears to extend further into the pump and there is no wiggle room and I can't see the O ring. The oil pan won't move because the tube is holding it firm. The retainer nut holding the tube to the oil pan is on very very tight and I don't want to add force unless I'm sure this is the correct action. I've loosened the two bolts on the oil pump closest to the oil pan, but the pump doesn't want to move. I'm stuck! Help!

Attached is the procedure for installing the oil pan and oil pump. If you look at the pictures in the attached procedure, you will have an idea of how the oil pump pickup tube is attached to the oil pan and oil pump. As ron56 stated; You have to loosen the large nut holding the pickup tube to the oil pan. The reason the oil pump will not move when you loosened the two bolts closest to the oil pan is because the oil pump is held in place by three bolts, there is one at the top. If you have loosened the oil pump you might have damaged the gasket, that’s why I included the oil pump replacement procedure in the attachment.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[valhalla 4771]

ok, I got the retaining nut off the tube at the outside of the oil pan, but I'm still stuck. One end of the tube is stuck inside the oil pan and the other end is stuck inside the oil pump. Apparently the end inside the oilpan should slide out, but I can't tell what is holding it.Should I apply some force to pull the tube out of the oil pan?

 

[doug7740]

ok, I got the retaining nut off the tube at the outside of the oil pan, but I'm still stuck. One end of the tube is stuck inside the oil pan and the other end is stuck inside the oil pump. Apparently the end inside the oilpan should slide out, but I can't tell what is holding it.Should I apply some force to pull the tube out of the oil pan?

NO, The pickup tube cannot be removed from the outside, because the pickup is fed through the hole in the oil pan from the inside out. The pickup tube is stuck in the oil pump. Try spraying some penetrating oil inside the area of the oil pump where the pickup tube enters to loosen up the hardened seal.

(See attached photos)

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[valhalla 4771]

Thanks Doug. The penetrating oil did the trick. The tube slipped out of the oil pump. BUT I still can't drop the pan. It appears to be caught on the upper lip of the converter housing cover on the back end and no room at the front end to slide it forward enough to free it from the converter cover. I can slide the pan sideways toward the passenger about 1" (enough to expose the bolt holes), no further down or sideways. I'm in totally unchartered water here. It looks like I can take the converter cover off, thus gaining a little more wiggle room. Question: is it harmless to try this? If I take the cover off will various parts come tumbling out? I am right at the edge of my mechanical comfort zone and can't afford to open Pandora's Box. And my observation is that even if I get the rear end of the pan to slip past the converter cover the pan still will not clear the power steering piston (and maybe worse). But first things first...getting some downward movement. Oh, and much to my surprise there was no gasket on the oil pan. Not even remnants of an old one. Go figure.

 

[doug7740]

The reason why you can't slide the oil pan forward is because it is hung up on one of the crankshaft counter weights. Cylinder #1 must be on top dead center before the oil pan can be removed.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[valhalla 4771]

It seemed like such a simple task. Thanks to Doug and Ron I've gotten this far:
Tube from oil pan to oil pump is out of the pump
All retaining screws have been removed
Oil pan will drop approx 2" at the back, and the back will slide to the driver side approx 2"
Engine is at TDC and pan is not caught on anything
Pan is up against the converter housing cover and can't go further back (see photo)
Pan is up against the housing at the front of the bottom of the block (see photo)
Pan is resting on steering linkage with no room to tip it any further (see photo)
Pan cannot move sideways more than an inch or so because of cross member at the front (see photo)

I just cannot see any way to get the pan out other than remove steering linkage/piston.

Before I start (and having no idea what I'm getting into) is there anything else I can try? Besides looking for a tall building....

 

[biddle]

@valhalla 4771 I inserted your images into your post. You can see how here for future reference-

 

[sre]

I am in the process of completing a 57 T-bird restoration. To make it very easy remove the cover nothing will fall out. Yes drop the steering components. Now the pan will fall off.

 

[valhalla 4771]

I am in the process of completing a 57 T-bird restoration. To make it very easy remove the cover nothing will fall out. Yes drop the steering components. Now the pan will fall off.

"Completing"? That's a word with which I am unfamiliar. Thanks for the info. Keep watching for my crisis du jour.

 

[valhalla 4771]

SRE....If I take apart and remove the necessary steering components, is it easy to put it back together? My fear is that the body/frame will somehow flex and I'll never get it back together. Its currently up on jack stands under the frame rails.

 

[ron56]

I might not be remembering correctly and my car is a 56 but when I dropped my pan I can't recall needing to remove any steering components. Did you remove the converter dust cover so you could slide the pan back a bit? One thing for sure I did not remove any of the tie rod ends. It is possible that I removed the power steering cylinder from the frame mount. It also seems that I turned the pan a bit as I was removing it. Hope this helps

 

[valhalla 4771]

I haven't removed the dust cover yet...I'll give that a try. But it sure looks tight.

 

[valhalla 4771]

The only way to get the pan off was to drop the steering linkage. Which I did and the pan is off ready for paint. And a new gasket.

 

[Vicegrips85]