Having a hard time chaning oil pan gasket

[lairdwd]

I have confirmed that my oil pan gasket needs to be changed on my 93 nissan altima. It's the original gasket.

I unbolted the pan and then took a thin putty knife and for the life of my could not get the seal to break on the old gasket. After 18 years, it's frozen on there pretty good. I eventually gave up to fight with it another day.

Any tips for how to get that seal to break? I'm doing it on a creeper underneath the car, and tapping the putty knife with a hammer is not an option, as there is not enough clearance.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[Scott_Tucker]

Have you gotten any of it off?

 

[lipadj46]

You need an assortment of pry bars that you can get in there and give it a little encouragement. Obviously don't go bat [censored] crazy on it but don't be shy either.

 

[sunfire]

You should wear eye protection. ATF is going to start pouring out of the pan. Try one of the corners.

 

[rclint]

As mentioned before DON'T go crazy on it, but if you work around the pan mating surface to the block with a dead blow hammer not bending etc, you just want the shock. I have seen this work many many times, and then again I have sen it be worthless as well. If all else fails you might try a heat gun to heat the area, and again I would try working around, if that fails then try a localized area... I have not used gasket cleaner in this type of situation, but it might be worth a shot ( pun intended) to spray the gasket remover on the outside, then again, and again hoping to penetrate the gasket. If you can just get one small place to separate then the rest is simple... of course I know that's not helping you much, but encouragement is worth a little something.

Now for the ringer here, make fo sho you have all fasteners, and anything else loose that may be holding the oil pan on, I'm not trying to demean you expertise, but noone is above missing some little dumb dumb every so often (with me it seems to be more often)