[Solved] Changing oil pan but cant get to last bolts?

do I have to remove this plate thing that’s in the way? the oil pan bolts are above it and there’s no room for my socket wrench. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnAKKXnsjoA I’m only 17 so I’m new to cars. This is for an eclipse 3g 2002 2.4L Also there’s 2 rusty screws I can;t get to turn with a screwdriver how would I get these off?

I’m not able to click your link and watch the video, but some engines have to be pulled in order to replace the oil pan. Yours might be one of those.

That’s the access plate to the torque converter.

Remove that plate and you can get at the rest of the oil pan bolts.

Tester

Agreed with Tester. That plate should drop right off.

I’ve done several Mitsubishis and the pan bolts are a bit difficult to access in that area. I’ve used a long 1/4" extension and a 1/4" drive wobble socket to remove them.

That’s why mechanics need dozens of different types of wrenches and ratchets. The need for a slightly different tool never ends. Sometimes an open-end wrench can’t be beat, sometimes it even needs a bend in the handle. Ratcheting “box ends”, “line wrenches”, and “crow’s feet” are also great things to have in your toolbox. Visit the Harbor Tool website and you’ll see a whole lot of different variations.

Re: the rusty screws; try soaking them with a penetrating lubricant and be sure to use a good, proper fitting screwdriver head. As with the wrenches, there are a whole variety of types of screwdrivers available including screwdriver attachments for ratchets. An electric “impact wrench” with a screw attachment might even be useful for things like these stuck screws. The pulses often free stuck stuff. As you do more stuff, you’ll end up getting a compressor and air tools, but keep it simple at first.

Welcome to the wonderful world of car repair. As you learn, you’ll find browsing through sites like Harbor Freight enlightening just to learn what’s available, even if you choose to purchase elsewhere.

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If there’s something simple like a metal plate in the way of what you’re doing, move it out of the way. Especially for diy’ers its better to remove stuff so you have plenty of room to work. Pro mechanics might can do it without removing so much, but that’s why they’re pros. Same w/newbie surgeons, who are trained by their experienced mentor to make a huge incision on their first operation, like twice as long as is actually necessary.

Use PB Blaster or Deep Creep as a solvent on the rusted bolts. Sometimes you even gotta make your own to fit a particular situation but you should be fine. I dunno, my guy was the best there was but he still did about a one foot incision but I never complained.

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If my surgeon gave me a 2 foot incision from one side of my belly to the other, but I lived and the problem was cured, no complaints from me … lol …

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For the rusty screws, penetrating oil followed by a hand impact screwdriver should do the trick.

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But scars make a guy look tough, so no problems, Women often don’t have the same opinion about those sort of things. And this comes from a guy whose wife, sister, mother and a few female friends all who’ve had a few surgeries…:slight_smile:

Why do you need to change the oil pan? If the drain plug is stripped, that can be repaired with the pan on the car…

Apparently by one of the OP’s other threads this free vehicle’s oil pan has a hole in it.

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It was rusted to the point that it had a hole in it. I got everything changed now with no leaks.Thanks for the help everyone

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Congratulations on a job well done.
Just out of curiosity, how did you solve the access and the rusted bolt problems? Perhaps there’s a solution you used that I could benefit from. I can use all the successful approaches I can collect!! :grin:

For the access plate,I had to use my jack handle as a breaker bar on 2 of the bolts then for the rusted ones I just used sprayed some liquid wrench on the bolts a couple of times. I got it loose a little then sprayed some more on the threads that were exposed and it came out without too much trouble.

Also if you want some more info I had to take off the front exhaust to swap the oil pan because of its right underneath the pan. The bolts on it took a while to get off as they were not in the best shape I had to use liquid wrench a couple of times sprayed on both sides of the bolt and used my jack handle as a breaker bar still had to put a good amount of force on it and it made some loud noises while coming out like clacking and screeching. I plan on getting a new exhaust system in the future.