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I have a 2000 Chrysler Sebring JXi and cannot get the oil pan off. All the bolts are out but the oil pan will not come off. Can anyone advise please?  

it was probably glued on with OEM computer applied silicone.... no gasket..

have you gotten all the bolts out..  i count a possible 16 pan bolts ... some might be studs with nuts..
some might be stud bolts.. or double ended bolts.. where there are threads on both ends.. to hang brackets from.. you still have to remove them to free the pan... i have not personally done this on that engine..

you might want to disable the ignition system when you have replaced everything.. before you put the oil filter on.. i would think that you should crank the engine till you get oil squirting from the filter mount.. then screw the filter on..  this allows the crank driven oil pump to easily prime without restriction..    then you can screw the filter on.. and crank till you get pressure reading on the gauge..  you don't want a cold engine fast idle dry start..  engine cranking speeds won't hurt the engine..   fast idle with no oil pressure will...

either pull the shut down relay...  or use a remote starter button right to the starter...  you could also do it at the starter relay if you know how to jump it..  from pin 30 to 87A




that has a 2.5 V6 correct.......





do you have a dead blow hammer or a big rubber mallet you might be able to get a swing at the side to bust it loose...  

Wayne,

Thank you for answering my post.  I should have gone into more detail with my initial post.  All the bolts are out of the pan, the pan is loose, but something is holding it in place.  It looks like something is holding it where it butts up against the transmission housing.

A neighbor said said it has something to do with an inspection plate on the transmission. (whatever that is) He said it has to come off but did not know where it was or how to get it off.

Vandals put a steel post with concrete around the base of it in the middle of the road on a dark street and my 16yr old son ran over it and put a hole in the oil pan.  Hence the need to replace the oil pan.

Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Major Payne  

i was wondering about the inspection plate and the dust plate.. that is usually held on with a few bolts from under the engine and the face of the transmission .. the starter nose usually goes through it..    the lower half almost always comes off..    

there is an oil pump pickup inside the pan.. but thats usually not attached to the pan..  

i will be back with more info..

i one of the transmission guys sees this he might know better..  

could the bottom of the timing belt cover be holding the front of the pan up.. or the dipstick tube???



open this image in a new window to see it all.  

this image shows that the pick up tube sticks down into the oil pan..

if the pan is bent..  perhaps it's binding on the oil pump pick up tube

 

right click on the image links to open them in a new window.. they still work..  

Wayne,

Thank you so much for the diagrams.    I should be able to figure it out from here.

Again, Thank you!

Major Payne