Dropping the oil pan?

[FUELER]

blem:

1992 Nissan Pathfinder, 4WD, manual, 3.0L (WG30E?) engine. Girlfriends. The oil pan is 2-piece construction and whether because of shoddy work at the factory or because of road debris or some other cause, paint was chipped near a welded seam on the oil pan and it has rusted through. I've found and thought I fixed one hole, there is at least one more and it's in such a spot that I can only describe it as "a design flaw."

 

Question:

Is it possible to remove the oil pan without pulling the motor or the flywheel and everything behind it? Can I get enough crossmember clearance by loosening the motor mounts and raising the engine up against the under side of the body?

 

As for the repair, I'll JB Weld-and-POR-15 it if I can't get the pan off, I own a Hobart Handler and "I can fix it" if I can get the pan off. No snarky comments on welding either, I've been welding professionally for over 20 years.

 

Pan off is the preferred fix for all the obvious reasons but shops and tools are an issue, it has to be a 1-day fix else neighbors and landlord will insist it goes to a paid mechanic somewhere, damn their property values.

[5523Pathfinder]

You cold drop the front diff and lower your steering and pull the pan that way. You could easily do that in a day, but you will need a hand getting the diff out. I will see if I can find the details out how to do it.

[5523Pathfinder]

This is from alldata...