Oil Pan Gasket

as much as you will not want too; crawl under there and take a LOOK! this how usa ole guys do it? lol!

Whether it's an engine oil pan (called the 'sump'' in the UK) or a transmission oil pan the principle is the same on all vehicles.
1. Drain the oil

2. Remove the bolts holding the sump/pan in place:

The oil drain plug, though depending on your vehicle it may look different:
New gasket held in place with sealant
Use a blunt screwdriver -if needed - and prise the oil pan free. remove all traces of the old gasket from the mating surfaces.

Use a smear of sealant to hold the new gasket in the correct position on the pan - this will hold it in place when you refit the pan.

Push the pan into position and put in a front bolt finger-tight. Then put in a rear bolt finger-tight.

Putting in the bolts finger-tight allows you to gently 'move' the pan if needed to put the bolts in one at a time.

When all bolts are in, tighten them with a wrench/socket. Then check them all again for tightness.

It isn't actually a big job .. more 'messy' because of the oil.

Instructions

1

Put the car in park and set the parking brake. Raise the front of the car with a jack, and support it with a jack stand. Put a block in front of the rear wheel to be sure the car doesn't roll. Disconnect the negative battery cable before proceeding.
2

Remove the oil dipstick tube, low oil level sensor, oxygen sensor connectors, dual converter Y-pipe and engine rear plate.
3

Loosen the bolts holding the oil pan one at a time, and carefully remove the oil pan. You may have to use a mallet and a screwdriver to loosen the oil pan, but work slowly so you don't scrape the surface.
4

Carefully scrape off the old gasket. Clean the sealing surface of the oil pan with a paper towel or clean cloth dipped in solvent, being sure that the surface is perfectly clean.
5

Apply a small amount of clean oil to the sealing surface and put on the new gasket. Reattach the oil pan and torque the bolts according to specifications. Reconnect the engine components in the reverse order listed.
6

Lower the car with the jack, and remove the jack stand. Reconnect the negative battery cable.
7

Replace the oil with 4.5 quarts of oil, then check the level with a dipstick to be sure it's at the fill line. Add more oil if necessary. Your Ford Taurus will require between 4.5 and 5 quarts of oil.
8

Take the old oil to a garage or a hazardous waste facility for proper disposal.

Read more: How to Replace the Oil Pan Gasket in a Ford Taurus ' eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_4508561_replace-oil-pan-gasket-ford.html#ixzz1rm9KIWMZ

Raise the vehicle. Refer to Vehicle Lifting. Place a drain pan under the transmission oil pan. Remove the oil pan drain plug. Remove the oil pan bolts. Remove the oil pan. Remove the gasket. Remove the magnet. Remove the oil filter. Remove the filter neck seal. The transmission oil pan gasket is reusable. Inspect the gasket and replace as needed. Clean the transmission case and the oil pan gasket surfaces with solvent. Install the filter neck seal. Install the oil filter. Install the oil pan gasket to the pan. Install the magnet into the bottom of the pan. Notice: Refer to Fastener Notice in Service Precautions. Install the oil pan to the transmission with seventeen bolts. Tighten the oil pan bolts to 11 Nm (97 inch lbs.) . Apply a small amount of sealant GM P/N 12346004 to the treads of the drain plug. Install the oil pan drain plug. Tighten the oil pan drain plug to 18 Nm (13 ft. lbs.) . Install Dextron Automatic Transmission Fluid. Lower the vehicle.

should have asked a local mechanic to go with him to buy a vehicle ,sounds like a big end but it could be a loose oil pick up pipe

Could be a number of things. Oil pan gasket, check around oil pan to see if its wet. Front crank seal could be leaking and blowing back if its bad enough. Check around and in behind your crankshaft pulley. I would also check your tranny cooler lines and power steering lines, if they are leaking bad enough the oil will get blown back when you drive. Also check to see how high up the engine the oil starts coming from that will give you some indication of where it starts.

you oil pan bolts of the bottom of the oil resivour the gaskit fits in between the surfaces where the pan meets it creating a seal witch in your case needs to be replaced this procedure replaces that gaskit to create a new seal

It's probably the front crank seal or the cam seal. Kinda big job for a novice. The car only has one oil pan. The back one she refered to is for the transmission,if it's automatic. Never saw a oil pan gasket leak on a nissan '96 & up.

try warming up the engine a little then re-tightening the bolts,if that doesnt work,mark where its leaking and pull the pan back off and apply sealant to that area a little heavier than the rest of the gasket surface,dont use too much on a new gasket,just a really thin coat...USE "ULTRA BLUE" sealant,NOT blue or black RTV silicone,silicone wears out and it can leak after a while..Allow the ultra blue sealant to dry for about 30 minutes before re-assembling it,and clean off all oil from the gasket before applying the sealant,its ok to apply it to both sides of the gasket,and add a glob to all 4 corners where the gasket meets with rubber seals around the crankshaft,but put those globs on right before you put the pan back in place,the sealant has to be wet to squish in enough..i hope this helps

4. Belt tensioner
5. oil pan gasket
6. valve cover gasket
7. All other seals in timing area and cover.