Infiniti: Infiniti Q45 oil pan removal procedure

The first step in the service manual says: "Remove engine."

You may not have to remove it, you could probably jack it up. You
would likely have to lift it until it's against the firewall, because
the pan needs quite a few inches of drop-down before it'll clear the
crank counterweights.

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 11:52:10 GMT, com (N. Harriet)
wrote:
 


Shouldn't either his or your insurance cover this???
--
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the
establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . .
Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of
the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order
to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House
of Representatives, August 17, 1789

N. Harriet wrote:
 

Exactly, most of these types of cars need at least the front crossmember
lowered to get the pan off. Never done a Q but all the later Z cars are
like this.
--

Steve

http://www.atlantaracing.com

AZGuy wrote: 

That depends on the insurance. The other guy's insurance should cover this,
assuming he has insurance, and his identity is known. If not, it could be
covered by uninsured motorist property damage or comprehensive, depending on
the circumstances, if that type of coverage exists.

AZGuy wrote: 

What does it say in the manual?? These things come in handy and I can't
stress enough how important it is to have one for each car you own
especially if you intend to do work on it.

Fwed

I'd be very surprised if a 1993 is insured against collision & theft.

You need to drop the oil pan out the bottom.
You do NOT need to remove the Q45 VH45DE engine.
But, you do need to unbolt the two motor mounts.
So you MUST support the engine from above!
Otherwise, you'll be crushed when you remove the front crossmember.
To remove the front crossmember the suspension links come off.
The transverse link must be removed to access crossmember bolts.
Leave the steering rack hanging once you remove the crossmember.
Mechanics can do this in a day.
DIY will take a few weekends as you're essentially removing the engine.
Most of the time you also have to remove the front engine gusset.
That adds about 5 more hours to the job.
That's because the alternator & compressor are bolted to the gusset.
The fan and all the belts have to come off to unbolt these two units.
Remove two rear engine gussets and the flywheel plate.
Support the transmission but leave the tranny mount intact.
You also have to disconnect the steering u-joint just above the rack.
While you're there you may as well replace the two engine mounts.
Also replace the two steering rack bushings while you're already there.
Some replace the alternator while they have it out.
You do not ever wish to remove an alternator after once doing it once.
Only 18 bolts hold the Q45 oil pan onto the engine.
While you're there look for chain guide parts in the oilpan.
Almost all 1990 to 1993 Qs will have lost their chain guides by now.
You can get a kit from Joe at Scottsdale (www.everythingnissan.com).
They are the best price Infiniti parts dealership in the world by far.
If you don't replace those guides you will lose your engine eventually.
Timing chains slip teeth & valves tap dance on your piston head.
Guides & oil pan almost always come in pairs.
Button it all up with RTV red & locktite red and you're all set.
Simple.

The whole procedure is explained on the Nissan Infiniti Club site
www.nicoclub.com

q45yesman wrote: 

I have a 1991 that's insured against collision and theft. I also have a
$1000 deductible. The extra coverage cost very little. The replacement
cost for my vehicle through a dealer in my area with my low mileage is
$5,648. Considering that the slightest damage can cost a few thousand
dollars these days, it's been worth it for me. Since the vehicle was new,
my wife has had two minor scrapes with it. They were both expensive to fix,
both well over $1000, and both low enough that they did not raise my rates.
The most recent one was within the past year. The payment I got made up for
the premiums. Had I dropped collision five years ago, or even more, I would
not have saved enough money to have made up for what it would have cost
without it.

Also, many people get insurance when the vehicle is new and just send in a
check when the bill comes without thinking about it. If the extra amount
added up to hundreds of dollars, perhaps I'd consider dropping it.

In article <googlegroups.com>, "Miki" <com> wrote: 

Are you sure? What manual are you looking at? All Infiniti Q45 cars seem to
come with a shop manual in the trunk, so everyone has one.The shop manual
I have does NOT state to remove the engine in the oilpan removal section.

The bad news is the shop manual only has two pages on the process.
1= Remove engine under cover
2= Drain engine oil
3= Remove fan coupling with fan
4= Remove the following parts
(all drive belts, alternator, air compressor, engine gusset)
5= Remove steering lower joint
6= Set a suitable transmission jack under the transmission.
Hoist engine with engine slinger.
7= Remove suspension member assembly
8= Remove oil pan bolts and nuts
9= Remove oil pan

A lot appears to be missing from the shop manual (which is typical). Just
looking at that front engine crossmember gives me the willies. It must have
dozens of bolts with steering and suspension parts and wires all over the
place.

If anyone has written a good guide to an oil pan removal, pleaes let me know.