Hi I am looking at a 1990 323, the engine is solid and the guy is selling it for a steal but there is a slight problem of needing a new oil pan gasket (small oil leak he says). I have jackstands/ramps and a covered garage and I am somewhat mechanically inclined, would it be possible to replace the oil pan gasket by myself?

If so does anyone have a list of procedures or is it just a matter unbolting the pan (Draining oil obviously) takin the old gasket off and putting a new one on? Thanks for your help I really want to snag this car.

 

It's usually straightforward, but sometimes steering stuff gets in the way, so you should do your homework. Consult a shop manual if possible, otherwise a Haynes or Chilton is probably good enough.

 

its pretty straight forward . did mine about 20 min... i used a haynes manual

 

I'm not familiar with the 323, but my 4-cyl mx3 wasn't too difficult. I had to unbolt the exhaust from the manifold and push it out of the way. Ramps are a big help.
There wasn't a gasket available for mine. Used silicone. Use the highest temp you can get, the plain black didn't seal well enough on mine.

 

You should first verify that the oil pan is leaking from the gasket before you do anything. Many times oil will drip down from higher places and make it look like the pan gasket is leaking when in fact it isn't.

 

Very true, good point. Since that is the bottom, the oil leak could be from anywhere above. Recommend getting a good look at it before buying to see if it is, in fact, the pan. My oil pan leak wasn't 'slight' at all and the engine was clean, so troubleshooting was simple.

 

Thanks for all the input, I will definitely check out the engine and verify where the leak is coming from.