Repair And Fix it

The oil pan in your 2003 V6 Ford Mustang is secured to the bottom of the engine block, and it holds a certain amount of oil for the lubrication system to do its job. If the pan in your Mustang becomes damaged and begins to leak oil, you need to install a new pan. You can replace the pan at home with the help of some special tools.

Instructions

Removing the Used Pan

1

Park your Mustang on level ground. Raise the front of the vehicle with a floor jack. Position two jack stands under the frame for support. Apply the parking brake, and block the rear wheels with chocks.

2

Place a clean, large drain pan under the engine oil pan. Remove the drain plug with a wrench. Allow the oil to drain completely. Cover the pan to keep dirt off the oil for later reuse.

3

Remove the black negative battery cable, air cleaner tube and coolant recovery reservoir with a wrench.

4

Detach the upper radiator shield with a ratchet and socket.

5

Slide the drain pan under the oil filter. Remove the oil filter with a filter wrench.

6

Set up engine lifting brackets and a support fixture on top of the engine compartment, and secure the engine.

7

Remove the left and right motor mounts with a ratchet and socket.

8

Take off the starter motor with a ratchet, short ratchet extension and socket.

9

Unfasten and lower the engine support bracket just enough to gain access to all the oil pan mounting bolts.

10

Detach the wiring harness bracket next to the oil pan. Remove the pan with a ratchet, ratchet extension and socket. Remove the oil pan from the vehicle.

Installing the New Oil Pan

11

Clean the engine block mating surface with a gasket scraper and solvent. Let it dry completely. Apply a light coat of silicone sealant to the oil pan gasket mating surface. Set a new pan gasket on the pan. Position the pan under the engine block. Install the pan mounting bolts, and tighten them with your fingers. Tighten the bolts alternately with a torque wrench, working toward the rear of the engine, to 44 inch-pounds (5 Nm) and then to 88 inch-pounds (10 Nm). Tighten the three bolts that hold the transmission housing bell to 33 foot-pounds (45 Nm). Make sure the pan drain plug is correctly installed.

12

Reinstall the wiring harness to the oil pan and the engine support bracket. Tighten the larger upper bolts to 85 foot-pounds (115 Nm) and the smaller ones to 68 foot-pounds (90 Nm) with the torque wrench.

13

Replace the starter motor, and tighten the bolts to 18 foot-pounds (15 Nm) with the torque wrench.

14

Install the left and right motor mounts, and tighten the bolts to 85 foot-pounds (115 Nm) with the torque wrench.

15

Replace the oil filter by hand. Replace the upper radiator shield with the ratchet and socket.

16

Lower your Mustang with the floor jack.

17

Connect the black negative battery cable, air cleaner tube and coolant recovery reservoir with the wrench.

18

Refill the engine with oil using a small funnel.

19

Check the oil pan for leaks.

The oil pan or oil level sensor in your Mazda MPV monitors the amount of oil in the oil pan. The sensor has an electrical connection that enables it to communicate with the PCM (power control module). When the oil level reaches or falls beneath the sensor, it illuminates the oil light in your MPVs dash cluster. Damage to the oil level sensor most often results from electrical failure. You can located and replace the oil pan sensor on your 1990 Mazda MPV right at home. The job should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Instructions

1

Place a wheel block firmly into position behind both of your MPVs rear tires.

2

Apply the emergency brake and raise the front end of your vehicle with a hydraulic jack. The bottom of both of the front tires should visibly measure no more than 8 inches from the ground.

3

Set a jack stand behind the front tires underneath your MPVs frame rail. Lift the support arms on both jack stands to 85 percent of the height of the hydraulic jack.

4

Lower the hydraulic jack slowly while you monitor both of the jack stands. When you see that your MPV securely rests on the support arms of the jack stands, stop lowering the hydraulic jack. Do not completely remove or lower the hydraulic jack. Leave it in its position for extra support.

5

Slide under your Mazda MPV and locate its oil pan. The oil pan sits at the lower, rear of the engine. It looks like a black, metal rectangle and has 20 small bolts around its upper lip. The oil pan also has a large bolt at the bottom of it used to drain the oil.

6

Locate the oil pan sensor on the lower side of your oil pan. You will not be able to see the sensors length but you should see the wiring harness connected to the top of it. On some models of the 1990 Mazda MPV, the sensor mounts just above the oil draining bolt. On other models, the sensor mounts on the opposite side of the oil pan across from the oil draining bolt.