How to Change the Oil Pan on a 2000 Buick LeSabre

by Dan Ferrell

The oil pan in your 2000 Buick LeSabre is the engine-oil reservoir. If the pan in your LeSabre model is damaged and leaking, it may starve the engine of necessary oil or even ruin it. Save yourself and your Buick from expensive repairs by replacing the oil pan before it is too late. You may need to remove one or more components to gain complete access to the pan, but you can safely perform this task at home with a few simple tools.

Removing the Oil Pan

Step 1

Raise the front of your LeSabre using a floor jack and support it with jack stands.

Step 2

Apply the parking brake and chock the rear wheels.

Step 3

Crawl under the vehicle with your safety goggles on and place a large drain pan under the engine oil pan.

Step 4

Remove the oil-pan drain plug, drain the engine oil, and then replace the drain plug using a wrench.

Step 5

Slide the drain pan under the oil filter located next to the oil pan (passenger side) using a filter wrench, if you need clearance to remove the oil pan. Allow the oil to drain in the pan.

Step 6

Take out the drain pan and oil filter from under the vehicle.

Step 7

Remove the right engine mount bracket (passenger side) using a ratchet and socket, if you need extra clearance to remove the oil pan.

Step 8

Unplug the electrical connector from the engine oil-level sensor attached to the oil pan and remove the sensor from the pan using an adjustable wrench.

Step 9

Detach the torque-converter cover located between the transmission and engine block using a ratchet, ratchet extension and socket.

Step 10

Unfasten the oil pan using a ratchet, ratchet extension and socket and remove the pan from under the engine block. If necessary, use an oil-pan seal cutter to detach the pan from the engine.

Installing the Oil Pan

Step 1

Scrape all traces of gasket or seal material from the oil pan and engine mating surfaces using a plastic scraper.

Step 2

Clean the oil pan and engine mating surfaces with solvent and wipe the surfaces with lint-free towels.

Step 3

Apply a 0.19-inch (3.0 mm) continuous line of RTV sealer to the engine-block mating surface.

Step 4

Apply a drop of RTV sealer at each corner of the oil-pan flange mating surface.

Step 5

Clean the oil-pan mounting bolts with solvent and lint-free towels.

Step 6

Ask a helper to hold the oil pan in position under the engine block.

Step 7

Apply a drop of thread-locking compound (Permatex Medium Strength Threadlocker Blue or similar) to the thread area of the oil-pan mounting bolts as you install the bolts hand-tight.

Step 8

Tighten the oil-pan bolts evenly and gradually following a star pattern using the ratchet, ratchet extension and socket. Then torque the bolts to 15-ft-lbs. (20 Nm) using a torque wrench, ratchet extension and socket.