328 oil pan removal

Remove the dipstick then in the fitting at it's base there is an extension tube. Remove the tube and remove the oil temperature sender.

 

When I did mine I was told to remove the oil temperature sender also. With that and the dipstick removed, it still was tricky to get the pan out. It is a close fit with the windage trays. Keep wiggling it. When it is in the exact position, it comes out easily. Mine frustrated me for a couple of hours.

1987 328GTS

 

I had a heck of a time with my dipstick. The upper nut would not loosen from the lower nut so the entire thing wanted to turn. It cannot because of the curvature of the tube. The upper nut that holds the tube to the lower nut was too tight. Ferrari had a gorilla tighten that nut.

After a day or so of attempts, I wound up cutting the dipstick with a pipe cutter so there were no filings. After removal, I put the thing in a vise to separate the nuts. I had to use a cheater bar and have my wife stand on the opposite side of the workbench to keep it from tipping.

Prior to cutting I drew a straight line on the tube so when I brazed it together, the alignment would be correct.

I cannot recall the size of the nuts. This was 3 years ago. Others have not had the problem I had with loosening the nuts. Maybe the gorilla wasn't fed on the morning their dipsticks were fastened to the engine.

 

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The upper nut on the dipstick tube is 27mm (1 1/16"). I use a 27mm crows-foot on a long ratchet to loosen it. The lower fitting is has a 24mm hex that I use a deep socket on a ratchet to loosen. Sometimes the 24mm fitting will spin when you are trying to loosen the 27mm nut and you will have to counter hold it with a wrench, it has to be fairly thin and bent at the right angle (I made a special wrench by grinding and bending a cheap Craftsmen wrench). After you loosen and remove the upper dipstick tube and dipstick, be aware that there is a lower tube that slides into the lower fitting to guide the dipstick into the sump. You should be able to just slide it upwards out of the fitting.

Brian Brown
San Francisco Motorsports

 

Wow...cutting the tube is pretty extreme.

Sounds like you have a plan though, probably a used on to replace it would be easier.

"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all the evidence that you ever tried".
A new tube would do that.