The sole purpose of an oil pan is to store the oil used by the engine. Oil pans are one-piece designs, which makes them fairly durable. However, they can sometimes crack. Oftentimes the crack can be repaired, although it is easier and often more affordable to simply replace the damaged pan. Replacing the oil pan on a Ford F-150 is fairly straightforward. The truck is taller than most passenger vehicles, but you should still raise and support it with jack stands for safety reasons.
Apply the truck's emergency brake, and place a wheel chock behind both rear tires to prevent the truck from rolling backward.
Raise the front of the truck with a floor jack, then lower the truck onto two jack stands placed beneath the truck's frame.
Place a drip pan underneath the drain bolt on the bottom of the engine's oil pan to capture the oil when it drains, then remove the drain bolt with a wrench.
Remove the oil pan's retaining bolts with the wrench, then gently tap on the side of the pan with a rubber mallet until the pan dislodges from the bottom of the engine.
Peel the pan's gasket off the lip of the pan. Remove any old gasket material from the lip with a gasket scraper.
Apply gasket sealer to one side of a new pan gasket, then press the coated side onto the lip of the replacement oil pan. Apply gasket sealer to the other side of the gasket, and press the pan onto the bottom of the engine.
Insert the pan's retaining bolts through the lip of the pan and into the bottom of the engine, then tighten each bolt with a wrench. Insert and tighten the pan's drain bolt with a wrench.
Raise the front of the truck with a floor jack and remove the two jack stands. Lower the truck and remove the wheel chocks.
Open the truck's hood, and twist the oil filler cap on the valve cover in a counterclockwise direction to remove it. Insert a funnel into the filler opening, then pour new engine oil into funnel. Consult the owner's manual for your truck to determine the correct amount of oil to add for the particular engine. Remove the funnel and reinstall the oil filler cap.
