I'm in the middle of replacing the timing cover gasket (coolant leak near #7 bolt), and I need some advice.
While I was at it, I wanted to replace the oil pan gasket, since it seems to be leaking pretty much all the way around the perimeter. The FSM says all I need to do is take off the flywheel shield, the starter (looks like my mini-starter can stay, though), pull the bolts and out it comes. BUT...
At the front of the engine, the corners of the pan are on studs, and the pan hits the big U-shaped engine mount bracket before it clears these studs. I tried unscrewing them (there's a small hex on the end, maybe 4mm) but I rounded off the ends a bit with a 4mm socket, and they feel like they might break if I use much more force.
Is there some trick I'm missing to get the pan out? If I did get those studs out, could I then get the pan out around the crank and the oil pump? Or would I just hit those? How SHOULD I be trying to remove the oil pan?