I checked threads but there aren't too many that give detail. If my oil pan is leaking, do i have to drop it entirely, or remove nuts/bolts, and then pry the lower half from the upper and reseal it while the top of the pan is still attached to the car?

 

that would be the smartest thing to do because who knows what else could be wrong, but most likely the gasket as long as you dont have a hole in the pan itself

 

i'm fairly sure it's the gasket, it runs along the crack between the two pieces. I've been under and checked it out, just didn't get much clarity on the "removal" process in other threads. because they don't drop it completely, it makes sense.

 

Unbolt
Carefully pry oil pan off. Carefully.

New gasket,
Maybe a very light coating of RTV to seal it well.

 

The LSJ doesn't use a traditional gasket, it uses sealer. Use Permatex "the right stuff"

 

Quick search showed this is the GM stuff

lay a 3.5mm bead around the perimeter of the oil pan and oil suction port opening.

 

This is what i got. My biggest question was making sure the whole oil pan doesn't come down, which seems to be the case. Thanks for the help everybody.

 

It's stuck on there pretty good by the sealant. Be careful when taking it off not to damage the bottom of the block. Follow the bolt pattern and torque sequence in the service manual and don't forget to put the sealant around the oil pickup port or else you won't have oil pressure.

 

Awesome, I don't know that i would have known this.