Hey, well, I got another reply back from Tobert and he said it is a little tight but shouldn't be a problem to remove. The cross member isn't really in the way.

But anyway, I am going to try a new plug today or tomorrow and see if I can get away with that.

Bart

Quote Originally Posted by tom4bren
I've never pulled the pan from the VX but I have pulled one on a Dodge (eons ago). Remember that the pan is just in fact that - a pan. The oil pump reaches all the way to the bottom of the pan to suck up oil. There may be a screen on the end as well which would be about as big as half a coke can - then again there may not be.

The bottom line is that the pan will probably have to be lowered at least the depth of the pan in order to clear the intake. If you don't have that much clearance between the bottom of the pan and the crossmember then the crossmember will have to be moved/removed.

I think I would try the nylon washer route before swapping out the pan.