Ok I hope I'm posting this in the right place. My oil pump went out in my truck the other day. The Oil pressure would drop to drop to zero percent here and there while I was driving. I have read other treads and thats why I've come to this conclusion. I have taken all the screws out of the oil pan to remove it but it doesn't have enough room to come out since the front cross member (the one that connects the front A arms). I guess there is no other way around it and I'll have to lift the engine a bit to get the clearance. My question is since this will be my first time what do I have to do to lift the engine? I am already looking at renting and engine hoist. I only need to lift it maybe 3 inches to get the clearance. Do I have to disconnect everything as well as the transmission and drive shaft?

 

From service manual: Never had to do it.
REMOVAL
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Install engine support fixture special tool # 8534. Do not raise engine at this time.
3. For 2WD vehicles, Remove both engine mount to frame through bolts.
4. For 4WD vehicles, Loosen both left and right side engine mount bracket to mount bolts, and remove the lower
bolt on each side. The upper hole in the engine bracket is slotted.
5. Remove the structural dust cover (1). (Refer to 9 -
ENGINE/ENGINE BLOCK/STRUCTURAL COVER -
REMOVAL)
6. Drain engine oil.
7. Remove the front crossmember (Refer to 13 -
FRAME & BUMPERS/FRAME/FRONT CROSSMEMBER
- REMOVAL).
CAUTION: Only raise the engine enough to provide
clearance for oil pan removal. Check for
proper clearance at fan shroud to fan and cowl to
intake manifold.
8. Raise engine using special tool # 8534 to provide
clearance to remove oil pan.
9. Remove the nuts from the transmission mount to
crossmember.
10. Using suitable transmission jack, raise the transmission
approximately 3 inches off of the
crossmember

 

NOTE: Do not pry on oil pan or oil pan gasket.
Gasket is integral to engine windage tray and does
not come out with oil pan.
11. Remove the oil pan mounting bolts using the
sequence above, and remove oil pan.
NOTE: The double ended oil pan studs must be
installed in the same location that they were
removed from.
12. Unbolt oil pump pickup tube and remove tube.
NOTE: When the oil pan is removed, a new oil pan
gasket/windage tray assembly must be installed.
The old gasket cannot be reused.
13. Discard the integral windage tray and gasket and
replace.