Rancho Rock Gear Jeep JK Wrangler
Oil Pan Skid Plate Installation Write-Up

July 7, 2009 Cindy Jeep JK Write-Ups, Skidplate & Armor Mods 13



While the all new Jeep JK Wrangler does come complete with skid plates for the transmission, transfer case and gas tank and all of which are more than adequate for hard trail use, for some reason, Chrysler decided to leave the oil pan completely exposed. Of course, left unprotected, a significant hit to your oil pan can immobilize your Jeep and leave you walking.

In the two and a half years we’ve been wheeling our JK, there have been at least two separate occasions that we’ve hit our oil pan and hard enough to leave dents in it. Since that time, we’ve been looking for a skid plate to protect this vulnerable spot but was never thrilled with what we were seeing. Most of the solutions available today are HUGE pieces of steel that covers way more area than is needed and all we really wanted was something basic that’ll get the job done and nothing more. Fortunately for us, we were able to find the Rancho Rock Gear Oil Pan Skid Plate.

Designed much like a helmet, the Rancho Rock Gear Oil Pan Skid Plate is light weight, fits over your Jeep JK Wrangler’s oil pan perfectly and offers substantial protection just where you need it. Best part of all is that this skid plate is extremely affordable and super easy to install.

What You Will Need

• Simple Green
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Clean Rags
• Floor Jack
• 2×4 Wood

What You Will Get

• Rancho Oil Pan Skid Plate
• Tube of RTV
   

Instructions

As you can see in this photo, the oil pan on our Jeep JK Wrangler has taken a couple hits but fortunately for us, not hard enough to do any real damage.
Here’s a shot of everything that you will get with your new Rancho Rock Gear JK Oil Pan Skid Plate. As you can see, there’s really not a whole lot to this skid or to getting it installed.
1. Using a degreaser like Simple Green and a clean rag, thoroughly wipe down your Jeep JK Wrangler’s oil pan so that it is free of any dirt, road tar and oil. Finish up the cleaning with some rubbing alcohol and let dry.
2. Clean the inside surface of the Rancho Rock Gear JK Oil Pan Skid Plate with some rubbing alcohol and then, using the RTV provided, apply a 1/4″ bead all along the base as shown in this pic. Let the RTV sit for about 15 minutes to let it skin over before installing.
3. Slip the Rancho Rock Gear Oil Pan Skid plate over your Jeep JK Wrangler’s oil pan and hold it in place with a floor jack. If your Jeep has been lifted, you may find it necessary to use a piece of 2×4 to help make this possible. The RTV takes about 24 hours to cure.

If you can believe it, that’s all there is to it, you’re done. Rancho does make a note in their instructions for adding an optional set of wires to hold the skid plate in place but I personally thought it wouldn’t be needed and so I opted to not do this step.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
 

13 Comments

  1. I can’t believe they think that silicone will hold this over time.. Unfortunately I see this falling off on the trail and getting lost….

  2. I’ve had this Rancho oil pan cover installed for a few months now.. I almost had myself talked into getting something else to cover more area under the jeep and tried for 3 hours to get the Rancho off… It’s not coming off. I was scared to death putting that thing off that it would fall off.. That’s not going to happen. Put it on and forget about it..

  3. Look at all that surface area for silicone to adhere to. It AIN’T comin off. Toyota for YEARS made the FJ-40 and 60 oil pans with skids welded right on to them. If you don’t like the silicone, then use safety wire as a backup. Look at the THOUSANDS of dollars invested in Project JK. I don’t think it’s owners would risk using inferior products for protection against rocks. No matter how you slice it, Rancho has a winner here. It’s on my short list.

  4. I’ve seen it mentioned elsewhere that these things can and do fall off but I think most of those where probably not installed properly. I’ve been eyeing this skid for awhile myself but I’d like to see how it holds up. I’d probably skip the silicone and use JB Weld or something simular. Plus I’d paint the thing black!

  5. I like that this is simple to install and appears sturdy, but i’m concered that a decent hit to it will crush/ damage the sump gasket or distort the sump pan itself causing a leak, as happens often when a bare sump cops a hit. Has anyone had this problem?

  6. im gona pick one of these up. im thinking about dropping the pan and welding this plate to it, then there will be absolutely no way for it to come off period.

  7. Bradlybob say’s JB weld or similar. That product although being very good will not flex. The oil pan will expand and contract as it heats. Their product is the one to use, just clean everything well. I’d use Acetone.
    This protection looks superior to even the welded kind as any strike loads are transferred to the engine block via the sides.

  9. I bought one a few months back … was a bit concerned about it holding … used the wire back-up system. Plus I bought another tube of RTV sealant(5-7$ CDN), emptied both tubes.
    Its not going anywhere without the jeep.
    The bloody thing is so thick & heavy that Im not overly concerned about a severe enough jolt to denting the cover enough that my sump pan distorts. A hit that hard would come with more serious damage elsewhere.

  10. If the engineers did a good enough job choosing the epoxy, and you do a good enough job of following the directions, there should be NO chance of this thing falling off. Keep in mind that Boeing’s new airplane, the 787, is held together with epoxies…

  13. The one I put on my 2014 JKU looks a little different. It’s got a bracket that also bolts to the existing oil pan. I don’t think it’s going anywhere with the epoxy and bolts.

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