How to change the oil pan

Full disclosure, I’ve only changed oil pans on Ford F150, a Volvo GTI, and Toyota Tacoma. I’ve fixed other car problems for friends. But a few things to keep in mind:

First, I’d make sure that this is the problem. I took a quick google tour and it looks like this Saturn is more known for cam cover leaks than oil pan leaks. Obviously if you hit a rock or something the pan’s gotta go. But if there’s not a hugely obvious crack (even a small crack might be fixable if you drain, clean with brake cleaner, then use JB weld on it) then I would first try to pin down the leak location using oil dye with a UV light. There’s lots on youtube for it.

If it’s definitely the oil pan, the basic process isn’t that hard. There’s no gasket, it’s glued on with RTV. You’ll need that - AutoZone calls it UltraBlack I think. You’ll also need the car up on jacks or stands so you have room under, and you’ll need a torque wrench and brake fluid for cleaning. Once it’s up, you get to it, get the bolts off, and drain. When it’s done, clean WELL with brake fluid. It has to be super clean for the RTV to hold. Also, the pan with RTV needs to go on straight (so it doesn’t smear) and fast (while it’s spotless, before any oil or dirt get in there). Then you just tighten the bolts of the new pan in a specific order that should be in your car’s manual (if not, some say crisscross is good enough). Tighten to the torque spec that should also be in the manual, prob 80 lbs. Wait a day or two before putting new oil in.

Apparently the thing that makes it hard in your case is that it’s not easy to get to. You’ll definitely have to lower the exhaust downpipe and some folks say there’s other stuff in the way you’ll have to move/remove (there were a couple mentions of having to raise the engine, which I would avoid at all costs). If I were you I’d hope for the cam cover instead, sounds easier to get to. Same basic process of draining/cleaning etc but it has a rubber gasket that you’d need to get, which actually makes re-sealing easier (still use a tiny bit of RTV though). Anyway, hope that helps!