87 cherokee xj 5 speed

so my oil pan gasket is leaking and i wanna change it out, ive been doing some research and i hear to remove the oil pan i either need to drop the axle or raise the motor.

is this the case?, how hard is it really just to change the oil pan gasket

 

yes unless your jeep is lifted either one will do the job. you should be able to just unbolt lower control arms and shocks that may allow your diff to droop enough to get er done just watch brake lines and don't rip em off>

 

i have no lift, can i just drop the pan low enough to slide the old gasket out and slide a new one in.

without unbolting any suspension