Broke my oilpan. Easy to replace?

[JonathanD]

Howdy. Someone left me a present in the middle of the road, a large cement parking block. YAY. I get home and all my oil is emptying onto the car port.

So anyway, anyone know how hard it is to replace an oilpan? I am finding them for about $140 online.

I can see the crack, it's small. I also wonder if it would be east to weld it....I do not plan on keeping this car for much longer. It is old and I am saving for a new one...I want to avoid spending any money on it.

Thanks,
Jonathan

[Back'N'Black]

Originally Posted by JonathanD

Howdy. Someone left me a present in the middle of the road, a large cement parking block. YAY. I get home and all my oil is emptying onto the car port.

So anyway, anyone know how hard it is to replace an oilpan? I am finding them for about $140 online.

I can see the crack, it's small. I also wonder if it would be east to weld it....I do not plan on keeping this car for much longer. It is old and I am saving for a new one...I want to avoid spending any money on it.

Thanks,
Jonathan

One model of car oil pan replace might take 1/2hr, another might take 4hrs. All oilpans are not created equal.

[WookieeForLife]

Originally Posted by JonathanD

Howdy. Someone left me a present in the middle of the road, a large cement parking block. YAY. I get home and all my oil is emptying onto the car port.

So anyway, anyone know how hard it is to replace an oilpan? I am finding them for about $140 online.

I can see the crack, it's small. I also wonder if it would be east to weld it....I do not plan on keeping this car for much longer. It is old and I am saving for a new one...I want to avoid spending any money on it.

Thanks,
Jonathan

Welding it would be more of a west problem.


I can't help much, except with humer.

[Chunk-O-Funk]

Depends on the car, the tough part can be getting to the oil pan. There's usually a cross member in the way, mounts, brackets, etc.... Other than that *changing the oil-pan" is easy. Take off all the bolts, take the pan off, clean all the old gasket/sealant. Put the new gasket/sealant back on the pan, mount it and tighten the bolts.

[Mike N]

What kind of car?

[tomd999]

Hiya,

You can see the crack and it's small? No brainer, go find a shop that rebuilds wrecks or a truck repair shop. Ask them to take a look and see if they can use a wire feed welder on it. If it's as small as you describe, it should take them all of 10 minutes or less to weld it up.

I've used that method to save many an oil pan on off road trucks. I do however recommend draining the remaining oil out and filling the oil pan with inert gas to keep the oil residue from lighting up in the pan when they weld.

Tom

Afterthought, the above was for steel pans, if yours is aluminum, same technique but you'll have to look harder to find someone to weld up the aluminum.

[Back'N'Black]

Originally Posted by tomd999

Hiya,

You can see the crack and it's small? No brainer, go find a shop that rebuilds wrecks or a truck repair shop. Ask them to take a look and see if they can use a wire feed welder on it. If it's as small as you describe, it should take them all of 10 minutes or less to weld it up.

I've used that method to save many an oil pan on off road trucks. I do however recommend draining the remaining oil out and filling the oil pan with inert gas to keep the oil residue from lighting up in the pan when they weld.

Tom

Afterthought, the above was for steel pans, if yours is aluminum, same technique but you'll have to look harder to find someone to weld up the aluminum.

^Good answer

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by tomd999

Hiya,

You can see the crack and it's small? No brainer, go find a shop that rebuilds wrecks or a truck repair shop. Ask them to take a look and see if they can use a wire feed welder on it. If it's as small as you describe, it should take them all of 10 minutes or less to weld it up.

I've used that method to save many an oil pan on off road trucks. I do however recommend draining the remaining oil out and filling the oil pan with inert gas to keep the oil residue from lighting up in the pan when they weld.

Tom

Afterthought, the above was for steel pans, if yours is aluminum, same technique but you'll have to look harder to find someone to weld up the aluminum.

Good answer. But a word to the wise - if you're going to drive your car to the shop, check your oil on the way there - FREQUENTLY!

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by JonathanD

Howdy. Someone left me a present in the middle of the road, a large cement parking block. YAY. I get home and all my oil is emptying onto the car port.

So anyway, anyone know how hard it is to replace an oilpan? I am finding them for about $140 online.

I can see the crack, it's small. I also wonder if it would be east to weld it....I do not plan on keeping this car for much longer. It is old and I am saving for a new one...I want to avoid spending any money on it.

Thanks,
Jonathan

easy fix,but a call to local auto wreckers might be cheaper......if you hit the block hard enough the gasket/gasket surface may be compromised and if it has to come off anyway you can weld it on the bench

[68Goldfish]

Again, what kind of car is it? The pan might be cheap enough to not have to hassle with oddball repairs.

[Fontaine]

I wouldn't recommend welding it, remember kids, oil is flammable!

(well empty out all the oil and you're good to go!)

[Steve]

meh, climb under the car with some JB weld or similar product.

[RWP]

Originally Posted by Steve

meh, climb under the car with some JB weld or similar product.

LOL I bet that would actually work for a while. JB weld is amazing stuff.

[MJ5150]

I smell a nomination for the Darwin Award if the welding option is chosen.

-Mike

[nortonrider]

Originally Posted by Steve

meh, climb under the car with some JB weld or similar product.

I've done it!

Really.... what would it hurt to try?


I once had a old Pickup truck that had the drain plug stripped out. I chopped off a piece of a wooden chair leg and used it like a cork. It never failed me.

[Chunk-O-Funk]

Originally Posted by Steve

meh, climb under the car with some JB weld or similar product.

Believe it or not, it's an option. Companies like Permatex make and epoxy for most things like oil pan, gas tanks, etc. I wouldn't recommend them though just because of the consequences of it not working.

[Pilgrim]

I don't have any problem with the welding option....as long as there's oil in the pan, you can weld and there should be no problem. It's fumes that can ignite - the oil may get cooked but it won't explode. I'd just change oil afterwards.

I would NOT - repeat NOT - go the JB Weld route. I've used the stuff a lot and it's good, but it won't last. That pan expands and contracts, not to mention that it won't stick to an oily surface. Even if that JB Weld sticks, expansion and contraction will pop it loose before long. I think it's well worth trying a weld from the outside approach.

That's provided that the pan didn't get hit hard enough to move the pickup for the oil pump out of position. If it got knocked upwards - evidenced by a big dent in the right place - then it's extremely important to pull the pan and re-position the oil pump pickup.

Replacing a pan isn't hard - as noted above, it's the crossmembers and other stuff in the way. Most pans can be removed if you take both motor mounts loose and jack up the engine, but that's a bit beyond the safety and skill parameters of a garage mechanic unless you have a lot of experience.

Try welding.

[Steve]

If you clean and prep decent, JB weld will work fine. It's the next best thing to duct tape. The repair requires no structural strength, it just needs to stick.

I'm kinda surprised the OP being from Atlanta. Ga. and all that didn't think of it from the start. He must be one of them rich Yankee transplants.

Y'all just need to get poor ol' country boy on that oil pan.

[Pilgrim]

Yes, it's only required to stick - but given the constant vibration of a motor, plus the heating with resultant expansion and contraction, it's not going to hold. I've been through this - even gas tank repairs like this don't hold.

If you lose the oil pan, you're out a few thousand for a motor. How is that NOT worth preventing by doing it right?

[HollowBassman]

If it is a relatively small hole you can drill, tap(if using bolt), and put a screw or bolt in it. I recommend using leak-lock on the threads but a gasket would work too.