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fixing oil pan while still in car

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by windsor mike, Aug 18, 2010.

  1. windsor mike
    Joined: Feb 23, 2007
    Posts: 77

    windsor mike
    Member

    a couple years ago i took my chrysler for a drive and the oil pan sprung a leak. it seemed to be a crack so i did the best job i could fixing it on the side of the road. i havent driven it much because im afraid of it leaking and leaving me stranded on the side of the road. i was planning on taking the oil pan out of the car and fixing it but its a pain in the ass.

    so what im askin is if anybody has ever fixed an oil pan while it is still on the car. i fixed it with 5 minute epoxy but it is still leaking alittle. any ideas?
     
  2. mrrocket
    Joined: Mar 4, 2001
    Posts: 230

    mrrocket
    Member

    Why not weld It, if you can get to? Unhook battery and any control midules (if you have any) and go to it. Or, clean the metal and use the "metal in a tube" epoxy...can't remember the name), you can sand that down and repaint.
     
  3. Spidercoupe
    Joined: Mar 5, 2005
    Posts: 174

    Spidercoupe
    Member
    from Bevier, MO

    before you weld it on the car be sure to drain the oil and try to get all the fumes out of the pan. I blew the pan and valve covers off a 59 pontiac welding the pan on the car. Just a thought
     
  4. rosco gordy
    Joined: Jun 8, 2010
    Posts: 648

    rosco gordy
    Member

    JB weld and follow the directions,( I,m puzled about some of the question on here wow) this stuff is not that tough ....................
     

  5. 1936hotrod
    Joined: Mar 13, 2009
    Posts: 136

    1936hotrod
    Member
    from RI/CT

    Yep dont weld it on the car unless you remove valve covers and drain pan. Also not a bad idea to put exhaust pipe in drain plug for a while.Guy i know lost his eye and nasty scare on his face when the pan blew up.
    But the thing that works the best on everything. Napa has a gas tank repair kit and it will last forever.(@15 bucks) i keep in the glove box on most of my stuff. Clean pan real good than some candle wax in the pan crack to keep any oil in for a bit. Mix the 2 part in the bag....bingo perfect fix. I have my rusted snow plow truck gas tank, oil pan and rad done this way for a long time....It wont work on brake lines:eek: but most anything else.:D Its also ready to go in 1 hour unlike JB and some of the others.
     
  6. Hightone111
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 323

    Hightone111
    Member

    My buddy blew the cast alum valve covers off of a chevelle while welding the pan on the car. I don't condone this action, but if you do it, set up a camera!
     
  7. Hightone111
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 323

    Hightone111
    Member

    And I'm pretty sure he crapped his pants
     

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  8. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage

    I did this on an O/T ford F-150..they had a strech of a few years where the oil pans on the 302's 5.0 would rust and than leak..
    (one of the reasons why i quit wasting money on ford trucks , but thats besides the point)

    I used JB weld and cleaned up the area really good , right down to bare steel, and roughed it up with sandpaper and applied the JB weld..

    The oil pan had been emptied, (drained the oil)..and cleaned any possible oil from it and around the area to be repaired..

    wish i could tell you how long it lasted , but within a year i got rid of that sorry excuse for a truck
     
  9. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,138

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    That's a tough one to explain to the wife
     
  10. Papa Tom
    Joined: Jan 27, 2010
    Posts: 94

    Papa Tom
    Member

    jb weld got me out of woods and off the rocks many times trail riding rock crawlin get it clean it will last
     
  11. Not sure on your car but you might be able to remove the pan with the engine still in the car. I was able to with a '70 Nova SBC. Unbolt the exhaust, jack the engine up as high as it will go (trans hitting floorpan ... I also had to remove distributor) then support the engine from the engine mounts and try to get the pan off. Weld it yourself or get the pan welded and then reinstall. Epoxies etc can work (maybe, sorta, sometimes :)) but the best way is to do it "right" the first time. Then you can drive with confidence.
     
  12. J'st Wandering
    Joined: Jan 28, 2004
    Posts: 1,772

    J'st Wandering
    Member

    I welded mine but I would agree to go ahead and remove the valve covers and oil plug before you weld or else the explosion will. The oil fumes will probably still ignite but it won't blow the parts across the shop. ;)

    Neal
     
  13. jimbobb
    Joined: Mar 24, 2009
    Posts: 28

    jimbobb
    Member
    from Oakdale Mn

    I fixed a coworkers P>O>S 90 something rusted out ford oilpan. Yes the oilpan was rusted to the point it was losing over a qt a day. My procedure was to drain the hot engine oil, flush with deisel fuel (just pour in while the drain plug is out to remove sludge from pan) clean outside of pan to bare metal (degreaser,paintremover,brakecleaner,sandpaper). I formed metal patches to fit over three now large leak areas,mixed panelbond (kick ass 3M auto bodypanel apoxy)then after a final clean w/ laquerthiner glued the patches in place,holding them in place with supermagnets or you could prop in place with lumber,be creative. Its held for two years, also the co-worker is chaging oil instead of just adding.
     
  14. I've Brazed a couple in the car, no problems.
    There shouldn't be fuel vapor in the crank case anyway.

    The first one I did, '65 Pontiac, the cross member was in the way,
    so I had to jack up the motor and pull the pan. The brazing distorted
    the pan flange , so it was a bit of a hassle to reinstall.
    My stupid Boss, at the time, told me it would never last.
    Worked perfectly, never leaked a drop until I scrapped it several years later.
     
  15. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage


    your right..there shouldnt be...famous last words;)
     
  16. mrrocket
    Joined: Mar 4, 2001
    Posts: 230

    mrrocket
    Member

    Well, I have welded a couple with no problems, then again I wasn't dealing with gas laden oil, and I was welding a crack not a hole.
     
  17. 50dodge4x4
    Joined: Aug 7, 2004
    Posts: 3,534

    50dodge4x4
    Member

    I will NOT weld an oil pan on the vehicle.

    I had an old plow truck the the pan rusted out, I drained the oil, cleaned and sanded, then put JB Weld on it (the hole was about the size of a pencil lead) and let is sit over night with the drain plug out with a heat lamp on it. The next morning we refilled with oil and was plowing snow. That pan was on the truck for over 2 years and never leaked a drop. Gene
     
  18. 296 V8
    Joined: Sep 17, 2003
    Posts: 4,666

    296 V8
    BANNED
    from Nor~Cal

    Better to try JB
    Its been my experience that trying to weld it in the car doesn’t work.
    Even if drained the oil gets hot and runs down and keeps contaminating the weld and making pin holes.
    You will end up filling and draining several times and cussing like crazy.
     
  19. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    When I was a kid I fixed a pin hole in one with a sheet metal screw.
     
  20. Kerrynzl
    Joined: Jun 20, 2010
    Posts: 2,905

    Kerrynzl
    Member

    Displace ALL the air in the crankcase with an inert gas [ Argon, Helium ] or CO2 then weld

    Keep the gas flowing while you are welding [ oil residue needs oxygen for combustion ]
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2010
  21. blackanglia
    Joined: Oct 6, 2008
    Posts: 92

    blackanglia
    Member

    My 75yr old neighbor welded my oil pan by putting exhuast fumes through the oil filler tube on my old sbc, he let it run for about 5 or 10 minutes and started welding, no air, no explosion. Rick
     
  22. johnny bondo
    Joined: Aug 20, 2005
    Posts: 1,547

    johnny bondo
    Member
    from illinois

    i think some of the issue with welding is the oil gets a slight amount of gas in it over time.
     
  23. DocWatson
    Joined: Mar 24, 2006
    Posts: 10,273

    DocWatson
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Why dick around with it? Take it out and do it properly, or you will be doing it twice....
    Murphy's Law.

    Doc.
     
  24. Kerrynzl
    Joined: Jun 20, 2010
    Posts: 2,905

    Kerrynzl
    Member


    Assuming the oil is drained out [ some people think they don't need to! ]
    The problem is not just oil or gas residue, it's the oxygen and ignition [from welding]

    remove the oxygen content, and it is reasonably safe [ I've seen gas tanks welded this way, and gas fumes are deadly ]

    Don't try this with "Nitro" as it is a monopropellant [ unless you film it for us to watch ]
     
  25. bothred
    Joined: Jan 10, 2008
    Posts: 29

    bothred
    Member

    Now there is a good tip, that argon gas thing.
     
  26. George
    Joined: Jan 1, 2005
    Posts: 7,723

    George
    Member

    Bought a used car one time. Found that the previous owner solved a trunk leak by drilling a hole in the trunk floor, right into the gas tank!:mad: Solved it with a sheet metal screw, some JB Weld & used some window screen between the screw & gas tank.
     
  27. espo35
    Joined: Jul 16, 2010
    Posts: 310

    espo35
    BANNED
    from california

    JB Weld (the original, NOT the quick-setting verson). First, drain the oil and clean the crap out of the area with brake cleaner (epoxy won't stick to oil). I've used this myself and it's a permanent repair. You can also grind down the repair and paint it so noone can tell!
     
  28. gas pumper
    Joined: Aug 13, 2007
    Posts: 2,957

    gas pumper
    Member

    I balloned a pan on a ford 300, and pushed the crank seal out of the block, too. This was on a brazing fix, just trying to seal the pin holes left after mig welding in a patch. This was on an empty pan with the plug back in, but still wet.

    The next Ford I owned, I soldered a patch over the hole. Much better and 4 years later that's still good.

    These Fords don't leak enough oil to keep the pans rust free from the outside. And I guess really shitty steel.
     
  29. 53sled
    Joined: Jul 5, 2005
    Posts: 5,817

    53sled
    Member
    from KCMO

    x2 do it once. cheaper than getting a tow when jb fails
     
  30. Docfranknstein
    Joined: Jun 30, 2002
    Posts: 294

    Docfranknstein
    Member

    A long time ago I worked at a limo shop making long ones outta short ones, I used to take home J B Weld from time to time, a Buddy of Mine had a 62 Nova he put a 327 in it and did'nt use the stock type front sump pan, ( I had a 63 that I v8'd ,but I bought all the stock parts from pick your part) My Buddy's pan was always leaking because the tie rod was hiting it on full left or right position, He used more of My J B Weld than I ever did! so will the J B work? yep, but I think I'd pull the pan and weld it or replace it, but if You J B it You should also drain the pan while making Your repair, that way the oil is'nt contaminating the area while the epoxy is kick'in. Von Doc
     

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