Oil Pan Corrosion / Leaking

[DNDracing]

Did a few different searches on here and couldn't find anything already posted on this topic soooo.....



While doing some other maintenance on my 2005, I noticed the passenger side of the oil pan was very corroded. My reaction was to clean up the area, and throw some paint on it to try to "slow down" the deterioration of the pan.



As I'm sure some of you are aware, this was a mistake, because as soon as I put a wire brush to it, it started leaking near the front of the pan.



Below is a picture, you can see the corrosion, and the leak.

Because the area of rust is so large (and I already have a hole), I decided to replace the pan, and already have one, and a new gasket ordered.



My question is, are there any short cuts or tricks to dropping the pan? Manual says you have to remove the trans and flywheel. At the very least, I'm guessing you have to lift the motor to clear the cross member, and maybe the pick up tube. I'm hoping the knowledge on here can tell me a better (translation quicker) way?



Any help is appreciated.

 

[jhenderson]

Search " rusty oil pan" much info

 

[DNDracing]

Thanks jh. You know as many searches as I tried, never did I put the word "rust" (or any variation of it) first, always started with "oil pan".

Just glad I don't have to drop the trans!

 

[mweiman]

Not sure how well it has worked or slowed the rust but I think that MoDOT has been coating their new pans with Line-X.

 

[DZink24]

mine is getting there. when the time comes, i'm not going to touch it. it is going to be all in the hands of the dealer. a 1000# motor is a bit much to risk unhooking, it will never go back in the same way it came out. the most simple of repairs, made impossible because of 2" of clearance. my estimate will be at least $2,000. aftermarket pans run upwards of $500, so assume at least $750 materials+labor from a dealer.

another option i have thought of is to drain the pan, and have a welder cut out the rusted sections, and weld or braze back in a replacement piece.

 

[DNDracing]

Well, others on here have successfully done it, so I'm gonna give it a try. This weekend, the junk pan comes off!

 

[Prairie Dog]

Danged salt! Let us know how it goes.

 

[Mark31]

mine is getting there. when the time comes, i'm not going to touch it. it is going to be all in the hands of the dealer. a 1000# motor is a bit much to risk unhooking, it will never go back in the same way it came out. the most simple of repairs, made impossible because of 2" of clearance. my estimate will be at least $2,000. aftermarket pans run upwards of $500, so assume at least $750 materials+labor from a dealer.

another option i have thought of is to drain the pan, and have a welder cut out the rusted sections, and weld or braze back in a replacement piece.

DZink, if you are making a Florida run, just off I95 15 miles into SC, there is a machinist/fabricator/welder that can fix it and make it look better than new! Mark

 

[JR]

If you know someone with TIG capabilitiies it can possibly be repaired in place. I helped repair a friends that way a while back although it was on a semi flat spot on the pan so it was easier. We emptied the oil pan, and I tacked a thin gauge piece of metal in place. I kept working the metal with a hammer to form it to the shape of the pan and TIG welded it in. Held until a year later when he had to pull the motor to replace the clutch and replaced the pan while it was out

 

[AEdelheit]

It's not an issue to lift the motor and put it back In place, just like any other engine. I haven't pulled an oil pan in frame but done many motor mounts. I do know POR15 makes a fuel tank repair coating that would probably work well on the oil pan.

 

[LFalconer]

Hi Gents,

I have a 2001 Ford 7. 3L that had this issue. There is a company in Mass. that makes a fiberglass shell to put on with aircraft wet wing sealer. Works great on my Ford. Took my about 2. 5 hours to install and a day to set up... $255 versus $2K+ dealer repair quote...

Is there a a company that does that same fabrication for a Cummins? Damian Diesel is the company for the Ford Product
Luke

 

[DNDracing]

Well, today was unsuccessful in lifting engine, loosened the motor mount through bolts (did not remove), but engine would not budge. Cherry picker will start to lift the truck before the engine moved. Will try again tomorrow, not sure what I'm missing... open to suggestions.

 

[AEdelheit]

well I pull the bolts all the way out otherwise there can still be side forces that can put it in a bind. Also remember that engines over 1k lbs so was it lifting the truck or taking weight off the suspension????

 

[JR]

Are you still connected to the trans?

 

[DNDracing]

Yes, connected to the trans, my understanding was you just had to undo the mounts.

It did unload the suspension, but would then strain the cherry picker and continue to lift the truck. Maybe my "1 ton" harbor freight cherry picker is a false advertisement.

 

[JR]

If your trans is still bolted to the crossmember and your driveshaft is still connected, I would think you would be binding up pretty bad. I could be wrong, Ive never tried it before.

 

[jhenderson]

No it's not binding. I bet the bolt heads are stuck under the lip of the frame mount. Remove the bolts fully and the motor will lift.

 

[Bob4x4]

If you do not have a way of supporting the engine once you get it lifted stop now. Too many people get hurt every year working on their cars at home with unsafe practices. You have to be under the engine to remove and reinstall the oil pick-up tube,your hands will be in harms way..... A hydraulic hoist from harbor freight does not count as a way to hold it up safely.

 

[DNDracing]

Successful swap, new pan is in. Weak point was the capacity of the cherry picker (from Harbor Freight coincendentally... Bob 4x4, sound advice). Did not have to remove trans bolts, and was able to "slide" the pan out from under the pick up tube.



I will try to post some pictures later tonight.

 

[DNDracing]

Couple quick shots from the oil pan swap this past weekend. Thank you everyone for your input, overall, the job went well. Hardest part was getting pickers and steel and chains together with the capacity to lift the 1000# + engine. Whole different ball game than lifting a spark plug motor. Most time consuming part was scraping off the gasket which, of course, 90% stuck to the block and didn't come off with the pan.



Starting to bring the motor up. Thanks to my Father for helping me out with this somewhat overwhelming project.

Ended up raising the engine just shy of 3. 5 inches. This was enough to clear everything. After witnessing the bent boom shown in the picture, we did end up supporting the engine from underneath with some jack stands (which I should have taken a picture of).

Then my daughter arrived with lunch, and for "moral support" right after we got the pan out!

Pan off