Oil Pan Corrosion / Leaking

[mwilson]

Heat + road treatment chemicals do it every time.

I don't feel anywhere near as strongly about oil pans and coolant lines as I do about BRAKE LINES. All vehicle manufacturers should be required to use only Copper / Nickle alloy brake lines.

I can't understand why this has not happened yet.

 

[Wayne M.]

People make me laugh. They think a vehicle is an appliance like a blender. They're filing with NHTSA because a rotted pan will dump its oil and seize the engine/ cause an accident? I think an engine oil pan gives plenty if warning before it will fail. I don't care where you live in the rust belt.
Just like with TPMS, it's still your responsibility to be on your tire pressures! If you or your mechanic can't keep tabs on the condition of your vehicle, something is very wrong!

On another note, I like the idea of a stainless pan. Glad they came out with one!

 

[Wayne M.]

Seafish, if you want to preserve your pan, I strongly recommend the POR15 process of cleaning, etch/ prime and coat the pan and any underside surface of said vehicle.

 

[rscurtis]

All vehicle manufacturers should be required to use only Copper / Nickle alloy brake lines.

The brake lines on my old Mercedes, which also have a coating on them, still look like new.

One of the factors in oil pan corrosion is the fact that modern engines don't leak like they used to. If you ever see an old movie or newsreel, note the black stripe down the center of a traffic lane. It was not uncommon to see older engines completely covered in oil and sludge- which also had the benefit of protecting the oil pan from corrosion.

 

[mwilson]

All vehicle manufacturers should be required to use only Copper / Nickle alloy brake lines.

The brake lines on my old Mercedes, which also have a coating on them, still look like new.

One of the factors in oil pan corrosion is the fact that modern engines don't leak like they used to. If you ever see an old movie or newsreel, note the black stripe down the center of a traffic lane. It was not uncommon to see older engines completely covered in oil and sludge- which also had the benefit of protecting the oil pan from corrosion.

Excellent point, just think about crawling under a 6-71 or 8V-71 for a vivid mental image of the above observation....and with trucks at least the stripe was a lot thicker and wider on uphill grades.....

 

[brods]

Heat + road treatment chemicals do it every time.

I don't feel anywhere near as strongly about oil pans and coolant lines as I do about BRAKE LINES. All vehicle manufacturers should be required to use only Copper / Nickle alloy brake lines.

I can't understand why this has not happened yet.

Yep. How many coolant tubes have you gone through on your Town & Country? We're on our third on our 08 Caravan. I'll try POR 15 on the next one. Our Saturn needed an oil pan due to corrosion, but it was only $32 and easy to install. The Saturn also blew a rear brake hard line due to corrosion. I guess the problem is where do the manufacturers draw the line? They have to keep costs down for the average consumer and if Joe average sells his car long before these problems will occur then he won't want to pay any extra for longer lasting components.

 

[mwilson]

Yep. How many coolant tubes have you gone through on your Town & Country? We're on our third on our 08 Caravan. I'll try POR 15 on the next one. Our Saturn needed an oil pan due to corrosion, but it was only $32 and easy to install. The Saturn also blew a rear brake hard line due to corrosion. I guess the problem is where do the manufacturers draw the line? They have to keep costs down for the average consumer and if Joe average sells his car long before these problems will occur then he won't want to pay any extra for longer lasting components.

The 2008 (much to my surprise) has not lost any coolant tubes yet, the lower steel tube from the rear of the water pump to the radiator is looking shaky though. The rear A/C has been bypassed due to corrosion at the pass thru point that feeds the rear evaporator.
The 2002 came from Florida and up until this year had not been subjected to the weasel snot. Now that it has been dipped the fun will begin.
The 2000 that I had would eat a set of rear heater lines every other year.
My MIL's 2008 had a green spot showing in the snow last week so that would be A/C dye again, probably will have to bypass her rear unit in the spring.

It is a constant PITA, very frustrating this month as it is so frigin' cold that most car washes are not open and if you do find one open and run the vehicle through you probably won't be able to open the doors, windows, hood, trunk or hatchback until spring. I need to bring three of them to work and wash them here, then leave them inside until they dry.
When I go outside in the morning I can hear the '97 rusting.........

 

[Udaloy]

Glory grabber couldn't wait. Here it is:

Good morning,

The Cummins 5.9 Next Gen Oil Pan is $695.00.

This includes:

Stainless Steel Oil Pan
OIl Pan Gasket
Pickup Tube Gasket
Stainless Bolt Kit
Magnetic Drain Plug

If you have any questions please let me know.

--


I'm moving to NC so I might go with the RockAuto pan at like $225.

 

[JSzewczyk]

I have found 2 different places to get a stainless oil pan. I have calls into them for prices but can anyone that installed them tell us how they have been holding up, how they like them. Is the extra cost worth it over the stock replacement? I'm in Pittsburgh and need to get this done, considering all options. Just looking for more updates I guess.

 

[shorthorn]

has anyone tried the Por-15 repaint repair once light blistering is noted? I know I have a couple small blisters starting.. wondering if I can hold it off for awhile or if it is a lost cause...

 

[jhenderson]

If you already have blisters I'd wire brush the area back to clean material and give it some JB WELD.

 

[inlinesix3million]

If it is not rusted through then the POR 15 will work great. 1st rule of painting = prep is everything. Follow all the steps- then finish with several coats.

 

[brods]

I have found 2 different places to get a stainless oil pan. I have calls into them for prices but can anyone that installed them tell us how they have been holding up, how they like them. Is the extra cost worth it over the stock replacement? I'm in Pittsburgh and need to get this done, considering all options. Just looking for more updates I guess.

SnoDepot was just finishing up their second gen pan and was going to start on designing a third gen pan when I needed one. While there are several companies making ss pans for big rigs, I could find no one else making third gen pans at the time. Who is the second company now making third gen stainless steel pans?

 

[bigceltic]

If it is not rusted through then the POR 15 will work great. 1st rule of painting = prep is everything. Follow all the steps- then finish with several coats.

I just POR15'd my pan this weekend. Very nice result. I had no rust yet (a few small spots where the powercoat was starting to bubble/chip), but figured that I would paint it as a preventative measure. I just used the starter kit (was around $22 - includes degreaser, metal prep, and POR15 black - was more than enough to do 2 coats on my pan). One word of caution - don't get the degreaser on your arm! Bad juju.

 

[NSperduto]

I'll be next in line for a pan. What was the second place that had the stainless pans for sale?

 

[shorthorn]

At my next oil change I am going to attempt a patch job... My pan looks pristine except for two spots about a nickle diameter that are blistered and bubbled up. I am going to drain the oil, wire brush those spots, coat them in magic metal / JB weld, then POR15 the rest of the pan..

 

[NSperduto]

At my next oil change I am going to attempt a patch job... My pan looks pristine except for two spots about a nickle diameter that are blistered and bubbled up. I am going to drain the oil, wire brush those spots, coat them in magic metal / JB weld, then POR15 the rest of the pan..

Mine is beyond patching, it's rusting in quite a few spots. So I think I'd rather just replace it.

 

[inlinesix3million]

Bigceltic,how is your POR 15 holding up after a couple weeks? If you ever have to re-coat -you just have to hit it with some self-etching primer first. If you have,say, 3 to 5 coats of it- you
could smack that pan with a hammer and dent it- and not crack the paint. I'll be doing some painting with it next week- leaf springs, shackles, and rear axle.

 

[bigceltic]

Bigceltic,how is your POR 15 holding up after a couple weeks? If you ever have to re-coat -you just have to hit it with some self-etching primer first. If you have,say, 3 to 5 coats of it- you
could smack that pan with a hammer and dent it- and not crack the paint. I'll be doing some painting with it next week- leaf springs, shackles, and rear axle.

So far it looks just like the day I put it on. Perfect.

 

[Udaloy]

I ended up buying a new pan from Rock Auto. I was afraid it was going to be cheap or made from thinner material than the original. I'm happy to report that the pan is every bit as heavy as the original. I don't know why someone would pay $475 for the OEM part, when this one has the same quality at half the price. I used my buddy's garage as he has a lift. We used a stabilizing jack to lift the engine up the three or four inches to get the old pan out, and it worked like a charm. We just had to loosen the motor mount bolts a little, and away she went.