Oil Pan Corrosion / Leaking

[jmadden]

Just got my new pan from SnoDepot since I never want to do this or pay for it again. Not sure how it compares to the factory pan, but it looks like a heavy, well constructed unit. A lot of welding vs a stamped/drawn unit.

No good place nearby to work on the truck... and don't want to risk the pan failing driving more than across town (it starts dripping pretty steady when the oil warms up a little), so having a local mechanic, who's willing to use some of your helpful hints, swap the new one in later this week.

 

[TCDiesel]

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.

In the past 15 years We Bio-clean systems have attack MNDOT for the reckless use of chloride, They spray the product on roads any time the threat of snow/ice in the name of safety, You should have been there when Coke-cola Midwest bottling trailer doors (Slide ups) roller were locking up. Finally they spent (unnecessary) millions in repairs, the new slide ups need regular maintenance replacing jams and hinges. If you live in the snow belt you will need to regularly wash/spray the under side of vehicle this includes the engine compartment. If you don't the chloride will corrode anything its allowed to stay on.

 

[Udaloy]

The only helpful hint needed is don't unbolt anything like transmission mounts, etc. The engine will lift up enough to clear everything just by lifting on the crank pulley. He should just loosen the motor mount bolts, as the motor mounts are slotted (the motor mount cross bolt does not go through a hole) once it's loosened, the engine will lift with no worries.

 

[jwduke]

In the past 15 years We Bio-clean systems have attack MNDOT for the reckless use of chloride, They spray the product on roads any time the threat of snow/ice in the name of safety, You should have been there when Coke-cola Midwest bottling trailer doors (Slide ups) roller were locking up. Finally they spent (unnecessary) millions in repairs, the new slide ups need regular maintenance replacing jams and hinges. If you live in the snow belt you will need to regularly wash/spray the under side of vehicle this includes the engine compartment. If you don't the chloride will corrode anything its allowed to stay on.

Problem is, MNDOT is probably the BEST in the world for snow removal, from a truckers view. Nebraska is using some soybean based stuff that attacks the wiring on our trucks, especially the trailers. And what really sucks, the stuff doesn't even work!

 

[TCDiesel]

" You mean there's place's Worst then MNDOT" ugh....Using the chloride I understand, What I don't understand is the amount prior to snow, heck if the forecast is 30% chance of snow MNDOT will spray 24hrs in advance, then when its only a dusting that stuff get's into everything at X ratio.

 

[Mathes308]

Testing my first post.

Just finished a pan change on my 03' had to loosen the motor mounts, top radiator hose, fan shroud and air box. Lifted the motor as high as it would go and lower the front axle just a pinch, pan came out without needing the pickup tube removed (thank goodness, that things enormous). Put a used 04' pan in. Used a Cummins factory gasket. So far so good.

The stainless pan is nice. I would etch it and paint it, chlorine eats stainless steel. We see it a lot here, heat treat factories use in house water treated with chlorine to cool their furnaces and it deteriorates the walls, carbon vessels far outlast them.

Thanks to everyone for the tips on changing the pan, local shop wanted $1000 just to change it out.

 

[shorthorn]

The only helpful hint needed is don't unbolt anything like transmission mounts, etc. The engine will lift up enough to clear everything just by lifting on the crank pulley. He should just loosen the motor mount bolts, as the motor mounts are slotted (the motor mount cross bolt does not go through a hole) once it's loosened, the engine will lift with no worries.

I just ordered some POR15 and have a tube of Magic Metal I am going to use to patch the two spots have that have bubbled up... Will work on replacing the pan soon following....

Really intereted in this post?... Are you suggesting you can simply jack up the front of the motor by the crank pulley? Since I don't have a cherry picker this sounds interesting... Anyone else tried this method?

 

[Mathes308]

After I did mine I talked to a guy that jacked his up by the damper, said it was fine.
Seems stout, but man is that a lot of weight on that damper!
Just keep in mind your fingers will be all up in there between the engine and cross member prying and pulling, it slips off the damper and your howdy wave will be different.

 

[Karter]

I jacked mine up as well. I had the truck on a hoist and used a transmission jack to raise the engine. It was risky though and I don't think I'd do it again. I made the mistake of removing the motor mount bolts instead of just loosening them, so I had to jockey the whole works around to get things lined up again. In the process, the engine slipped off the jack. Luckily, no one was hurt and there wasn't any damage, although it could've been disastrous. The cherry picker would've been a whole lot safer.

 

[shorthorn]

thanks Guys... I did POR15 the oil pan this weekend. Found lots of small spots I didn't expect and am confident the POR will stop those. Also very happy with how the metal magic worked over the POR to help add some cover for the two area's which were blistered pretty good.

Will keep a close eye on it, but from the look of things I think this might just work!

 

[LHirshman]

I have a question concerning lifting the engine to remove the engine oil pan. Has this method been tried with the G56 Manual transmission attached to the engine? I was told by a source, I trust, that the oil pan will not come out with the G56 because of the size of the bell-housing. My source said this only works with an automatic transmission. The truck is an '05.

 

[Mathes308]

In all the posts I read the only problems they required trans removal were 2wd trucks due to the cross member.
Best advice I can give you is just try it, you don't have to take the pan bolts out until you lift the motor up and then decide if there is enough room, you need about 4-5 inches from the pan to the crossmember in order to hinge the pan, if you're lucky you can do it without taking the pickup tube off.
Just make sure to watch everything while lifting, doesn't take much for an engine hoist to pop a line or wire.
You can have the engine mounts loose and the engine up in about 30 min (give or take depending on age and skill)
If it doesn't look like you can get the height needed you can just drop it back down.

 

[LHirshman]

In your post you stated that you loosened the the top radiator hose, where by the radiator? Did you drain the cooling system? About lifting the engine. There is a lifting piece of metal attached to the head by where the upper hose attaches. On the other side of the head by the intake there is a part of the cylinder head that has two unused threaded holes maybe 7/16" or 3/8", is the cylinder head strong enough at those holes to support the weight of the engine when used in conjunction with the lifting piece of metal?

 

[Mathes308]

Took the top radiator hose off at the radiator, lost a little coolant but since it's so high up it was about half a gallon.
Only needed the lifting lug already on the motor, it does cause the pass side to come up more than the drivers but didn't seem to matter, more important that the front axle is hanging as low as it can, you need the drop for the pan angle.
I was really paranoid going into the project but in hind sight it wasn't all that bad, after we figured out that the axle had to drop I had way more than enough room, even with the pickup tube left in place.
That was my worst fear, not getting a good seal on the tube and starving the bearings, but since I didn't have to take it off I knew it would be good after buttoning up.

 

[LHirshman]

Today I got the truck up on jack stands supporting the frame just behind the front wheels. The front axle is dropped but not fully. I take it the axle must hang and be limited by the shock absorbers? Also got the motor mounts loose. Found an engine hoist at a local tool rental and will try this in about a week. One question, When you lowered the engine back down, did it drop right back into place?

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

Mine did not.

 

[Mathes308]

Mine was typical of others, had to loosen the bolts all the way but not take the nut completely off. Then it sat right back down into place.
Leave yourself enough room to let the suspension fully drop, just in case you need the extra bit.

 

[NSperduto]

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.

Where did you jack it from with the stabilizing jack?

 

[brods]

..... About lifting the engine. There is a lifting piece of metal attached to the head by where the upper hose attaches. On the other side of the head by the intake there is a part of the cylinder head that has two unused threaded holes maybe 7/16" or 3/8", is the cylinder head strong enough at those holes to support the weight of the engine when used in conjunction with the lifting piece of metal?

Yes that is how I lifted the engine.

....Also got the motor mounts loose. Found an engine hoist at a local tool rental and will try this in about a week. One question, When you lowered the engine back down, did it drop right back into place?

It would have dropped right back in except the passenger side motor mount bolt was seized in the sleeve making it near impossible to back out. Not having it backed out far enough made it very difficult to get back in the slot. That was the worst part of the job.

 

[LHirshman]

I looked into those two threaded holes in the cylinder head. They are M10 with a 1.50 pitch. Purchased two automotive grade (10.9) bolts and a M10 1.50 tap to clean the threads. The hole closest to the head only has a depth of about 3/4" or so. The other hole is drilled and taped all the way through. I intend to use both holes with 1/4" L shaped brackets to attach one end of a chain, the other end of the chain will go to the lifting bracket by the water outlet. Will these 10.9 grade bolts be strong enough to support approximately the engine weight?