Punched Hole in Oil Pan; I'm not happy

[mikejl]

Merry Christmas... On Xmas Eve, I was turning my truck around near my brother's house and had a little difficulty. It was getting a little stuck in a snow burm (we have about 1 1/2 feet of non-burmed snow around here). Anyway, after maneuvering, backing-up, and getting out of the mess, I looked over and saw black streaks in the snow. I knew right away something was wrong; I shut it down. Jumped out and sure enough the oil was pouring out like the plug was pulled. Looked over in the burm and noticed a portion of a tractor implement, previously covered by snow. Sure enough, that's what punched into the pan. The chances of that getting past the front diff/axle and up 4-5" into the pan are slim to nill, but somehow it managed. I'm just thankful that I looked over and saw the mess before I took off down the road.

I'm certain there's no damage to the engine because I shut it down prior to loosing pressure, and it took another 3-4 minutes to drain (I guess there is an advantage to 11qts).

Anyway, now I'm trying to figure out what to do. I expect that I'll be filing a claim (full coverage). But I'm one of those guys that don't like just anybody working on my rig.

Can anybody tell me what needs to happen to replace the pan? Can the mounts be pulled and the engine lifted enough to get a new pan on? I sure hope the entire engine doesn't have to be pulled. The worst part of that is that it just wouldn't be the same again. Then, I have a pan gasket that I'll always wonder if the guy put it on right.
I'm just trying to figure if this is something that I want to tackle. I used to be a Honda mechanic, so I'm capable but don't know how difficult of a job this could be.

Has anybody experienced anyting similar? Are the pan gaskets prone to leak? Any ideas would be appreciated.

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'99 2500HD 4x4, SLT, Sport, White, QC, LB, 5SPD, Camper/Tow, 4-ABS, LSD, 3. 55s, OEM Bug/Fender shields, Dual Halogen w/Fogs Interior everything except Leather: Power DR. Seat, Trav/ Convenience, 6 SPKR CD/Tape, Steering Radio Controls, Slider, Clear. Lts, Rhino Liner, Wade Caps, MAAP Nerf Bars, Weather-Tec Vent Shades, Tint, 18mpg

 

[Mike Vonada]

Mike,
Bummer man, sorry for your accident.
I haven't changed the pan on one of these, but being under mine a few times it would seem pretty straight forward, I think you have enough room without moving the engine. As far as the gasket, don't think you should have a problem with it leaking. Good Luck!

 

[Sled Puller]

I would not turn that in, no way, no how!
Unless they will cover under comprehensive maybe, but I bet they will say it was an accident, and raise your rate!

Is it small enough to MIG shut, or do you want a new pan?

 

[Cliffman]

mikejl,

That would sure put a dampener on my day. MGM's idea sound good, a lot less labor and parts cost. Just curious, is your truck a 4X4? Whoops, forgot to look at your sig #ad



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2001 Driftwood 3500 Quad Cab 4x4, Long Bed, 5. 9L HO Cummins Diesel (ETH), 6-Speed HD Manual (DEE) Loven the shift thing (Arrrrrh), 3:54, SLT+, 3. 54 Anti-Spin Axle, Camper Special Group, Trailer Tow Group, 18,000 LB 5th Wheel Hitch, Leather, Sliding Rear Window, BDs E-Brake, Rhino Liner (gray), Velvet ride shackles, cup smoothy, Power Edge box / EZ Box w/elbo, DD Stage III injectors, McLeod Dual Disk Clutch, K&N, SPA Gauges, Jardine Exhaust, 16cm turbo housing. Love the smell of diesel in the morning. Hope your watchen DC cuz every thing you see here is a big lie, Hehe.

[This message has been edited by Cliffman (edited 12-25-2000). ]

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

It's time for that BOMBing clutch or torque converter (you didn't specify which transmission you have in your signature). To remove the pan you have to pull the trans, flywheel, block plate from the engine. This is according to the factory service manual. I don't know if you can get around it with trickery. Sorry. When bad stuff happens, just look on it as a bombing opportunity, and a chance to spend quality time under your Ram. #ad

 

[CPFF]

I would be a little concerned welding that pan on the engine. All the ones I worked on were two ply metal with a plastic or epoxy compound between them - for sound deadening.
When that plastic gets hot from welding, it burns like hell and makes corrosive fumes.

CPFF

 

[illflem]

If it's a round hole,rather than a slash you can buy self tapping lag type bolts with rubber gaskets on them at a plumbing supply. They come in all sizes and are made for fast leak fixes on larger steel water pipe. It will at least be enough to get you to a place to have the work done or even get you though till warmer weather when it's easier to deal with and could even be a permanent fix.

Another fix I've used is J-B weld epoxy. Patched a dime sized hole in the AT of an Accord with it and it's been holding for 80k, drip free. Get the area totally clean and use a heat lamp to keep it warm,it sets up in just a few hours. LocTite also makes a liquid metal epoxy that is very good,in fact just as good as welding if done right.

If you decide to make an insurance deal out of it take it to a diesel mechanic or Cummins dealer. The wrong Dodge dealer could make a mess out of it.

I know that having what seems like a temporary fix can be worrisome when you're miles from home,but pulling the engine or transmission to fix just a leak is a lot of work. Just my 2¢

 

[mikejl]

Thanks for the response to date... I appreciate any more recommendations other have.

Yes, my truck is 4-wheel drive (includes skid plate; but doesn't protect oil pan), and it has the 5 spd manual. I too, have a service manual and I finally got around to looking at it. I noticed that the procedures were to remove the transmission, and transfer case. Even though that's in the procedures, I'm not sure it's required.

I'm planning on making some calls in the AM to determine my options. I have full coverage and comprehensive with $500 deduct each. If I go that route, I'd prefer comprensive so as not to raise my rates.

I'll talk to the dealer to find out cost/procedures, and see if I can talk to a mechanic that would likely be assigned the task. I definitely will need to be comfortable with the mechanic, and question his experience/knowledge before I agree to anything. I'm leaning towards having the dealer perform the repairs, so as to avoid voiding any engine warranty. But I definitely need to be more comfortable than I am now. Of course the flip side is, they'll void the warranty if I tell them about it. Don't know what their response will be. That's why I'm hoping to find somebody that has had similar experience.

Something that I didn't note in my original post, is that the pan is dented-in; I'm concerned about damage to the pick-up system, and would prefer to have the pan pulled (from a functional perspective as opposed to a cost perspective, that is) to inspect.

I'll keep you all posted on my findings. If anyone has a nice 'oil pan skid plate'; I'll likely be interested after I get this back on the road.

Thanks, mikejl

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'99 2500HD 4x4, SLT, Sport, White, QC, LB, 5SPD, Camper/Tow, 4-ABS, LSD, 3. 55s, OEM Bug/Fender shields, Dual Halogen w/Fogs Interior everything except Leather: Power DR. Seat, Trav/ Convenience, 6 SPKR CD/Tape, Steering Radio Controls, Slider, Clear. Lts, Rhino Liner, Wade Caps, MAAP Nerf Bars, Weather-Tec Vent Shades, Tint, 18mpg