How Would You Fix Small Hole in Oil Pan (a la mexicana)?

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dibbons

dibbons

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(Posting on FBBO also) My Mexican neighbor asked me what kind of product (silicone, etc.) he could use to patch his oil pan (he hit something on the road today). I told him maybe a product that plugs small holes in fuel tanks might be suitable. Anyone know from experience what he could apply that would work? Thank you.
 
JB weld or some sort of two part epoxy that is oil resistant... wont work over rust though, remove back to good metal then patch.

Disclaimer: the correct repair is to replace the oil pan:)
 
The only way you can fix that hole is to remove the oil pan first. Once the pan is off, you might as well weld it. There really is NOTHING that will seal it from the inside. You do not want to put anything in your oil to try and seal a hole. Oil has an important job to do, and it can't do it if you gunk it up.
 
harrisonm said:
The only way you can fix that hole is to remove the oil pan first. Once the pan is off, you might as well weld it. There really is NOTHING that will seal it from the inside. You do not want to put anything in your oil to try and seal a hole. Oil has an important job to do, and it can't do it if you gunk it up.
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Agreed, and if you remove it may as well put on a new one, unless of course there isnt one available...:)
 
I used what I think was a JB product to patch a rust hole in the fuel tank on my Yota 4x4. Drained it and buffed the paint off and acetoned it. The epoxy product had a re-enforcing material/cloth included much like fiber glass.
 
yeah the JB will work it may last long it may not...its dicey. id do it temporarily meaning to last 6 months or so.
 
Unconventional said:
After removal one of those brass hand held tools with the tiny hole at one end and green and red hoses at the other end should fix it right up. :rolleyes:
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Ahh the ol brazing torch...I once welded a pinhole in a header collector using a clothes hanger as the welding rod with one of those...:)
 
Have a JB weld patch on my wifes Chebby were a drag link zerk punched a hole in it. Was supposed to be a temporary fix till I could get to a proper repair. After all this time I now considered it a semi permanent repair and it will wait till the next rebuild. It will hold fine.
 
I've welded a few pans on the car .
Lift the car on a lean away from the area to weld. (edit)
Drain the pan, take the oil cap/breathers off, blow air in thru the pan plug hole,
Prep, and Weld away, - keeping the air blowing to vent the crankcase.

No drama .
 
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There was a Popular Mechanics article back in the day that they repaired a porous oil pan with an entire tube of JBWeld. They drained the oil and let it drip overnight. Then took a scraper and scraped all the surfaces they could access of the pan. Wiped the pan down with acetone to clean. Then they slapped on the entire tube(s) of JBWeld and stucco'd the oil pan. Again sit overnight and filled with oil the next day and drove off leak free. BTW the car was a 1968 Newport 383 in the article.
 
dibbons said:
(Posting on FBBO also) My Mexican neighbor asked me what kind of product (silicone, etc.) he could use to patch his oil pan (he hit something on the road today). I told him maybe a product that plugs small holes in fuel tanks might be suitable. Anyone know from experience what he could apply that would work? Thank you.
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Ala Mexicana? Bubble gum.
 
Is it aluminum or steel.

If steel, remove it and weld it sealed.

If aluminum replace it.
 
dibbons said:
(Posting on FBBO also) My Mexican neighbor asked me what kind of product (silicone, etc.) he could use to patch his oil pan (he hit something on the road today). I told him maybe a product that plugs small holes in fuel tanks might be suitable. Anyone know from experience what he could apply that would work? Thank you.
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Maybe you could give details of what the actual damage is , a flat area, a corner, the side? And whether he wants to maybe repair it in place or intends on removing it to repair. In place I would sand all the paint off around the hole, degrease, cut a patch out of thin steel or aluminum, run a bead of ultra black around the hole, fit the patch firmly, let it cure, then seal the edges of the patch with a wide seam of more ultra black. Trust me, it ain’t gonna leak or fail. Otherwise remove the pan and braze the hole or patch and braze. Brazing for most of us, welding done by someone qualified and you pay accordingly for that skill
 
I don't know the details, just the fact he asked me if silicone would work? I told him I would find him an answer after consulting with my forum buddies.
 
dibbons said:
I don't know the details, just the fact he asked me if silicone would work? I told him I would find him an answer after consulting with my forum buddies.
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So he's just looking for half assed approval for a stupid fix that he probably already knows isn't going to work.
 
I’m sure the car in question is an all original numbers matching 340 Duster or maybe he is an aspiring Mopar guy climbing the ladder and wants the best option so as to impress other gear heads. Who knows? Half assed or common sense on a shoestring, who knows the guys reality, it could be more like the guy just wants to save quite a few hundred if not an amount that’s more than the car might be worth to properly replace the pan.....Sand, degrease, ultra black with a patch, more ultra black and done.
 
dibbons said:
(Posting on FBBO also) My Mexican neighbor asked me what kind of product (silicone, etc.) he could use to patch his oil pan (he hit something on the road today). I told him maybe a product that plugs small holes in fuel tanks might be suitable. Anyone know from experience what he could apply that would work? Thank you.
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Let me stir things up. :soapbox:
Your location says you're in Mexico. I would assume your neighbor is Mexican. (Maybe he's not?) Is his oil pan hole different than an oil pan hole that might occur to someone from a different country? That's the only reason that I can figure that you would mention that he's Mexican. My neighbor is Polish. What kind of hole would his oil pan get? :poke:
Anyhow, is he looking to save money? I can only assume so. Otherwise, he'd pull the pan and repair/replace it; whatever is the best option. If he doesn't mind potentially ruining his engine, well, that's another story. Go cheap, then.
I'm sorry, dibbons. I am picking on you. Maybe I'm reading your post incorrectly. In that case, I apologize in advance.
 
In car with oil inside?
Get some rags...
Buy a rubber plug, punch hole with screwdriver to size...pop plug in with rtv icing over it like a cake.
Or drain oil, brakclean, weld booger over hole , refill oil n done.
 
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