1997 Nissan Pathfinder Oil Pan Cracked while driving

[rjbdaddy]

My son's Pathfinder had an odd thing happen yesterday as he heard a noise and pulled over to find oil leaking out. He did not hit anything, it looks like the pan cracked like a windshield does - pulled over right away and had it towed so should be okay engine wise but how easy is it to change an oil pan? I am a adventurous type but not a mechanic!

[Rogue One]

Welcome to NICOclub!

Sorry to hear that your truck is having trouble. I've moved your post to the Pathfinder forum get the best responses from those that know the most about your vehicle.

[04pathse]

Doesn't appear to be terribly difficult...

Go to Page EM-9

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Pathfinder/ ... der/em.pdf

[atraudes]

If it's a 4WD the front axle is going to be all sorts of in your way. If that's the case you'll need to drop it, which will complicate the procedure (by how much, I don't know). If it's a 2WD, it's probably as simple as the FSM describes I'll check my Chilton tonight and see what it has to say.

[rjbdaddy]

Thank you, is there anything that can come from the inside to puncture the pan itself...a rod or something?

[atraudes]

If the pan was pushed in (crushed) then I could see the rods hitting it. If it's not bent out of shape at all though, you'd have much bigger problems if anything was hitting it. I think there's a windage tray in there that things would hit first though.

More than likely some road debris got kicked up and hit it just so. I just did some looking around on the topic of cracked oil pans and many people have had luck with cleaning and straightening the surrounding metal, and using JB weld and a patch to fix the crack. That may work for you, depending on where the crack is. Personally I'd just buy a used pan off eBay and have the peace of mind, but it's food for thought.

[Hawairish]

So...do you have a picture of the damage so we can confirm we're talking about the same things?

Your description is consistent with the engine "throwing a rod", or when a connecting rod is violently launched through the lower aluminum engine block housing, producing something reminiscent of a hole in a windshield. This is a grave scenario...the engine is toast.

But perhaps it's just a crack in the aluminum block? Unfortunately, the fix requires rebuilding the engine, or outright replacing it.

The actual oil pan is this small metal cover at the very bottom of the engine, bolted to the aluminum block mentioned above. It's where the oil drains from when changing the oil. There's practically nothing that could cause the damage you described to it.

[rjbdaddy]

I will crawl under tonight and get a few pictures, thank you all....I am pretty handy but have not had anything like this before....was running great - no noises or any issues...so odd for sure.

[rjbdaddy]

I think I may be screwed...the oil pan image I had looked at is different than ours...we have a rectangular one and one that is smaller/deeper up closer to the engine and this is the one that is damaged...upon closer review (tried to attached picture) it looks like it has been opened by a can opener! So I am thinking the worst...we blew a rod

Would like to post pics....

[atraudes]

The smaller portion of the tank (on top in this picture)?



To see how to post an image, click the quote button on this post. I upload my images to imgur.com personally since they never expire. Agreed, a picture is worth more than anything at this point

I would think that if you threw a rod you would hear something or have a serious loss of power, not run at all, smoke, something Or at least see the rod sticking out like a broken bone. Just speculating here since I don't have any personal experience with it, thank goodness.

Btw, the Chilton book says to unbolt and remove the front exhaust pipes, the front stabilizer bar and relay rod, the bellhousing cover (if automatic), the transmission support brace from left side (if manual), front suspension crossmember (if 2WD), front differential (if 4WD), and the starter. Then disconnect the steering relay rod from the idler arm and swing it out of the way. Support the engine and transmission with a lift, disconnect the engine mounts and lift the engine enough to remove the pan.

If you end up tackling this yourself, I'd highly recommend getting the book. It describes the steps in better detail and includes pictures. This is sounding less straightforward than I imagined

[rjbdaddy]

It does look like that but not the rest of it...I did error it is a 1996 and I am trying to post a pic

[rjbdaddy]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/q38h2f6a1uu1u ... 1.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p31gze2kacovh ... 2.JPG?dl=0

[atraudes]

lol Judging from the ballistics of that hole, you should check your driveway for a rod...

I'm blown away that it's even running. Sorry man

[rjbdaddy]

I am not a mechanic but that is what I was afraid of once I crawled under to see for myself tonight - can't see spending the money on it as that would be a $1,000 for sure

Hey thanks for your responses, love forums like this for that exact reason - great to see people like you are active on it.

[Hawairish]

I just had a duh moment...I was thinking about the 3.5L, not the 3.3L you have.

But...yeah, that first pic is one of doom: you threw a rod.
(In the second pic, B is the oil pan, A is the transmission pan.)

Sorry man, time for a new engine.