i have a little oil leak,as a temp fix can i try to get it welded?

[Q45DIPPA]

i do not drive the car as of now because i want everything perfect,but can i try to get the lil crack welded?and if so can this be a perfect fix not to worry about the oil leak anymore or not?.i know i have to get a hoist to secure the engine before i drop the crossmember bar.my friend who is a mechanic said i probably could,but he has to see the car but he cannot come to see the car until friday....what is you guys input on this?any helpful suggestions/info guys let me knowthanks
Modified by Q45DIPPA at 3:42 PM 8/31/2009

[maxnix]

Oil leak from where?

[Q45DIPPA]

bottom of oil pan like it took a hard hit maybe from pot hole and gave it a small crack..,if i remember correctly 2 or 3 inches opposite of oil drain plug...put it like this..if i fill up car with oil,i can drive it and of course it will leak a little,but after i shut off car go inside after like a half hour or so i will see a big puddle on floor and most of the oil is drained,making me go and put 2 or 3 quarts back in before i start the car...thats about it, it happened to me about 4 times then i stopped driving the car to avoid doing damage...btw thanks for the help

[trajanH]

JB Weld does a good job of fixing those kinds of cracks. With my 91 Q I ran over a dip in the road at too high a speed and came down right on my oil pan which began to leak oil profusely. I was able to drive 60 miles home after filling the engine up with oil. Once I got the car back in the garage and the oil all drained out I jacked it up, cleaned the oil pan as best I could and applied some JB Weld liberally onto the cracked part of the oil pan. 6 years later that car is still running good with the JB Weld repaired oil pan. Just make sure you do a good job of mixing the JB Weld and applying it.

I actually used the J-B Stik Weld which is a hand kneadable and works on wet and dry surfaces. I used that first and then used the original JB Weld around the edges to smooth out the finish. It works!

[Q45DIPPA]

thanks man.....i will buy the jb weld tomorrow...read carefully and apply it securely,and keep on checkin the oil just incase it might leak...so how long do i have to let the jb weld sit before i can drive the car?once again,thanks for the input.

[Cekkent]

If replacing the oil pan isn't an option, I would really recommend having a REPUTABLE, HONEST, DEPENDABLE welding shop tig weld the crack closed.

I dont like JB Weld. I had it fall out of a crack in a block in a different engine, which happened to be where a connecting rod had let go in a prior build, and nicked an oil gallery. I lost all pressure to the valve train, and the valve train seized. No more engine.

[Q451990]

If you're going to pull the crossmember, aren't you through most of the labor to just go ahead and replace it?

Heath

[Skibane]

It's really hard to get a decent seal with JB Weld unless the crack is completely free of oil - which in your case is pretty hard to do without removing the oil pan.

As Q451990 mentioned, if you're going to the trouble of removing the pan, might as well install a replacement instead.

[trajanH]

JB stick weld is the consistency of putty and applies over wet and dry applications. So it is easy to fill in the cracks and eventually you will cover everything and no oil will leak out. There should be no oil in the pan when you are doing the repair but I think it would work even if there was some oil in the pan...You need to let JB Weld cure overnight or give it a good (24 hrs) day. If you drive the car too soon the heat of the oil pan might soften up the cure. So patience is a virtue when using any kind of epoxy type welding. It actually works and is a better solution than removing the whole oil pan(which is a pain in the a**) and welding it.

[Q45DIPPA]

hey everyone i did not remove anything yet,i just mentioned what i would have to do....hey btw i thoroughly checked the pan today and it is a lil tiny bit of a piece missin where the crack(which i thought was a crack) was...i thoroughly cleaned the pan and i noticed it..it was about the size of a penny or smaller...just my luck...thanks for all info...

[maxnix]

bottom of oil pan like it took a hard hit maybe from pot hole and gave it a small crack..,if i remember correctly 2 or 3 inches opposite of oil drain plug...

One needs to realize the oil pick up is very close to the bottom of the pan. Any indentation may starve it and your engine of oil at high RPM.

Any one else glad they didn't drop their car's suspension?

There are no temporary fixes, just sudden catastrphic failures waiting to happen.

I think it may be instructive to consider that those who have used JB Weld to repair their oil pans no longer have their Q45 and do not participate on this board. If I am wrong, speak up!

[qship96]

With my cute little 15 inch factory wheels and stock springs with Tokico shocks, I have never bottomed out in 233,000 miles of spirited driving.

[Trumpkin]

You didn't bottom out because you can drive!

[qship96]

The stock ride height and 15 inch wheels provide quite a safety margin on marginal roads filled with potholes and frost heave damage common on Baltimore/Washington area roads,which seem to be in a declining state of repair due to tough economic times. I used to own a 300zxturbo that I had Eibachs and low profile tires installed.....got tired of dodging potholes/manhole covers and driveway aprons for the small gain in feel the modified suspension added.

Every Q reported here with cracked/busted oil pan seems to have been on a lowered suspension.....

[maxnix]

You didn't bottom out because you can drive!

If that is true, then must have used the oil sump as a jacking point. Hmmm.........

[Q45DIPPA]

hey guys,this is the thing,i got the car from a guy,knowing a oil leak but one day i got under looked at the oil pan and noticed a type of silicone thing or somethin,so i said let me scrape it a bit,and then i was doin it and noticed it was a type of silicone or whatever but then one day parked i noticed it musta fell off..when it was in front the house in street i saw big puddle,since then i never started it,btw this is a good site, most sites got bloggers and too much criticism instead of being helpful....

[Q45DIPPA]

but the front is low i believe i need new suspension,i got the car for practically nothing so i guess its not bad,the engine and transmission are very strong

[maxnix]

Silicon will not seal an oil leak.

Replace the oil pan or engine may not be strong for long. Consider motor mounts also if you replace the pan.

[Q45DIPPA]

ok..thanks