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Leaking oil pan

J

jrnichols

New member
I am a new member and this is my first post to the forum so here goes...

I have recently discovered of oil in the bilge of my Regal 2665 and determined that it was coming from a small rusted (pitted) area around the oil pan drain plug. The rest of the oil pan is in perfect condition. My mechanic quoted oil pan replacement at @ $1,000 (of course the engine must be pulled). He also suggested, under his breath, the possibility of a temporary fix... thoroughly draining the oil, sanding and prepping the area then applying 5200 over a large surface area over and around the leak.

The engine is a 2004 Volvo Penta 5.7L

My question are:
- Has anyone tried this?
- If so was it successful?
- Is there a better process/material?
- Is it a bad idea?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
Replace!!!.You'd have to be real lucky to stop any leaks.
You might get lucky and be able to use an automotive pan from a junk yard.
If your mechanical at all you might be able to drop the pan and do it yourself.J
 
jrnichols said:
.......... The rest of the oil pan is in perfect condition. My mechanic quoted oil pan replacement at @ $1,000 (of course the engine must be pulled). He also suggested, under his breath, the possibility of a temporary fix... thoroughly draining the oil, sanding and prepping the area then applying 5200 over a large surface area over and around the leak.
Click to expand...
This area of the pan is somewhat re-enforced and is backed with heavier material.
There may be a chance that it's nothing more than the gasket failing.

I don't believe that 3M 5200 is suitable for an oil wet application.
Look here at the applications that 3M lists.
It makes no mention of petroleum product contact.
I'd take that to be Not Such Good Advice! IMO.

If you go to the trouble of removing the drain plug, install a remote oil drain system hose.
New gasket/new fitting... see if she holds!

Weigh this out: (assuming that this is a small leak)
A bit of an oil leak -vs- out-of-pocket $1,000.
How long can you live with a small oil leak?


Wouldn't it be nice to have that same $1k available, should a more serious engine removal become immanent?

Just a thought!

.
 
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The automotive pan is what came on the motor.The Volvo part is just that,an automotive pan painted red.
It just a lot more expensive cause it says Volvo on the box.
I've replaced a bunch of them.J
 
I agree with Jerry.
When we get into REAL Marine Oil Pans, they become very well built, are often aluminum, offer an array of volumes, and are a much more expensive oil pan.

Otherwise, you're getting what GM installed at the factory.
Difference being the particular shape and location of the sump area.... of which is still from an early auto application.

The SBC short body Marine Circ pump is a good example of this.
This pump comes from the early 1955 SBC... but will offer the return port that came about later.
The true Marine version is different internally.
 
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Hi,
I had the same problem with a V/P 350 in a 96 Albemarle a few yrs. back. I found a pinhole about a half an inch away from the oil pan drain bolt hole. I sucked the oil out of the motor, removed the drain plug and the dipstick tube fitting. I cleaned the area well and used a 2 inch dia. s/s washer and a 2 inch heat exchanger end gskt, drilled to fit a bolt that would take the place of the V/P drain plug . I smeared rtv on both sides of the gskt and bolted to the pan. The only downside was that I lost the use of the dipstick. The repair never failed me but I did replace the pan eventually. I bought the new pan from Basic Engine for $90.00 and coated it with truck bed liner paint . So far so good.


Hope this helps
Jon Allen
 
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