Opinions on repairing oil pan

[Old560]

Aluminum oil pan is leaking around drain plug because the pan is cracked. Not too interested in pulling the pan and replacing it. Considering trying to grind the crank out and then fill with JB Weld and then sanding down smooth so drain plug gasket will seal. anybody have experience with this? opinions please thank you. I’ll add this is on a forklift not a tractor.

 

[Janicholson]

Aluminum oil pan is leaking around drain plug because the pan is cracked. Not too interested in pulling the pan and replacing it. Considering trying to grind the crank out and then fill with JB Weld and then sanding down smooth so drain plug gasket will seal. anybody have experience with this? opinions please thank you

If cracked through the drain plug hole, the issue is compounded by the threads. What engine/tractor/truck is is, and the need for a solution that meets the expectationsyou have. Unless it is way difficult to remove and repair at a welding shop, I would go that route. Jim

 

[DanielW]

Two thing's I'd suggest:

i) JB weld and hardening gasket makers don't do well on aluminum blocks/castings: The aluminum expands about twice as much as steel per degree change, and the JB weld barely expands at all, so after several heating/cooling cycles the bond can work its way loose. I'd think you're better off to use a non-hardening gasket maker that has some goopyness to it, to handle the expansion/contraction from heat a little better.

ii) Drain the oil and let it sit with the plug out for a while to get everything out. Then make sure everything's as clean as possible, and sand the aluminum the wipe with acetone/brake-clean right before applying the goop. Any oil residue left on or that wicks out while it's setting won't do the adhesion any favours.

iii) To prevent crack from spreading, it'd be best to drill a small hole at the end of the crack.

 

[rustred]

Aluminum oil pan is leaking around drain plug because the pan is cracked. Not too interested in pulling the pan and replacing it. Considering trying to grind the crank out and then fill with JB Weld and then sanding down smooth so drain plug gasket will seal. anybody have experience with this? opinions please thank you

is going to be tough. if you are dead against removing the pan, use thread tape on the threads so u dont have to tighten the plug much. i would also look for something compatible with aluminum for patching. without knowing what this is u have here dont help. maybe a good welder could weld that, then retap the plug. but the big deal is the oil inside of the crack .

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Aluminum oil pan is leaking around drain plug because the pan is cracked. Not too interested in pulling the pan and replacing it. Considering trying to grind the crank out and then fill with JB Weld and then sanding down smooth so drain plug gasket will seal. anybody have experience with this? opinions please thank you. I’ll add this is on a forklift not a tractor.

I tried repairing a gas tank with JB weld.
I ended up buying a new gas tank.
Good luck.
I would look for a glue designed for oil
While under warranty my GMC's oil pan leaked from day one.
After many attempts by the dealer to stop the leak, they finally installed a new pan under warranty.

 

[used red MN]

Sounds like it is near or in the area where the drain plug seals. Whatever method you use to seal it I would suggest the following. After this when installing the drain plug wipe a bead of RTV around the plug gasket and screw it in and only tighten it snug to where it won’t screw loose. The plug will seal and not drawing it down so tight will lessen possible distortion to the crack and the repair material over it.

 

[Mule Meat]

Could it be drilled large enough to remove the crack and install a rubber Expansion Plug?

Expansion plugs come in many sizes and heights. Installed one on my daughter's 4 wheeler when the oil drain plug pulled the threads from the case. I had to drill the hole out a little in order for the plug to fit and tighten properly. It hasn't leaked a drop in over five years even with doing oil changes twice a year.

If you consider this route. Get a plug with a metal nut or wing nut and washers. I would not trust the plastic ones.

 

[NDIHC]

Would it be possible to install one of those oil change valves? Clean everything as well as possible and coat with JB Weld. Install the oil change valve before the JB Weld sets up. That way you don't have to risk fatiguing the cracked pan by removing and retightening the drain plug every time you change oil.

 

[Janicholson]

Aluminum oil pan is leaking around drain plug because the pan is cracked. Not too interested in pulling the pan and replacing it. Considering trying to grind the crank out and then fill with JB Weld and then sanding down smooth so drain plug gasket will seal. anybody have experience with this? opinions please thank you. I’ll add this is on a forklift not a tractor.

Grinding aluminum is not usually successful as the aluminum loads up the wheel/stone/disc and gets things hot. rotozip with a pointed tool would work, just a little wild laying on your back. Jim

 

[mrhud]

epoxy will leak, an experaced welder can weld it in position

 

[Jim.ME]

epoxy will leak, an experaced welder can weld it in position

Welding an aluminum oil pan crack in position could be difficult. Oil contamination inside the crack will likely be a problem in getting a quality weld.

 

[jimg.allentown]

Sorry to be the one to pee on your barbecue, but there is only one fix that will go the distance. Replace the oil pan. Every fix suggested will only be very short term at best, and some may even make the leak worse.

I see so many people asking how to "fix it without fixing it." Sorry to be a spoiler.

 

[showcrop]

Being on a forklift makes it a different proposition. I hate crawling under mine, LOL. Is the area of the plug flat? You could cut the cracked area out and screw a patch over the hole and crack. The instead of draining the oil to change it pump it out.

 

[JohnRowehl]

I tried repairing a gas tank with JB weld.
I ended up buying a new gas tank.
Good luck.
I would look for a glue designed for oil
While under warranty my GMC's oil pan leaked from day one.
After many attempts by the dealer to stop the leak, they finally installed a new pan under warranty.

Did the JB Weld do something to further damage the tank or did it just not do the job?
I talked with some farmers that had to cut a gas tank open in order to clean out 40 year old gum in it. They said they used JB Weld to repair it. I think that was to cover a spot or two that were not completely tight when they welded it back up.

 

[wp6529]

I've had rather good results using the low temp alumi-weld brazing rods that HF caries. With the much lower temp than welding and the solder like wicking action I think you'd stand a reasonable chance of success if you drained and cleaned well first. When I used it a MAPP torch worked fine, no need to drag out the O/A.

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-low-temperature-aluminum-welding-rods-44810.html

 

[mrhud]

they do make non ferrous grinding wheels for angle grinder for grinding aluminum and brass and they work real well just like grinding mild steel ith a ferrous wheel , also grinding burrs for your die grinder for you non ferrous stuff. tig welding is the ticket put a nitrogen purge inside to keep the flame ups away and keep the fires out inside while you weld. even if you welded it shut and redrilled and tapped that would not be to bad to do

 

[caterpillar guy]

Like Jim said basically the pan needs changed. IF the oil is not out of the crack and not washed out of the pan nothing will seal it up. You will have to pull the pan washout heat and wash with some kind of pressure behind the solvent/cleaner to get the oil out of the crack for anything to stick. Grinding aluminum just fils the stone on a grinder. There are ways of grinding and not loading the wheel one is a product called firefox or foxfire. IT is a stick like material made in MN I believe melts at just a bit over room temperature so any pieces that flake or crack off can be melted back together. IT works and I've seen it work lets you cut aluminum without loading the wheel up . Then it would need to be welded from the inside starting at the outside and working in. The big issue is the oil in the crack not being out of the aluminum when done cleaning and grinding out of the crack. This is the reason for just junk the pan and putting a new or good used one on. Otherwise just put a catch under it and check the oil each use if not leaking badly. We have a couple tractors with leaking oil pans we don't find a crack in the one so must be leaking at the gasket or a very fine crack.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

I saw someone tip a forklift on its side onto some used tires with a wheel loader once to fix a pan gasket. It worked fine drained the oil shut the gas off tipped it over made it easy for him. just a little weird to think about. I also saw the yard man rescue a stuck forklift in the snow by lifting straight up on the rops which is probably unwise but yes fixing the pan is the only fix. I’ve seen more pan plug problems in the last few years as more and more plastic pans appear on trucks. I expect they will all be that way someday.

 

[showcrop]

I saw someone tip a forklift on its side onto some used tires with a wheel loader once to fix a pan gasket. It worked fine drained the oil shut the gas off tipped it over made it easy for him. just a little weird to think about. I also saw the yard man rescue a stuck forklift in the snow by lifting straight up on the rops which is probably unwise but yes fixing the pan is the only fix. I’ve seen more pan plug problems in the last few years as more and more plastic pans appear on trucks. I expect they will all be that way someday.

Friends down the road that have a combination farming/trucking business told me once that they tip their forklifts up on the side to work under them.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Friends down the road that have a combination farming/trucking business told me once that they tip their forklifts up on the side to work under them.

Yeah there isn’t much to hurt really maybe pull the fuel tank off to be safe and flip it over. I suppose yank the battery and drain the coolant or it will probably drain out