The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk oil pan repair?

good afternoon to all
my oil pan on my 38 216 motor is leaking oil from a pinhole size opening near the drain plug. any thoughts on repairing it?
i drained the oil let it sit for two days, cleaned it and brushed it to apply jb weld
applied it but i guess oil residue is still there so it hardened but im taking the leak might have not sealed.
any ideas?

The problem with pinholes like that are that the hole from the inside is much bigger- - - -sort of cone-shaped. If one pit has broken through, others are probably close. You'll never get the pan clean enough to do a patch job without removing it, so you need to go ahead and pull the pan, scrub it well with solvent, and inspect it for further damage. Hot oil and J-B Weld don't play well together, even if it looks like you've got the leak stopped when the engine is cold. You'll probably need to braze or weld the hole from the inside, or possibly even cut out the damaged area and weld in a patch.
Jerry

One could also sandblast it with fine sand, that will blow out any very small holes, clean with acetone, then apply JB weld or similar, could also cement small piece OD tin prepared the same way over all the holes.

Another topic: Acetone can also be used to dilute epoxy products.

Ed

Spray-oiler pans are a bit more complicated, as the alignment of the spray nozzles and dipper troughs are essential to the survival of the Babbit rod bearings. Any distortion of the pan during the patching process could result in a wrecked engine. A small block V8 pan like the one in the picture is just a sump.
Jerry

Sandblasting, or beadblasting would be a BIG NO-NO on a spray nozzle (216) oil pan! IMO.
Theres way too many little nooks and crannys to even take the chance of grit getting lodged in, then coming loose at the wrong time.
Jerry is the Guru here , I'm sure he'll agree.
JB weld is magic stuff. As with anything, prep is important.
I patched a gas tank 35 yrs ago with JB and its still holding.

Had a hole in the pan rust thru on my old Starcraft boat with Merc Iron Duke 4 cyl. Rather than pull engine to fix pan, I drained the oil, cleaned pan with wire brush and degreased area. Then took a length of duct tape and put a gob of JB weld in the center. Stuck the duct tape centered over the hole and made sure it was good and stuck. Let the patch dry for a few days, and the boat was good as new for years until I sold it and bought another.

If any kind of Moose Juice, Mouse Milk, or other type of chemical fix is attempted, Marine-Tex would probably be best. It's designed to function under much more challenging conditions than JB weld. It's still a half-donkey substitute for a good fix, but it might work for a while!
Jerry

OK. I patched the oil pan of the 216 in my last 50 3600 with JB Weld. I first scrubbed it out with degreaser. Then mineral spirits. Then I ran a wire cup brush over all the pitted areas. Then more scrubbing and more mineral spirits. After it was completely dry I mixed up a stiff mixture of JB and coated all the corroded areas, pressing it down into the pits and smoothing it out. After it was cured for a day or two I reinstalled the pan and filled it with oil, and started it up. That was at least 2 years before I sold it. No leaks... I don't know how it's doing now.

Though, I did track the truck to England and communicated with owner a few times in 15 or 16. He was then driving it with the 216...

Your mileage may vary.

thanks!

I think the most satisfactory fix would be to pull the pan and braze the pin holes from the outside.

Just a thought could it be soldered? That would only require a propane torch and some acid?

i ended up taking it off, taking to my buddy who made a small plate and welded it on..so far so good thanks to all

Be sure to check the spray tube adjustment before you reinstall the pan. It's critical for connecting rod lubrication at any speed above idle.
Jerry