small hole in oil pan

[john55]

I didnt see a concrete vehicle stop In front of my saturn when I parked I drove forward went up on it , I backed off it , noticed hole in oil pan . I was wondering will jb weld work on it as a temp fix to get it home 17 miles. Its ok sitting there I just dont want to work on it there. Thanks in advance

 

[MrMarty51]

It might work, if You can get the surfaces involved cleaned off, sand the surfaces with real course sandpaper and make the surfaces squeaky clean, If there is any oil whatever on them surfaces, the J-B might fall offt and cause Yuh to burn up an engine.
If You have AAA they`d tow it for You.

 

[chengny]

Depending on the size of the puncture. Up to 3/8" I would drill and tap for a pipe plug.

Actually since the metal is so thin, you could probably skip the pipe tap.

Just drill big enough hole to barely get the plug started and crank it in a few turns. Put a turn or 2 of teflon tape on the plug to help seal.

It could probably stay there for a long time. Even if it seeps a little, it will not fall out.

IMO - using any kind of "miracle whip" would be a real gamble. The heat of expansion, engine vibration and oily conditions at application would most likely cause the patch to fail.

 

[jux]

I agree with Chengny, drill and plug with teflon. Too many what ifs with the JB.

 

[austinado16]

A variation on the theme above: Self drilling screw w/ the rubber clad washer. Either buy one like that, or make your own at the hardware store. They'll have the thin rubber washers in the drawers with all the other "specialty" type fasteners and such. Typically the head on the screw is 1/4" so a nut driver would be all you'd need to install...or a battery powered screw gun.

Option 2: Epoxy Steel Putty. This is an epoxy that comes like a Tootsie Roll candy. You simply cut off the amount you need, and then roll it around between your fingers to mix the outer part with the inner part. Then press in place and hold for a few minutes. It's done cooking in 5-10min and hard as steel. To use this method, you'd want to clean the area around the hole with carb cleaner really well. Then rough the area with 60grit sand paper. If the hole is going to continue to weep/drip while you're doing the repair, get the epoxy cut and ready to mix while holding a finger over the hole. Then quickly shove the epoxy into position and press firmly.

Otherwise, play it safe and get it towed home. The last thing you want is a blown motor because you tried to save a nickel.

 

[john55]

It ended up being trans pan. Im going to try the ideas for a temporary patch thanks.

 

[chengny]

If you are going to go through all the time, trouble and expense of attempting a soft-patch repair on the side of the road have you considered just bringing along a replacement pan/gasket/ATF.

I dont have a clue about Saturns but it might be faster to just jack it up, dump the ATF, remove the pan with the hole in it, bolt a new one on and replace the lost ATF.

Consider a TH350 for example. What holds the pan in place? Maybe 15 -16 bolts.

And as a bonus that would be the complete repair - and you could drive home without worrying that the patch might fall off.

 

[john55]

Chengny , your right a new trans pan is cheaper than I thought. Looks like about dozen bolts appears a easy fix. The car is safely off the road in parking area. I thought first it was the oil pan , on a saturn more work . On a good note im driving my c20 more. Thanks everyone

 

[austinado16]

Ya, +1 for replacing that pan on site.

 

[john55]

I replaced the pan and filter .it needed changed 230k. it was a easy fix thanks again everyone