cracked oil pan....JB weld?

first off...this is the exact reason why i typically only work on my vehicles but this time i had no option as it was my daily driver and my clutch blew and i needed it fixed asap so i could drive to work.

chevy c2500 truck 4 speed should have been a no brainer, but the bozo somehow managed to crack my oil pan - presumably from how he supported it while removing the trans.

i put dye in it to confirm the leak its a tiny crack...do you think this can be JB welded?

i am going to go back tomorrow and see what they will do (if anything) but i am already bracing to fix this myself.

thanks

I've had good luck with a product call seal all
http://www.eclecticproducts.com/sealall.htm
drain the oil and apply it in many layers usually holds on for a couple 3 years in Canadain winters to boot.
Cants see why JB weld wont work but hard to get pan to stop weeping??
most hard ware stores and some parts stores.

While not ideal. Yes.

I have a car that had a bad case of road rash under the drain plug. The right fix was to remove the pan and weld it. I cleaned the pan slathered on JB Weld, used tape to hold it there, and let it set up over night. Next day I refilled it with oil. Sadly I had to do that at every oil change because it was too close to the drain plug and the JB Weld covered the plug.


The things we do before we get enough tools and a shop to do it right is funny.

Some will say weld the pan on the car I do not suggest that. I tried to weld the above pan on the car and the crankcase ignited and turned the open drain plug into a huge blowtorch. It was one of those nine lives moments for me when the Good Lord kept me alive and intact even though darwin tried to weed me out.

I tried it on a rusty oil pan and it held for a while...
In your case, I assume you have an aluminum pan that cracked..
Drain the oil and put a quart of mineral spriits in the engine and let it seep out, to clean out the crack...then use the JB weld...
Or.. at the Home Depot they sell some plumbing epoxy stuff that works even under water or under pressure.. just be sure it is clean to start with.
Another thought is to solder it with an electric solder Iron..(not a gun).

I've used JB Weld to fix a hole in the crankcase of a 250cc Motocross bike - it would hold up for about 2 years at a time, then need to be replaced. I also used JB Weld to fix a pinhole leak in the bottom of a gas tank. Emptied the tank, cleaned the area around the hole, slathered on JB Weld, pushed a small piece of sheet aluminum (about 1" X 1") into the JB Weld so that it went up against the tank. I then waited for the JB Weld to cure, and slathered more JB Weld on top of and around the aluminum. That lasted until the car was scrapped, about 5 years later. Probably not the best way to fix a tank, but it worked!

I had a heater core fitting bust off a rad on my bush beater so I jb welded it back on. Held that fitting on under the psi of the cooling system until I finally sold the car. I was impressed.

Epoxy will work fine, the JB marine stuff has worked well for me.

I've welded steel pans in the car before- just pull the valve covers first, learned the valve cover trick from a friend of mine, he ripped open the milodon pan on his 440 with a speed bump and it was his driver so he needed a quick fix so he welded it in the car, he ignited the oil fumes in the pan and blew out both breathers and bulged the valley pan against the manifold. When I say blew out the breathers 1 was 80' away and the other was MIA, that was 12 years ago and it still has the bulged valley pan- it makes a good conversation piece.

I fixed a hole in the bottom of my kids beaters gas tank 2 years ago with it.It was dry as after it was stolen they punched a hole i it.Cleaned it real good.JB weld over a screw then a thin piece of sheet metal ad more JB weld.Its still tight as a drum.Surface has to be dry and clean.Rocky

thanks for the advise all.

i am going to see if they will warranty the work, if not i will break out the JB weld and see what happens.

i'll post and update at eod

mike

I repaired a hole in a transmission case the size of a silver dollar with JB weld. Had to cut a piece of sheet metal to fill the space and then covered it all with JB. That was 3 years ago and it's still not leaking. Dave

I used JB Weld on the top tank of a radiator (didn't even drain it) on a 1983 Dodge pickup in 1996 and it is still holding in 2010.

UPDATE

so far so good. i drained the oil, sprayed inside and out with brake clean, the sanded to bare metal and finally applied the JB weld.

i used the water-weld which says on the package it can be used for oil pans.

no leaks so far! i am curious to see how it holds up.

mike

J B Weld will work for awhile, but eventually it will seep, especially if the crack continues to run. Yes you can weld the pan without removing it, but it does require certain precautions. I had a hairline crack in one of the factory welds on my Milodon pan. First I let it drain for a good 24 hrs while tilted towards the drain plug. Next day I tilted it the opposite direction [ crack was on drain plug side ] so the oil would drain away from the crack. I have a friend who is an outstanding welder come over with a small TIG welder and we used a "T" fitting for his argon supply and made a fitting that we could put in the pan's drain hole. By running argon, a non-flammable gas into the pan we had no problem with flash fires and he did a masterful job of welding the pan.

I used Devcon Plasti-Steel on my 340 pan, it's been on for six years with no leaks.

some all metal would be good also

I had simular situation with 4.3 v6 on a s10 blazer.. the pan was alu.. I cleaned it well and used JB weld.. and i was supprized no more leaks.. I didnt think it would seal properly but it did..

It will work fine. I used JB Weld to fix a leak on a 120 gal diesel fuel tank. I wore that truck out and the tank never leaked after the repair...JB Weld. Just be sure to follow the instructions..

I welded a pan once. Of course, the owner of the place drove up just as it caught fire!
JB should be fine, depending on the crack...