Oil pan leak - Can it be pached in place?

[Deepdraft]

This caught my attention -

Think of it this way, you’re outside, the sea’s rising from 10 and the winds are past gale, I’m not concentrating on my oil pressure gauge to tell me that I’ve just dropped 8qts. of oil in the bilge

- looks like replacing is the way to go.

Thanks all!

[jenny2]

If it was mine I would replace the pan.A lot less than a rebild I would worry all the time knowing I had a bandade on my engine its probally like cancer if you have one hole,and if the engine ever ran hot the epoxy would break down just my thoughts.

[KEG]

I disagree with everyone who say that it can't be cleaned well enough to epoxy or goop. A half an hour in a hot aqueous parts washer and it should be clean enough. Oh, while you have it off the engine look for a replacement and plan on keeping the old one as a spare.

[Artif]

Originally Posted by KEG

I disagree with everyone who say that it can't be cleaned well enough to epoxy or goop. A half an hour in a hot aqueous parts washer and it should be clean enough. Oh, while you have it off the engine look for a replacement and plan on keeping the old one as a spare.

This would involve removing the pan, which the OP was trying to avoid, by patching in situ.

[KEG]

Originally Posted by Artif

This would involve removing the pan, which the OP was trying to avoid, by patching in situ.

Yeah, the obvious is obvious isn't it.

[knotnow]

Originally Posted by Deepdraft

This caught my attention -

Think of it this way, you’re outside, the sea’s rising from 10 and the winds are past gale, I’m not concentrating on my oil pressure gauge to tell me that I’ve just dropped 8qts. of oil in the bilge

- looks like replacing is the way to go.

Thanks all!

I think the OP has chosen his path wisely

[senormechanico]

I overlooked the in situ part as well because my engine was so easy to lift.
There's a cover in the cockpit which lifts off.
After draining the oil, I attached an outhaul from the end of the boom and the main halyard and lifted it up.
I removed the pan while sitting on the cockpit bench.
The engine was adjusted with the traveler, outhaul and halyard to be the most convenient position.
I left it hanging while I took the pan to the garage workshop to clean, solder and paint.
Obviously it's a lot easier at a dock than underway in a gale!

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

After finding a couple of pinholes in my Volvo MD 2020 pan, I got agressive with a wire brush on the inside of it.
Then I soldered about 20 pinholes with rosin core solder and a propane torch, and painted it.
That was nearly ten years ago. It's still holding oil.

'UPDATE'

It's starting to leak very slowly again, maybe a quart a year, so I checked into the price of a new pan.
It's just sheet steel, not cast aluminum or solid gold, but priced as if it was.

Pan: $ 181.77
Gasket $58.14
Plus shipping.

If I want a new pan, I've gotta pay for all those parasites in socialist Sweden.

I'm going to rinse and repeat my former fix if possible.
Solder is cheap and I certainly can't argue with how long it lasted.

[Lepke]

RE: lifting the engine
Older Detroits have engine mounts with three bolts on each side, front and back. Disconnect the shaft and anything that can't move several inches. Mount a jack or a lift point at one end and remove all the bolts at that end and all but one on each side on the other end. The remaining bolts become pivot points. Loosen the remaining bolts and lift or jack the engine enough to remove the pan. This is the recommended way in old (1940-50) manuals as a prelude to overhaul in place. I have done this many times (carefully) and still have all my parts.
The others are right about getting the pan clean enough for epoxy to grab. You could try acetone as a final cleaner before epoxy... I would replace the pan. I have seen rusted pans cleaned and then braze the pinholes, but very time consuming. Whatever you do for repair, you may have another spot waiting to happen.
Lepke

[Cotemar]

Why would anyone take the chance of blowing a $10,000 motor, because they think a $250 oil pan with gasket is to expensive. There are plenty of other place to skip on a boat without leaving you stranded.

[forsailbyowner]

Im at the point now where I wish I pulled the engine to replace the injection pump. Spent so many *&*&^ hrs getting cut up and greasy it would have had to be easier.

This thread is making me appreciate the cast aluminum pan on the perkins.