Cheating an oil pan gasket leak (?)

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: Bob The Builder
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Originally Posted By: Bob The Builder
What about welding the pan to the engine block? That would be cheap.

Hey now...was only kidding...

Yeah, I kinda figured so, but couldn't resist the temptation for a reaction. They need a tongue-in-cheek smilie for these posts.

 

[Bill in Utah]

How many miles on the engine?

Check the bolts.

 

[ericthepig]

151k+ miles on engine. I'm going to clean the area so that I can get a feel for how fast it's leaking (we're doing a 1k+ round trip this wkend). I'll chk the bolts while I'm under there.

 

[TallPaul]

As I understand it, bolts can cause leaks if too loose (obviously) or if too tight and distort the pan lip.

 

[JustinC25]

This is a 2 Piece oil pan design on your van.
The lower pan is just stamped steel, but the upper pan is aluminum. Be careful when you drop the exhaust, as the exhaust studs tend to break off when you try to loosen them.
The lower pan just uses Toyota Black Cheese (FIPG) it is about $20.00 a tube, but it is WAY BETTER than any other RTV out there.
You will need a razor blade and a small hammer to cut through the old stuff. Also before you go to remove your pan, make sure you don't have a leak from somewhere else higher on the motor.
Valve Cover gaskets are very common on these vans up here.
I hope this helps.

Justin

 

[ericthepig]

Thanks Justin - yes I had the valve cover gaskets replaced last year - back one was in pretty bad shape.