Is oil pan plastic?

theaveng · 10-25-2012, 06:48 PM

I hope so because mine has a hole in it, and I don't want to spend mucho deniro on magnesium or aluminum or some other exotic metal. It LOOKS like plastic when I crawl underneath.

My dishonest seller failed to mention this flaw.
Instead he pasted over it with some epoxy which is dribbling oil..... never said anything about an oil leak in the ebay auction.

**MN Driver** · 10-25-2012, 07:25 PM

1st Gen Insight uses a magnesium oil pan.
Plenty of threads on stripped oil pan threads from shops that like to go nuts with torquing plugs down.

theaveng · 10-25-2012, 07:45 PM

Magnesium? Sounds like an expensive replacement. And yeah I'm aware of the oil plug problem; had to replace a pan in my Dodge due to the worn-out oil plug. It had become stripped, and was replaced with an oversized plug, but eventually that would no longer hold either.

Maybe if the leak is slow enough (one quart per month) I could let it go. Just keep driving it as is?

samwichse · 10-25-2012, 08:36 PM

Looks like 265 for the part
Honda Automotive Parts

Maybe you can find a used one? If you do replace it (I would... a dribble from an epoxy patch could quickly turn into a rush without warning), get a Fumoto valve at the same time so you don't have to worry about stripped threads in the drain... a VERY common issue with ham-fisted high school students at Jiffy Lubes and apparently dealerships.

Sam

**MN Driver** · 10-26-2012, 02:39 PM

Usually if you use fiberglass epoxy resin and apply it generously you don't get the leak again with oil pans. Not sure how well it sticks to magnesium though.

Varak · 10-26-2012, 03:01 PM

Would JB Weld work?

AbCaRed00 · 10-26-2012, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varak

Would JB Weld work?

Tig welding is what may work the best.

Varak · 10-26-2012, 06:15 PM

Tig welding would be ideal, just thought that JB Weld would be a major step up from the epoxy that had failed and may actually work well enough to avoid having to replace the oil pan.

**jeff652** · 10-26-2012, 06:24 PM

I had one with a hairline crack. I asked here if it could be TIG welded and got laughed at. Apparently oil soaked magnesium is not as easy to weld as aluminum . . .

AbCaRed00 · 10-26-2012, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varak

Tig welding would be ideal, just thought that JB Weld would be a major step up from the epoxy that had failed and may actually work well enough to avoid having to replace the oil pan.

Indeed, much better than epoxy. There was an attempt at patching with epoxy around an oil pressure sender leak on my car by previous owner or others; it let go suddenly after slowly weeping a bit.

Just surf'd their Web page says' JB Weld's good for 550F/288C, so I guess that would be ok if applied on an oil free surface, cleaned with degreaser. Likely a lot less expensive and easier than hiring a welder.