Well awhile back I had a stripped my oil pan drain plug trying to get it off. Ended up having to cut a notch in it with a cutting wheel and getting it off with a huge pry bar. Problem is that the cutting wheel put a small notch (1-2mm) in the pan right under where the drain plug seal sits. So now I have this annoying oil leak that is very slight but now is leaving a small spot in the driveway since the last oil change I performed.
I really dont want to pull the pan off because it would require alot of work for a small thing. Im wondering if I should try grinding it down or JB weld to fill in the small notch.
Im afraid if I grind it down I will not have a even surface under the drain plug and it will leak/seep all around the plug.
Short of pulling it off, your only real option is JB Weld (that I can think of right now). Dont use permatex dont wanna risk that shit getting in your pickup (as it never really dries correctly).
I used jb weld on my race car’s oil pan when it bottomed out and put a nice gash in it. As long as you let it dry it works fine and to this day I still havent had a problem.
I had a small pinhole leak in an oilpan from rust through that I had great luck using JB Weld. I held for over a year and was still holding when I replaced the pan.
In your case though, what about just getting a rubber or teflon washer, a little bigger than stock, so it would seal better?
to suggest something different. Drain the pan, maybe put a dab of silicon gasket sealer after cleaning the surface.
Give it some time to set up before refilling the oil. In theory it would work, but i can’t verify since in never actually tried.
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not a bad idea, but for a permanent fix though? i’m not so sure.
i’m going to have to go on the JB weld side of things.
take the pan off
clean it real nice
put the JB weld on
let it really dry
sand it down a bit so it’s smooth
paint the entire pan
Im not big on using JB weld but in this case maybe its the best solution. I guess I could fill in the notch with it and cover it with a copper washer. The washer would just be permanently on the pan then.
The only thing that is going to be difficult is getting the area clean and dry since its at the bottom of the drain plug. Maybe Ill drain all the oil out, then jack the car up on one side so any extra oil stays in the side of the pan and doesnt keep dripping out.
you cant just get a self tapping plug thats 1-2mm larger than the one you have now?
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from what i gather it’s a notch that’s 1-2mm deep, not long (could be 1/4" long). I’d think one of the last resorts past pulling the pan would be anything that potentially puts metal shavings in your oil.
the self tapping plugs are supposed to be designed so that the shavings come out, not go in. i used one and 2 oil changes later i have yet to find any metal.
Im going to try some high temp RTV. I had a fumoto valve on the car before, but took it off to see if a regular drain plug would work better sealing the leak. Ill throw it back on to see if it will seal it up with some RTV.