[DrTARDIS]

Hey folks, got a dent in my oil pan last week, nothing to sever but a dent none the less. Is this something that needs to be replaced right away or is it safe to drive (I know with my old truck it wasn't an issue).
Thanks

 

[MikeQBF]

Where's the dent? If it's on the oval bulge, then that's the oil pump pickup well, and I would be concerned about flow restriction... even possible impact damage to the pump housing if it's a deep dent. Anywhere else is pretty much a shoulder-shrug.

Replacing the oil pan isn't trivial. You have to remove a lot of stuff to get to it.

 

[DrTARDIS]

Damnit, it's on the right side of the oval (passenger), I am going to put up a pic

 

[steamloco76]

There was a SMALL dent in the oil pan of my old '05 Element when i bought it. Dent was about two inches long and maybe 1/4 inch deep, just to the right rear of the drain plug . Damn oil pan CRACKED and started to seep about 10,000 miles into my ownership. I slowed the leak with JB Weld-but it cracked back through.

 

[DrTARDIS]

:-(
So how much would I be looking at to get it replaced

 

[MikeQBF]

Ugh. Yeah, that has to get fixed. I have a real bad feeling that the oil pickup was what kept the dent from being any bigger. IOW, you banged the oil pump housing pretty good, and it needs to be inspected for cracks.

I have no idea what a shop would charge, but it's a few hours of work. The manual calls for removing the subframe, which is whole bunches of no fun. Maybe there's a trick for getting the pan off with the subframe on, but I doubt it - by the looks of the diagram, there's no fudging the pan sideways to get it around stuff, you have to pull it off straight down.

Boy, what a pain. :-( Good luck with it.

 

[DrTARDIS]

Ugh. Yeah, that has to get fixed. I have a real bad feeling that the oil pickup was what kept the dent from being any bigger. IOW, you banged the oil pump housing pretty good, and it needs to be inspected for cracks.

I have no idea what a shop would charge, but it's a few hours of work. The manual calls for removing the subframe, which is whole bunches of no fun. Maybe there's a trick for getting the pan off with the subframe on, but I doubt it - by the looks of the diagram, there's no fudging the pan sideways to get it around stuff, you have to pull it off straight down.

Boy, what a pain. :-( Good luck with it.

Great this is the last thing I need. I doubt the warranty will cover this. Is it drivable? What should I look out for?

 

[buttermilk]

If you have full coverage insurance, then turn it in to your insurance. Most people have $100 deductable on the comprehensive part which is the part that covers stuff like that.

 

[ramblerdan]

If there is a crack in the oil pump or pickup tube, the engine could suffer from oil starvation and become toast. Don't wait.

 

[eyecarvether4iam]

There is no easy way to swap out the pan. Have to take the subframe off. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

 

[rhurt]

There is no easy way to swap out the pan. Have to take the subframe off. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

I got my pan off without too much trouble once. Its been a while, but I was thinking that I just exploited some play in the engine mounts. I think I just disconnected the passenger side mount. Its possible that I loosened the subframe bolts to drop it a little, but I just can't remember. I do know that I did not remove the subframe though. All in all it wasn't too bad a job (especially compared to those ball joints.)

 

[DrTARDIS]

UPDATE:
I had a mechanic look at it, he said it was ok, the oil pressure was good. Apparently it's not has deep as it looks on the pic. I am going to have it replaced rather than worrying about it. won't be able to do it for a few weeks thought. He quoted me 300 to 400 (been going to this guy for a while he's always been on point with his work)

 

[rhurt]

Well in that case, just throw some spray paint on it and call it good.