I have a decent oil drip. Maybe a quart a week, so it's definitely noticeable. Over the weekend I replaced the pan gasket because it was leaking around the gasket in the back. That leak is obviously now fixed but it's still leaking. I looked around the pan with a flashlight and around the gasket its dry. It seems to be wet under the front sump of the oil pan and then running down the rear dropped sum and ultimately dripping off the drain plug which is the lowest point.

Before changing the gasket I took a screwdriver around the pan and scraped at it a little bit to see if the rust was really bad in any areas where it would be leaking through the pan and it seemed to just be surface rust.

Is this common for us to be seeping through the pan even though the pan isn't rusted bad enough to be soft anywhere?

My plan will be to just pull out the motor this summer anyway and freshen it up. It needs manifolds and since I can have the motor out ina few hours anyway, it'll be easier just to pull it out and freshen up the gaskets while I am at it and save all the cussing associated with doing manifolds in the truck. And while I'm at it I'll through a new pan on it at he same time.

Anyone ever used JB Weld Steel Stick? Apparently it hardens even if submerged in water or gas. So my plan in the mean time is to coat the front sump in that, and spray that with permatex leak stop in the mean time.

 

Hindsight says you should have replaced the pan while you had it out. I have seen them rusted through. I don't have any luck with those products but others have.

 

I would have but I didn't take it out. I just dropped the pan a few inches and slid the gasket up and in.

the y pipe bolts arent coming out in order to pick the motor up. And I want manifolds on hand before I bother cutting them off so I don't have to spend hours torching and drilling rusty manifolds. So I figure it will be a lot easier with the engine out so I can just replace the manifolds on the engine stand. I've spent a weekend getting manifold bolts off with penetrating oil and an arm full of cuts trying to contort my arms in a position to get them out. Never again. I'll just pull out the damn motor to replace them and use the opportunity to change the rear main, intake and valve cover gaskets, etc.

 

if there are no soft spots on the pan, it is not leaking through it.
my bet is a front or rear main seal gasket leaking.

 

That was my thought too. Maybe I overlooked a soft spot. But it's definitely not the rear main seal. And I'm fairly sure it's not the front seal.

I should also add it leaks when just sitting there. It doesn't have to be running to make it worse. It's the same regardless of running or not.

 

If it had surface rust, then it could have a pinhole.
It is very typical for these trucks to have rusty pans. It will rot under the factory paint, then suddenly start dripping.

Can you pinpoint the spot on the pan? Wash it with brake clean and wait for it to drip. Depending on location of hole is if you can fix it permanently.

 

Easiest way to remove manifold bolts is to remove the tire, inner fender, shock and upper shock mount, run engine for 5 minutes, then remove manifold bolts.

I've never experienced a broken bolt or stud doing it this way.

 

Didn't think of a possible pin hole. Definitely a possibility because it was a hay truck before I got it. So it was driving through fields and what not. Gonna check this when I get home. I'll wipe it down with brake clean and use compressed air to dry it and then lay under it to see if I can see it start to drip again.
I did see if I took the wheel wells out I could reach them. I might try this too when it gets warmer outside. I have a heated barn. But it's a lot more enjoyable to work when I can just have the door open and fresh air coming in.

 

There is a few small pin holes. I clean it up real good while laying under it and saw it start to seep. I used some seal all and then permeatex leak stop spray and it's not leaking anymore. It seems like the fix would last awhile, but I'll pull the motor sometime this summer and replace the pan along with the rear main, manifolds and other components. The fix will hold until then.

 

If you were able to clean the rust off and seal it then it might hold for some time. If there is any rust on it, then it will continue to get worse over time. Glad you got it taken care of for now.

The big deal is make sure you pop open any rust bubbles as they form. That way then can dry out and won't rot so fast. It rots from under the paint and then drips through the crack in the paint.

 

When I got my truck from my dad he had repaired the pan with JB weld. I didn't realize it and it started leaking again when I was eight hours into the bush on a hunting trip. The JB weld had let go plus when I cleaned it up to see where the leak was coming from, the pan had rusted out so bad under the paint that I accidentally put my thumbnail through it. A couple of screws, some cloth and Seal All and I was able to drive it out to a shop.

FWIW I think the JB weld lasted for maybe a year before it let go so your temporary fix might last until summer. Naturally keep a very close watch on it.

 

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. As for that factory paint that holds rust, I chipped it all off so there's none left. Surprisingly there's no rust bubbles anywhere, just smooth textured rust. I took some 40 grit and scuffed it up decently before hand. The oil pan is one of those frustrating fixes that is extremely cheap to do, but insanely time consuming. A $50 pan turns into a weekend project.

the truck isn't my daily driver either. So maybe it will last longer because of that.

 

The rust could be coming from the inside.........we had a bout of extremely cold weather here this winter....I changed the oil in my Ranger during the cold snap.....when I pulled the plug (I really didn't let it warm up good prior to draining....dumb I know....LOL) there was a few drips of clear water came out just before the plug was completely removed. I tasted it to see if it was antifreeze........ It wasn't.....before I knew it wasn't antifreeze I was very concerned because it is a brand new motor (less than 10,000 miles) I wrote it off to condensation that hadn't evaporated due to my not warming it up........but.....If the truck you have had set around a lot at some point, or was used for short trips most of the time, since oil will float on top of water......that condensation sits on the bottom of the pan......until the oil is warm enough for the water to start evaporating out.......so yes, your pan could rust from the inside........ One more reason to warm 'em up good occasionally.....I normally do.....just got in a hurry and lazy that day.......We live a few miles out of town, so normally our vehicles warm up good each time they are driven, but prior to the oil change, the Ranger hadn't been drive any distance for a few weeks because we had such crappy weather that we pretty much just stayed home.......Just my 2 cents worth on what could have been happening in your case.......

 

Coating it with all that crap slowed the leak but once it gets hot it still drips a bit. Looks like it's time to just order an oil pan now. I wanted to wait until summer but I'll just do it now.

although it's only about 25% of the leak it was. So that's good.

 

Oil gets thinner and will find a smaller hole/passage to leak.

"IF" the hole is high enough in the pan, you could drain the oil, clean it up well and seal it. Then after a day put oil in it and see if it holds better?

Getting the oil out of the pan will allow you to get the sealer deeper in the hole without having the oil push it out from gravity. If the hole is on the bottom, you might not get enough oil out of the pan to make a difference.

Just a thought.