What are some of the things you've found when you pulled the oil pan on your engine? I'll start things off.

I got an engine from a junkyard for parts. $35, but that's another story. I got the thing home, popped the oil pan, and found #5 & #6 rod bearings to be gone. They turned up in the oil pan in the form of what looked like badly crumpled tin foil. #6 still had part of the bearing sticking out from between the rod and the crank. It was pathetic.

Upon pulling the oil pan from my '86 Bronco 2, 2.9L, which had 164,000 miles, I found approximately 1" of tarlike, stickey sludge. There was a little dip in it by the oil pickup.

Anyone else have anything?

 

Purchased a brand new 1980 gmc 3/4 ton, within 1,ooo miles the engine blew and found all kinds of bolts that had nothing to do with the motor. General Motors , although it was under warranty would not warrant it because the idiots at the factory had installed a incorrect dipstick and it actually ran out oil and yes without the idiot light coming on and because it was the incorrect dipstick it showed full. That was the last GM vehicle we ever bought. Oh, failed to mention had 6 transmissions and about 40 starters wihtin 27,000 miles. One piece of junk lemon. WE were 100 % gm before that vehicle -- now completely ford of course.

 

well, it wasnt on a truck, but me and my cousin pulled the oil pan off of a 3.8 94 t-bird, and found tar with the exception of the hole where the pickup was at. and to think the owner(we were rebuilding it for him) couldnt figure out what was wrong with it. if the oil pan was any indication he didnt even know where the hood release was..haha

 

Heh, good ones, keep 'em coming!

 

i pulled the pan on the 460 i just bought for my 76 250. there was a honda civic in there, what the ????!!!!

 

I had A guy bring me his car saying,My dad and I just put a brand new high pressure oil pump in this thing a couple of days ago.Now it has no oil pressure and my dad said to bring it to you cause he is tired of messin with it on the floor in our garage.So,I put it on the hoist and dropped the pan.Know what I found.the instructions on how to install an oil pump clogging the pickup tube!

 

I saw a shop towel plugging the oil pump pickup once.
I once saw a distributor shaft laying in the bottom of a pan.

 

When I was growing up, a friends dad completely restored a '66 T-bird. When he was finished he had 6 bolts left that we had no idea where they went, so, he bent a small piece of wire mesh and tacked it into the oil pan with the bolts inside. That way, if he ever figured out where they went, he would know where they were. Can you imagine the suprise on someones face if they bought it and opened up the pan?

 

I once found a contact lens in the pan of my just reassembled engine. But then I knew it would be there.

While putting the finishing touches on that engine, I blinked and my hard contact popped out went down thru the drain slots in the lifter valley and down into the pan. Doh! Had to pull my just finished engine open to be sure the contact didn't cause any problems with my brand new engine. PITA. So along with plenty of blood and skin, my engine had a lens.

Jim Henderson

 

I found some stuff in an oilpan that looked like oil soaked grass one time... dunno how that got there.

 

First car I bought was a 70 Karman Ghia. The "newly rebuilt" motor blew within five miles after purchasing. After towing it home and cracking the case, found lots of ground metal in the bottom of the case, and remains of flattened pieces of a coke can for bearing shims. Also, the left side of the case was 1300cc and the right side 1600 cc.