My 95 Eddie Bauer 5.0 is leaving little pools of oil wherever it goes these days, and when I checked to see why it appears the oil is actually leaking through the oil pan because the pan has several rust holes. Is this something I can repair myself, possibly by sanding down the area and covering the holes with some sort of epoxy, like the muffler-weld stuff? If so, should I drain the oil first so as not to contaminate it? I know I might get stuck having to replace the oil pan, which I have no means of doing myself, so if that's the case, what can I expect to spend on that sort of thing? I would like to know ahead of time so as not to get screwed by a mechanic (I just moved and had to give up my old faithful mechanic, so I'm back to not trusting anyone). Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm still a little peeved that this is happening on a 7-yr old vehicle, seeing as my 85 F150 still doesn't have any rust on its oil pan. Cost-cutting pisses me off.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 21-Aug-02 AT 01:45 AM (EST)]Welcome to the world of the leaking Ford oil pan. You can do a search here and find numerous others with the same problem. Some have said that they did as you suggested and it worked. The fun part starts when you change the pan. It does not just slide out. The suggested way is to actually raise the engine :-staun and the trans crossmember has to come off too. I have the manual and its a pretty lengthy process. I have heard some say that shops charge 450.00 and up to replace them. I have a buddy who is a mechanic who says he can get it out without raising the engine but he also tells me it's raining when the sun is shinning. Your best bet is to do a search and see if any info helps next I suggest you pick up a Chiltons manual you will need it sooner or later.