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Thread: Oil pan rusted through!!!!

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    Oil pan rusted through!!!!

    Found a big puddle of oil in the driveway....not good (I thought). Turns out this leak was best case scenario. The oil pan rusted through and was leaking pretty heavily. This may sound like a huge PIA but it was truly one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.
    Disconnect the negative battery terminal (10mm).
    3-10mm bolts remove the shield off off of the starter
    1-12 mm nut and one plug to remove the starter wires
    2-12mm bolts remove the starter
    3-12mm bolts to remove a bracket that connects the bell housing to the block
    1-10mm bolt to remove the dust shield from the bell housing
    Bunch of 10mm bolts holding on the oil pan.
    The entire disassembly took less than 20 minutes.

    Modern Mitsubishi oil pans use no gasket. They are sealed using RTV from the factory.
    I used a thin putty knife and a pry bar to remove the pan from the block being careful not to bend the lip on the pan.

    I did a temporary fix until I find a reasonably priced replacement pan.

    I washed the pan with degreaser. Used a wire wheel to remove the rust. Sprayed it down with brake cleaner and applied some Blue Magic Quick Steel epoxy putty. Put some 1 minute RTV on the pan and reinstalled everything. I didn’t waste a bunch of time cleaning the mating surfaces because this is just temporary until I find a replacement pan. If it leaks a little it won’t be enough to worry about until I get it fixed correctly.

    All total, including a 30 minute parts run, this took about 90 minutes.

    Best price on a new pan is $72 on Amazon but delivery is February 9th!! Ain’t nobody got time fo dat!
    Other prices are $200-300 from dealer and flea-bay.
    I can’t find a used one locally.
    I’ll probably order the Amazon one tomorrow unless someone here has a line on a used one. I’m also looking for the metal coolant tube that runs across the front of the motor under the intake if anyone knows where to find a used one. Mine is heavily rusted and will probably perforate any time now. Name:  2275E729-5C9C-4A1B-943E-38EF63E6DCCD.jpeg
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    Cobrajet (01-08-2020),MetroMPG (04-30-2020),mrwhite (01-07-2020)

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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    So is this where it rusted through?

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    I don't think my oil pan has any rust on it. But now I'll have to check.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    So is this where it rusted through?

    Name:  rust.jpg
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    I don't think my oil pan has any rust on it. But now I'll have to check.
    yes, it was right at the end of the starter. i scraped the scabs off and the metal was paper thin with one hole showing on the inside. a few more holes broke through when i used the wire wheel to remove the rest of the rust. i covered the whole area in the steel putty. I considered welding it (i still may) but i'd have to cut out an area the size of a tennis ball to reach decent metal.

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    Top_Fuel (01-07-2020)

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    Also, the red RTV is from when i replaced the rear main seal during the transmission replacement.

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    Here there is plenty of salt on the roads in winter, and sometimes they add crushed little stones on top of the ice.
    My car gets sprayed underneath with water several times a year, and the oil pan on this 2014 looks like it was on day one. So, how the heck did all that rust come about?
    Last edited by foama; 01-07-2020 at 06:46 PM.

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    Business Up Front Johnny Mullet's Avatar
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    Pennsylvania uses Liquid Calcium Chloride to treat icy roads and it is VERY corrosive.

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    Calcium chloride solution?!!!

    My deepest sympathy!

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    Can't believe the pan rusted through. Do you do lots of short commutes? I wonder if you have a lot of moisture in your oil?
    I bet the pan is paper thin to begin with though right?
    The internals look so delicate in that pic with the pan off lol

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pryme View Post
    Can't believe the pan rusted through. Do you do lots of short commutes? I wonder if you have a lot of moisture in your oil?
    I bet the pan is paper thin to begin with though right?
    The internals look so delicate in that pic with the pan off lol

    My commute is an hour each way. The inside of the pan looked perfect, it definitely rusted from the outside. The rest of the pan is actually pretty stout. I'll probably pop it back off and attempt to weld it this weekend.

    What really surprised me is what appears to be a factory installed windage tray.

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    Quote Originally Posted by dustyb View Post
    What really surprised me is what appears to be a factory installed windage tray.
    Since the Mirage only holds 3 quarts of engine oil, does that justify the windage tray maybe???



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