Upper Oil Pan Removal

1. Is any oil leaking from the crack?
2. The factory repair manual does not offer a procedure to remove the upper oil pan. I assume that it will be necessary to remove the front engine cover (which contains the engine oil pump) for access to the upper oil pan. Removing that cover requires that the engine valve cover also be removed.

 

I would first try to patch with JB Weld. It may not be perfect but .........

 

Please don't do that Cory151.

 

Um, I think Gen 2 uses essentially the same 1NZ-FXE engine as my Gen 1. There isn't a separate 'take off the upper oil pan' procedure in the manual, but naturally it is shown as part of the steps for engine teardown. If I remember right, it's got bolted connections to the timing cover in the 'front' and to the transaxle/bellhousing in the 'rear', so by the time you can take it off, you're a lot of the way toward removing the engine. Most inconveniently, it forms about half of the bore for the rear main seal, with the block forming the other half; the new seal has to be pressed in after the upper pan is reattached, which requires access to the rear of the engine with the flywheel removed. Also, the joint between upper pan and block is sealed with a Toyota FIPG with strict requirements for cleaning the surfaces, working time, relative motion while mating the surfaces, etc. Even if you could think of ways to do all of this on the car, it would be a whole lot easier to get right on an engine stand with good access and light.

-Chap

 

Detractors aside, the JB Weld option might be your best bet.

Depending on where the crack is and the perceived $125 is the cost of the replacement of the upper oil pan, unfortunately, the labor required for the replacement of the upper oil pan likely requires removal and replacement of the engine from the car.

Those of you who are great advocates of carbon fiber reinforced plastic don't realize that JB Weld is the equivalent to being steel reinforced plastic.

If the crack ends in the edge of the casting, the repair is likely to be less effective and may fail. If the crack is isolated and neither end ends on or crosses the edge of the casting, it will be as good as "no crack."

Use of epoxies like JB Weld is a long industry honored and prescribed and even a factory technique for repairing of porous cast aluminum transmission castings.

Preparation starts with cleaning the cracked area of all grease and foreign residue.

A Dremel tool with a rocket nose cone shaped carbide cutter should be used to clean the crack down to make a "V" shaped furrow to the full depth of the crack. Also, the end of the crack should end in a larger rounded depression to relieve stress at the end of the crack to spread the stress over a wider area.

Mix standard JB Weld and squeeze it into the crack by covering it with a clear polyethylene plastic bag. Let it harden overnight.

A day later, peel off the plastic bag. Sand and level the entire patched area smooth with 180 grit wet or dry sandpaper.

Cut a patch of aluminum from a new thick aluminum foil turkey oven roasting pan.

Clean both the aluminum and the patch area with brake cleaner.

JB Weld the parch in place.

Let the area harden overnight and you're done.

Since the oil sump area has very little pressure or vacuum, it is likely that the repair will be permanent. From your profile, it is clear they your car is a 10 year old 2005.

Therefore, the JB Weld option would be a very good one, if it works. Given the low cost and low amount of labor expended, it is worth a try.

 

Mike we agree on many things, but not this time. While it can withstand 500° F constant, the differential expansion rate to the cast aluminum, the pressure (although not that high) and material difference is such that the poster would just be wasting time on a temporary repair...even with a tin or aluminum overlay.

 

Single piece. To replace the upper oil pan you need to remove the transaxle to get to rear main seal and the front cover. So you might as well remove the engine and transaxle at the same time and then separate them.

 

I doubt that the upper oil pan will be much hotter than the water jacket that cools the engine block. The upper range would be about 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the crack travels to the edge o the casting, he can readily remove the oil pan, drill a hole through the crack and fasten another piece of aluminum on the inside with a "pop" rivet though the crack to provide mechanical strength for the joint in two areas,

 

I would be very cautious in presuming a visual defect is a crack rather than a scratch. You can try some JB Weld or why not wait for the thing to actually drip/fail before you yank the engine and a major repair?

 

Now, that's one big hole. You said that it was a crack,

Still, you can make a patch out of aluminum plates and bolt or rivet the inside and outside ones together with a sealing compound.

 

Lol, a crack?

Are you sure a connecting rod isn't missing?

 

"found a hairline crack" the picture is of?

 

That's all...slap some speed tape or bag bin tape on it. Sorry...couldn't resist.



That's why you don't use JB on an engine.

 

Actually, this is a good lesson about not buying a salvage vehicle - even if you had believed the rebuilder was competent.