Who's busted their oil pan?

[Smileybug]

Alright everyone. Show of hands. Who has busted their oil pan? My car clocked over 100k last week. Been fine the past 6 years. I was leaving town today and ran over a dang sewer cover. I was coming down a hill and around a turn, so by the time I saw it and thought "Oh crap, I can't hit that!" It was under my car. As soon as I hit it, I knew what I did. Saw the wet black trail behind me. Pulled over. No lights came on. Most of the oil was in a puddle under the car (and apparently on the tow truck too after I got it to my mechanic).

Ugh. Not a good start to my day. But so far, seems as the pan is the only casualty.

I know I'm not the only one who has done this. Chime in with your stories of battle wounds!

[SenileDavid]

I didn't necessarily do it... but just had it replaced TODAY!

Oil pan dilemma... Ugghh

Got mine at GermanAutoParts.com for $86

[CoriBug]

I busted mine going way too fast for a 'ditch' in a neighborhood (25 mph?). It rattled my teeth but didn't even think about the oil pan, I was worried about the shocks! I saw the black puddle when I got out of the car. Most of the oil was in the parking lot, the rest was on the tow truck. I used 3 small bags of kitty litter to soak it up. The skidplate was on a couple weeks later.

[marvins_dad]

Got the Panzer so mine is SAFE!

[ziptron]

Also hit a raised sewer cover- but it was just a crack.
Didn't realize it had done anything until I pulled out of driveway next morning and there was a big shiny spot.
Stopped to check which fluid was leaking- and traced it back to crack at the oil pan right at the drain bolt.
Replaced it with a metal hybrid pan that's also taken some scrapes, but it's holding up well.

[digitalputty]

8 years and haven't yet busted the oil pan. HOWEVER, my skid plate looks so mangled and is dangling so low (from road debris), that I need to get a new one before my oil pan is broken. :\

[Fl_bug]

I surely did! Back in November, 1 week after I got the car and I was on the way home from Bradenton, Fl.

I was ~400 miles from home too! I was chugging along with my friends (in seperate cars) at 65mph and my friend in front of me hit a Ratchet clamp that was sitting on the side of the road. Then it sent it on the road and pushed it front and center to my car and then a second later, BAP!!! And i was like, maybe it hit the underbody of my car... Followed quickly after by BEEEP!!! BEEP!! BEEEP! and flashing oil light.

I was in the middle of an uphill grade between an onramp and off ramp and i coasted to a stop after the onramp (couldn't sit in the middle can i?) and turned the motor off. It was a cold winter night around 11pm too. Fun times!

[Smileybug]

Lowered I assume?

Luckily my car is stock height. There was so much oil under the car that I couldn't see the damage. The guys at the shop couldn't get my car on a lift right away so I still haven't seen it. Going by over the weekend to drop off some oil so I might see if I can't get a better look. The one mechanic said my pan may make their "Fail Table" (a table full of parts which have pretty epically awful failures) We have some stuff from our Mk1 on it, though not our fault. That's why I love my shop though...I was still a bit on edge and all after it all happened, and he told me that. Good way to lighten the mood.

I might save up for a panzer plate after that. I've hit stuff before (though not thick metal stuff) with no problems. But my plastic skid plate is pretty scraped. Don't really have the cash right now unfortunately.

[kcfoxie]

Killed my 2.0s in 2007 I think it was, or maybe 2006. Rough times that was.

[JP]

okay i got lazy and went to lube shop and came out and didn't notice until a week later(was raining that week) that my screw was stripped in my oil pan and oil was leaking slowly out,went back to the lube place they put in a larger screw and it stopped but i know that i have to get it done for the next oil change as it is bothering me

[Smileybug]

I ended up getting the car back Saturday, much sooner than expected. Went to the shop to work on the Mk1 and they told me she was ready. Stopping right away saved her. She's running great now, and I have a fun picture to show now!

Make a note: this is the back of the pan. Notice the lack of a drain plug...how all the oil didn't just spew out right away I have no idea.

[Zuri]

Fortunately my oil pan hasn't been busted, however it has taken a few hits. One more hit and it'll be toast. (Thank you, Washington DC roads)

[Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

I ended up getting the car back Saturday, much sooner than expected. Went to the shop to work on the Mk1 and they told me she was ready. Stopping right away saved her. She's running great now, and I have a fun picture to show now!

Make a note: this is the back of the pan. Notice the lack of a drain plug...how all the oil didn't just spew out right away I have no idea.

Ouch! That's a big hole.

[OhSnap]

I was driving my 2001 Golf through a gas station in Mississippi on a rainy day in 2005 and went over what I thought was a puddle but turned out to be a huge pothole! Luckily the gas station was at fault so they had to pay for everything.

[Blugg]

??

Seven times

Last time killed my Bug









Last time i did it, completely seized the engine

But have to end on a Happy note

I bought another. A Diesel with a lower Sump



Be interested in knowing where you get the STEEL oil pans from, or the less deep ones

[miiiintz]

I don't even know when it happened but I somehow managed to put a thumbnail size dent with a crack down the middle. It started leaking slowly and leaving little puddles to which my father got aggravated about.

The mechanic added some sealer and it's good for now, an estimate of $400 to fix.

[CoriBug]

yikes - $400 is a heck of a lot of money for some glue. A brand new oil pan would be less than that.

[HarlequinPixie]

Mine managed to survive the parking space wheel stop in St. Augustine, only to be taken out by a dirt road in Allegheny State Park when my gps got confused and sent me down the wrong road at 10pm. Single lane road with a really high crown in the middle, and/or really deep tire trails. A couple of small but persistant holes near the plug. Thankfully I had a couple quarts of oil in the trunk and was able to limp her to a restaurant parking lot. Oil light did come on just as I pulled in. There I was able to wait for Ollie, who was on his way to meet me, to arrrive after a pit stop for some epoxy stuff and more oil. Patch job wasn't 100%, but good enough that as long as we checked the level whenever we stopped she never got too low.

[MichelleRoze]

I've been scared silly with busting an oil pan. Thankfully my lowering springs and suspension came at the same time my Defender Tech steel skid plate came in!!! I've had at least a dozen hits that would have killed the oil pan.

I heard from a guy at SoWo, I think he's here on the .org somewhere, but he cracked his oil pan and someone suggested using a bar of soap to limp it home. So he rubbed the bar of soap over the crack and it held until he got home. I think he said it's still holding actually. So now in his tools of things in his trunk....is a bar of soap! lol

[Kuplamies]

Originally Posted by marvins_dad

Got the Panzer so mine is SAFE!

Mine too!
It was my first mod to the car. Very wise mod indeed