I just got my car back from an accident and it immediately started leaking oil. They determined it was a cracked oil pan. They can either
I would try to find a used one. If it's not available then I would have the crack repaired by welding.
I've welded oil pans in the vehicle. But you must make sure nothing contaminates the weld such as oil within the pan.
Remove the drain plug and drain the oil. Take brake parts cleaner and thru the drain hole rinse out any oil. Using a MIG welder on a steel oil pan or a TIG welder on an aluminum oil pan weld the crack. Let the weld cool and add the oil.
Tester
If i do decide to weld it, is there a chance I will hava problems with it in the future?
I’ve welded three steel and two aluminum cracked oil pans,. and the vehicles are still on the road.
Tester
If you want to absolutely minimize the possibility of problems, then I would do the used / salvage yard pan - assuming it’s not also damaged. And it’s not that it couldn’t necessarily be welded in a way that would hold up, but just that things don’t always get done exactly correctly - so a pan that has never cracked carries lower odds of a problem.
But I think that what Tester was really saying is that some who knows what they are doing could probably do fine job with it while still on the car - and it would cost A LOT less than the quotes you have. Based on the quotes it sounds like they will remove the pan, weld it and then reinstall. That’s probably why it’s $400.
Welding oil soaked metal is lowest probable solution in my book. A used pan would be acceptable in my book, but those prices seem high, get a couple more estimates.
car-part.com has them listed for $175 to $250 (used).
As long as the damage is not extensive, I’d probably go for the weld repair. Oil pans don’t have much stress on them. To get a good weld they’ have to completely remove the pan and clean it thoroughly before doing the welding. As long as they do it that way, for a $200 savings over a used one, I’d go with the weld.
I should note that holding to a frugal nature, if I had the problem myself, I’d put on some old clothes, with some grease spots, a SF Giants baseball hat, I’d drive down to the local auto recycler yard in my 40 year old truck, laugh at their jokes (junk yard jokes not as good as plumbers jokes, but still pretty good), maybe share a cup of coffee and chit-chat, agree with whatever political views they hold, then after a while I’d tell them what I’m looking for, that I’ll pay in cash, need no receipt, and ask them what all they had in stock in the way of used oil pans. I’d offer to remove the used pan from the junked car myself if necessary. I’d be surprised if they asked more than $100.
I think the prices they were offering included labor charges. Sounds kinda pricey, but I’m not familiar enough with Volvo’s to know how hard a job it is. Some cars have a cross member in the way, and you must either remove it or lift the engine.
Personally, I’d go the used oil pan option. There is a chance the weld fix can fail and need to be redone. It all depends on the talent of the welder. I have full confidence in @Tester’s talents, but he’s not doing the work.
Just to double-check, you apparently don’t have collision insurance here, correct?
I knew a lot of boat racers running automotive V8s that modified stock oil pans by cutting abd brazing in extra sheet metal to increase oil capacity or fit the shape of their hull. Seldom had any problems.
Either Weld or replace with used. Is the pan Steel or Aluminum?
Assuming it isn’t being covered by insurance, I like NYBo’s suggestion.
I think this is an aluminum pan and just some food for thought, but if the pan was cracked due to a collision and the pan was not struck by any object or bent component then one has to wonder about the amount of flexing involved that caused the pan to crack. What else flexed…
The pan is aluminum and I do have insurance on my accident but it’s almost impossible to prove it was from the accident. Because it was setting at this garage for 2 months and never leaked until the day they brought it for an alignment really has me dazed. My best bet is that the worker who drove my car to get the alignment done bottomed out ( because this car is pretty low) and that is the reason it started to leaks but that day is when I got it back. I’m not saying I haven’t bottomed out before and most likely contributed to the damage but I’m for certain that it was not me who did this but there is know way of proving the worker bottomed out
The pan is aluminum and I do have insurance on my accident but it's almost impossible to prove it was from the accident.
It happened during SOME accident. Pans don’t spontaneously crack.
I’m almost sure that one of his drivers did it while getting it aligned is there any way I can prove that he did it?
Have you talked to the insurance adjuster? It either happened due to the accident or the shop caused it. I’d see what the adjuster says, because either the insurance or the shop should cover it. Not you. And, I’d insist on a replacement pan be it new or used, not a welded one.
Definitely call your insurance company and tell them that it was leaking when you picked it up. See what they say and we’ll go from there. There’s no way you should be paying for this.