[Benzoid123]

Well if I didn't already have enough stuff to fix, I just added another item due to my stupidity. I'm crusing at about 45mph in my 84' 300D and gee, what did that road sign say? It said "speed limit 10mph".

I was in Rancho Palos Verdes on a treacherous part of Palos Verdes Drive South called "Portuguese Bend". This short stretch of land has been perpetually falling into the sea due to extreme land movement for years and years. One week they will have it all patched up and you won't feel a bump. This week things were out of control. I sailed over a sudden drop I didn't remember from before and easily got all four tires off the ground. Bo and Luke Duke eat your hearts out. Screw the General Lee!

The result was a scraped oil pan with a partially ground down drain plug dripping oil every 10 seconds. I nursed the car home, put a oil pan under it and plan to take it to the shop tomorrow. That really jostled that poor old car pretty well. Curtis came by and helped me put the oil return tube back on under the air cleaner can which fell off making this annoying loud vibration.

Oops! That would've been lovely on film! Hopefully and new drain plug washer is all I'll need otherwise I will be buying a new oil pan!

 

[JamieK]

Just another small reason to love a 617. The steel oil pans will flex and bend, but rarely will crack all the way open. They also help to protect the upper oil pan. The later diesels with the 603 engines had a one piece cast aluminum oil pan, and one tap from a parking curb will bust the entire oil pan, requiring engine removal to replace (if your lucky enough to realize what you done before the oil loss ruins the engine). And the drain plugs on the steel pans won't strip the threads like an aluminum pan!

BTW, if you do plan on jumping the car anymore, you might want to invest in a steel undersheild, and heavy duty shocks and springs

Jamie

 

[holthoff]

Hopefully and new drain plug washer is all I'll need otherwise I will be buying a new oil pan!

New oil pans are pretty cheap -- around $25, I think -- and also not very difficult to install. If the old pan looks at all deformed or threatens to continue leaking even with a new plug, you might as well get a new pan, too.

 

[Benzoid123]

I parked the car and bought the $25 oil pan & gasket. It's cheap enough so what the heck!

 

[xtraag]

Not that i would try it, but good to know that the "tank" reputation our cars have can come in handy!

 

[holthoff]

I parked the car and bought the $25 oil pan & gasket. It's cheap enough so what the heck!

Cool. If you install the new pan and gasket yourself, don't make the mistake I did and overtorque the bolts, causing the gasket to tear. Luckily, it hasn't caused any leaking in my case, but next time I do it, I'll use some blue threadlocker and turn the bolts just a hair tighter than I can get them by hand.

 

[Benzoid123]

I'm due for an oil change anyway so I'll have my mechanic do it for me. Surprisingly it's cheaper having him change the oil and filter than it is for me to buy the oil and the filter. Plus he can deal with the mess!