Anyone have a suggestion of how to repair a pin hole in my oil pan, without removing the pan?

The motor is running fine. Rebuilt 350 HO, 18 heads, all original. Has the BOP remain seal in it, motor not leaking anywhere. I checked under the car today after taking it around the block, and saw a puddle. It looked like it was coming from the oil drain plug, but a small pin hole next to the oil drain plug.

Thanks for all the advice from everyone. I look forward to passing some of the tips on.

Chad in North Carolina

duct tape?

nah ...I dont think yu can , need to take it off and weld up...wwhy is there a pin hole? are others likely to appear too? maybe best to get a new pan....

and hopefully Im` wrong and someone has a better answer..

I had that happen to my 69' oil pan. What i did was drain the oil.I then degreased and cleaned the area well.I then sanded the area and applied a skim coat of JB Weld to the area.Let it harden and then lightly sanded the skim coat and then applied another thicker coat of JB Weld to it.It never leaked again as long as i owned it.JB Weld is also paintable so if you want you can paint it to match the rest of the pan.

David

Did something similar, epoxied a piece of thin cardboard over a rock induced gouge in a SBC so I could get home! The cardboard was the packaging for the five minute epoxy and kept the epoxy in place while it set. It held very well!

If bjorn's suggestion works, I for one, would like to know the brand of duct-tape you used

;-)

one of the two req`d tools...1) duct tape and 2) WD40...
1)if it moves an shouldnt ,use duct tape
2)if its not moving and should ,use WD40...

Hey, that bearded Oxyclean dude on TV is now hawking something call Miracle Putty that's supposed to stop all leaks!

Nah, really I would go the JB Weld route.

That bearded dude makes me nuts, can't stand him or his stupid products. Altough my Mother swears by Oxyclean. LOL I mute the receiver everytime he is on TV!

I have never seen ANY type of repair on an oil pan actually work. I'm not saying that it is not possible, I have just never seen it with my own eyes. I know several people who have tried every trick in the book and ultimately end up pulling the pan and replacing it.

Good luck...

You have an original motor in a pristine Firebird.

The quick "get me home" solution is to cool, clean and JB weld it. Or tack a weld bead.

I would seriously replace the pan and take the old pan and inspect it real well. Probably nothing too severe, but if that pan has one pin hole leak, how well and for how long do you expect it to hold up?

I am pretty sure there is a thick metal plate inside the oil pan where the oil drain plug threads into. If the weld went in too deep from the inside (when produced) could promote moisture and rot, and eventually failure of that entire drain plug area.

I concur with replacing the pan as the ultimate solution, but if you're looking to buy some time for now (as I am!) JB weld is great stuff.

Many auto parts stores also sell a product made especially for oil pan pinholes; I used one that included a small, adhesive fibreglass screen, and a compound like JB Weld was then put on overtop of the screen. Worked / is working great, but I recognize that it's just a matter of time before another pinhole appears.

My pinhole was closer to the top of the pan, and it shot oil right on to my exhaust.

That and the guy with the fake British accent. They're the Ron Popeil of this century.

As I mentioned abv , and Banshee reiterated.... one pin hole? how do you know you wont have more 'soon'...? if theres one , theres very possibly more ,at least coming...I would not 'patch it' and drive and suddenly loose my oil thru another place...get a new pan!

Just putty the whole pan, you get two for the price of one with Mr. fix it....(the bearded dude) who wouldn't buy from him?

I can't help but laugh about the bearded guy. I believe I will try the JB weld for now, and replace it after Iraq.

Thanks for all the input.

Here are a few pics; 1 of the cam break in. 25 minutes, fan in the back of my garage trying to get the fumes out. I'm holding the hose in my top water hose to keep the temp at normal, the shop vac hose is extending out into the driveway. The other pic is the pin hole - get ready for JB Weld baby...

Roofing tar and shingles should work good if JB weld lets you down. Oil won't disolve that stuff covering a hole, because oil floats over the water at the bottom of the pan where rust caused the hole in the first place.

The JB weld is working for now. My wife will be cranking the Firebird while I'm in Irag. I figure once a month, let her run for about 15 minutes.... Any objections or suggestions?

I have about 50/50 or 60/40 Prestone anti-freeze in it with a 180 thermostat, it should run good temp for 10-15 minutes.