Craig, from reading your old posts, I know you've spent loads of $$$ replacing parts in your car, paying for long distance towing, mechanics etc. Care to give us an estimate how much you have into your car? An oil pan is one of the lowest tech part you will ever come across and is easily inpected. He already bought a new pan and it still leaked. And you want him to just go out and drop another $60 to buy another one?

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I'm afraid to add it up in detail. I would guess I have between $15 and 20K total (including purchase price) over 250K miles and about 6 years, that's probably $.08 per mile for purchase and repairs, not including routine stuff. However, I have not done the engine yet, which will bump up that number considerably. My best guess is $.30 per mile total (including fuel) over the long term. Actually that's not to bad, considering it would probably cost more like $.50-.60 per mile to keep driving new ones (probably more).

Regarding the oil pan, I don't think my indy even tries to reuse them once they come off. I missed the part where this was a new pan that leaking. I thought he was still trying to reuse the old one, which is probably more trouble than it's worth. I still think he could waste a lot of time on this, how much time is worth $60.

Edit: I also missed the part where the new pan was bent, good luck trying to get that to seal. I might have tried reinstalling the old pan (with gasket sealant) and returned the new one if I needed the car back together in a hurry.

It must be the pan. I just did the job being described and used some gasket making stuff that comes in a cheese whiz type of aerosol can (the label came off so I can't help) really expensive but won't break into pieces (so I was told).

I skimmed a coat on the pan, the the gasket and another skim. We shall see.

I understand there should be no need for anything but the gaskets. But I have yet to have either of our car operate without what seems to be leaks from the pan and that is with new ones.

I had thought about fabricating a flat metal (1/8") ring with holes so that the pressure created by the screws would spread evenly around the pan...but grabbed the can of stuff.

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1980 300TD-T (82 Turbo and Trans) 159,000 Miles "Jackie-O"
1983 300SD 272,000 Miles "Aristotle"
1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited - keeps the MB's off the ice and out of the snow
1994 BMW 530it

...its only $24 on ********........

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Dealer got one in for me. I did notice the one I had was Febi (Febu?).

At this point a new pan is worth the $ to get the car back on the road. Part of me wants to try the gasket dry again, but I don't want to do this a 4th time (gaskets aren't that cheap), so this attempt (#3) I'll use a thin coat of gasket sealer.

I've seen two people mention ultra black.

This is the product that seems the best "fit" for the application since it is a "sealant":

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_sealants/auto_Permatex_Form-A-Gasket_No_2_Sealant.htm

Ultra black is under the bucket of gasket "maker":

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_Ultra_Black_Maximum_Oil_Resistance_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm

They really need a decision maker wizard based on your application (using a paper gasket > oil pan > etc) as 90% of their products seem to list the oil pan as an application. hmmmmm

Anyway - dropped the pan last night and captured most of the new Mobil-1 in a container. Dropped the pan last night so I wouldn't be fighting drips while installing the new pan and gasket.... ugh.

__________________
~shell
As of 2/2010:
2001 CLK55 0o\=*=/o0
13.6 @ 106mph
10K mi
1984 300SD
260K mi and going and going...
97 S600
46K miles
1991 Sentra SE-R (extremely dorked with)
www.se-r.net

You cannot go wrong with either Permatex #2 or a thin coating of RTV. (Which is not to say that either should be necessary for leak-free installation.)

how is #2 supposed to help? it's just a lubricant, if I read the packaging correctly. for use on bolts in water jackets etc...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Not hardly.

used the #2 and let the pan set-up overnight

This morning I filled her up and went for a test drive - so far so good!

I put the goo on the pan and both sides of the gasket and used a plastic spatula to thin it out. Looking back, I would do just both sides of the gasket.

__________________
~shell
As of 2/2010:
2001 CLK55 0o\=*=/o0
13.6 @ 106mph
10K mi
1984 300SD
260K mi and going and going...
97 S600
46K miles
1991 Sentra SE-R (extremely dorked with)
www.se-r.net

wait, you used what to seal it? ultra black or gasket maker #2? because i have used both.. and gasket maker 2 really really isnt what you want..

__________________
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

Based on the product pdfs on the permatex web site #2 gasket sealant looked to be the choice for the application (i.e. - you are using a paper gasket) vs ultra black gasket maker (i.e. - may or may not have a gasket to start with)

I'll recheck the pan when I get home tonight to see how she's holding up, but when I blotted the edge with a paper towel (where pan meets engine) after my early morning test drive - I did not pick up a single speck of oil. I'm not ready to claim victory yet, but that was great to see this morning.

__________________
~shell
As of 2/2010:
2001 CLK55 0o\=*=/o0
13.6 @ 106mph
10K mi
1984 300SD
260K mi and going and going...
97 S600
46K miles
1991 Sentra SE-R (extremely dorked with)
www.se-r.net

If you never, ever want to take the pan off again you can use a silicone gasket maker called the 'The Right Stuff' by Permatex- http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_the_Right_Stuff_Gasket_Maker.htm It comes in a pressurized can and dispenses like Cheese Wiz. Just put a bead of that on the pan with no gasket and bolt it up. The stuff is literally guaranteed not to leak. The downside is that you will not be able to pry that pan off again without ruining it unless you take a torch (I used a propane torch so as not to get things _too_ hot) and heat the flange up to about 500 degrees or so to get the sealer to break down.

I have not had the pan off my 84 300D before. I am wondering if the pan bolts go into blind holes is it possible there some crud got up in the holes and is causing the bolts to bottem out in their holes too soon? Are all of the pan bolts the same length?

No.

Thanks... Thats the stuff I used and couldn't remeber the name of. (label came off the can).

__________________
1980 300TD-T (82 Turbo and Trans) 159,000 Miles "Jackie-O"
1983 300SD 272,000 Miles "Aristotle"
1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited - keeps the MB's off the ice and out of the snow
1994 BMW 530it