bent oil pan on 126?
 

Hi everybody,

I changed oil and filter as well as the sump gasket today. The gasket was split at various spots when I replaced the oil level sensor last year as my torque wrench was out of alignment.

But even after recalibration, the gasket starts to split before I reach the 8 ft lbs that is the recommended torque. I stopped tightening once I saw the gasket come out a bit, but I have some leaks now after I took a test drive.

Is this pan bent too much upwards at the bolt openings and will never seal anymore?

What is the experts take?

I will tighten it a little more tomorrow morning to get by to the next oil change.

Thanks in advance

Reinhard Kreutzer

You don't need no stinkin' torque wrench!!

Seriously,

It looks like it has gotten too tight.

Maybe it was supposed to be eight inch pounds??:D

Chas

Thanks Chas,

it is 11 NM per the CD which translates into 8 ft lbs.

I thought of using a 10 or 11 mm socket under it and then use a 7 mm socket with a light hammer on top to straighten it out. Did anybody try something like that?

But then the pan is only $37.47 at FastLane and it is probably better just to replace it.

I vote for buying a new pan from FastLane. That should be the easiest, least frustrating way to true the sealing surface.

The pan is toast. All the bolt holes are dimpled from overtightening.

Thanks Mike and Steve,

thats what I suspected. This morning, there were 2 new oil spots about a sqft each under the pan. I tightened it to 8 ft lbs and the gasket split at prob. 60 % of the holes. I have some paper under it now to see how much it leaks still.

I'll go with a new pan and gasket.

Thanks again

Reinhard Kreutzer

I might suggest setting your torque wrench to a little less than 8 ft/lbs. Make sure to bring all the bolts up evenly until the pan is in contact, then evenly tighten the bolts in a pattern around the pan. No sense buggering a new pan and cutting another new seal.

Thanks Mike,

thats how I did it the first and now the second time. I had the wrench set to 5 ft lbs but the gasket started to split before I even reached that point. Thats why I stopped tightening yesterday. I guess it is do to the dimpling now. But it leaked too much, so I tightened it to 8 ft lbs this morning with more splitting.

When you say "in a pattern" do you mean crosswise like the star pattern I use for tires? I tightened all the bolts to contact first and then went around the pan a few times just tightening every bolt a little further and then going to the next bolt.

The cardboard I placed under the pan does not show a drop yet (2 1/2 hours later). I might get away with the replacement til the next oil change.

Thanks again.

You could just hammer them flat and save some money.

My 02$
 

you might think about getting an inch pound torque wrench clicker type. 8 ftlbs is 96 inch pounds. 96 is generally 1/3 to a 1/2 of the torque range and would likely be more accurate. on the other hand a clicker ft pounder goes from 0 to 150. so 8 lbs is mighty low on the scale and you may just get a late click. and if you have a beam type wrench i've never seen one that wasn't already sprung to 2 or 3 ft lbs.

i've made it a practice that if i'm working with 10 ft lbs i use my inch pound wrench.

tks
craig

Thanks Craig,

you are right, the range from 0 to 150 is probably a stretch for any tool and the torquing is more important at the lower end.
If it is +/- 5 ft lbs off at 80, no big deal, but +/- 3 at 8 will make a difference.