Can a damaged/leaky oil pan be welded?

[Learning]

When my car was on the rack, what I saw above was oil leak flowing from where 2 metal plates meet side to side. Hence, the oil was flowing out from the crevice where the 2 plates meet. However, is it possible to apply the Permatex Ultra Gray RTV from above when trying to do this my job myself? It might be difficult as I won't be able to see from above where the 2 plates meet. I don't have a rack at home. How did you do it yourself, BMWman91?

Again, what a sneaky mechanic I've dealt with. Today, before checking the leak again, I had suggested the mechanic to apply J-B Weld to the cracked welding and the mechanic said he had something stronger than J-B Weld. Then, after finding out that the leak was from the timing cover gasket he could have told me to use Permatex and applied it right then, nevertheless, he wanted to have the gasket replaced which would cost me a lot of money. I'm very sure he knew all these things about using Permatex, J-B Weld, etc, etc because he's been a mechanic for over 40 years!

[bmwman91]

Well, the RIGHT way to deal with th leak is to replace the leaky stuff with new OEM parts. It isn't the ONLY way to do it though.

What do you mean by "where 2 metal plates meet"? Sorry, that could describe darn near anything!

[Learning]

When my car was put up on a rack, the mechanic and I went under the car. We looked up and he pointed to me what he said was the timing belt cover where the leak was coming from. What I saw was leaky oil coming out from a crevice that was supposed to be a timing belt cover. I think I was wrong (I'm not mechanically inclined) thinking that there were 2 metal plates, but in fact perhaps there's only 1 cover which covers the timing belt. The leak was from this timing belt cover. I could see a tiny part of the rubber gasket running along the crevice.

Once a Permatex RTV is applied, how many hours at least will I have to let it sit to dry or cure?
Of course, at first I need to drain all the oil and clean the timing belt cover well before applying the Permatex, right? I assume it would be difficult to apply the Permatex without lifting the car up on a rack though.

[AndrewBird]

Looking at this diagram:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AF93&mospid=47305&btnr=11_4308&hg=11&fg=10

Is it leaking from the top or bottom of this section?

Smearing permatex on it is a band-aid fix at best. It will start to leak again eventually, assuming it works in the first place. The gasket needs to be replaced.

If it is leaking from the bottom, it's the upper oil pan gasket that is leaking. All you need to do is pull the pan and replace the gasket.

If it is leaking from the top, that is the profile gasket. You have to pull the cylinder head off to replace this one. While it can be replaced without pulling the head, you would have to pull the oil pan to do so, and even then, it's difficult to get the new gasket in place without mangling it.

[Learning]

Today, I went back again to the same mechanic. He had his other mechanic check for oil leak very carefully and this time it was found that either or both the oil filter housing gasket and the rubber o-ring that are leaking oil. I asked if they had a color dye to be used for checking leaks but they didn't. I'm yet will have to go back to Brake Masters to make sure it is really those parts stated above that are leaking.

By the way, what is the life of the oil filter housing gasket and the rubber o-ring? It seems like mine are still original and have never been changed before.

[TobyB]

The manager of Brake Masters told me that aluminum couldn't be welded because when the car gets hot the aluminum oil pan would expand (it needs to breathe) and so there would be leaks again as the weld couldn't hold well when the aluminum expands.

I think that Brake Masters must be a subsidiary of Ass Masters...

But yeah, the rubber o- rings do harden up with age, and it's not unreasonable
to have to replace them every 20 years or so...

t

[Dj Buttchug]

Are you sure it's only $60, Dj? It looks like the upper pan is sizably larger than the lower pan. I checked on line and it was about $300.

By the way, today I took my car back to the mechanic who welded the pan. He checked again to find the leak and he said it was the timing belt cover gasket. The car was on the rack and another mechanic revved the engine and I could see the leak coming out from the timing belt cover. And so I think the BM manager was wrong because what he showed me was perhaps oil dripping down from above to the welded area, but I think I remember seeing oil coming out from the cracked welded area. Could there be 2 leaks?
However, when I opened the hood I could see oil splattered to some parts of the engine. Could the timing belt cover leak ring truer?

Is it a big job to replace a timing belt cover gasket? The mechanic said it was going to take about 4 hours to do the job. Is this right?
Should I have him also replace other gaskets/seals when doing this job because he's going to lift off many of the engine parts anyhow?

If you need it I will sell you mine for 60. And yes I know new they are 300. Also lets remember this is a timing chain engine. not a timing belt. In order to better help you I am demanding detailed pics.