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A helpful suggestion-Do this before installing your oil pan
If you have purchased an oil pan that has welds and is not one piece, then i suggest you do the following before you install it.
Please note that this thread is not for the intention of bashing the manufacturer of my oil pan. I purchased a rather expensive Aviad oil pan for my 427fe. I've had the engine in for a few months now, but i only put oil into the engine about a month ago. There was a bad leak that i assumed was coming from the oil pan drain plug. However, i drained the oil around a week ago to inspect the oil drain plug and all of the threads were perfect on the drain plug bolt and in the pan. I put sealant on the drain plug and reinstalled it. This evening i added a fresh 9 quarts of oil to the engine and about 5 minutes later a puddle started to form on the ground. My car is on jack stands currently, so i was able to locate the leak by sliding my head behind the fender skirt and looking over the frame rail at the passenger side front of the pan where the return port is for the puke tank. Sure enough, the oil is leaking from the weld around the port tube. So, my suggestion for all of those purchasing such a pan is to fill it with water or oil and test it for leaks before installing it on your engine. |
No need to bash Aviad, quality speaks loudly enough
I returned three oil pans to Aviad in various states of unfinishedness... The first one, waited four months for delivery just to open the box to find the welding was never completed, but it went to plating anyway. I called, they appologized, I returned it. Number two pan, had no crank scraper, I called and sent it back, when I received number theree pan it had a pan scraper but it was welded in upside down. I called and they told me it didn't matter how it was welded in..... I just gave up. I guess that is why Armando is doing such a good business. I got the feeling that if the pan was for a Cobra then all that mattered was it had one of those cool original looking stickers on the sump.
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Well, mine is only leaking due to a bad weld around the back side of the tube where the beginning and end of the weld meet. I think i can fix it without any major issues, but it is still disappointing to have an oil pan that cost almost 700 big ones leak. You would think they would test them for leaks before they leave the shop, but perhaps they do not. Im hopeful that my pan will not fail elsewhere, but i will be sure to keep a close eye on it. If i ever build another 427, i will purchase one of the new Kirkham pans that will be offered in the near future.
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I also have a pinhole leak in a weld on my aviaid pan, used a little dap of JB weld to fix. Mine only cost 550 big ones though. :(
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Never have any trouble out of Moroso pans....for $300 big ones. :)
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Surprised to hear this as Aviaid is certainly a well known product. But when it comes right down to it, it's like any job, the person doing the actual job has control over the outcome of the project. Unless there is some solid QC after the fact the consumer is going to become the Guenea (sp?) Pig. That being said Tig welding is more likely to have small pinholes than Gas welding, although in the hands of a good welder, Tig Welding is a work of art. Nothing exemplifies quality and attention to detail like a tightly stitched weld bead throughout a project.
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I totally agree with the subject line of this thread, but....personal experience with my Aviaid FE pan puts me on the other side of the fence. Never any issues or problems...so far. :)
Rodger |
Same problem with mine. I lucked out and was cleaning the pan and happen to hold it up to the light and it was like being at an observatory and looking at a star show.
Nine holes which were done by my welder and he found 2 more pin holes which he fixed. To be safe, before I even thoght about installing it, I filled the pan with water and let it sit over night on paper towels. No leaks. Yeah I know: oil will seep out where water won't, but maybe I'll be lucky. Greg |
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OK so we take our lives in our hand and enter into the fray on the web. We leak check every pan before it goes out by filling it with water, and then blasting each weld around the whole pan with high pressure air, looking for bubbles on the inside. We do find leaks all the time which are repaired until we believe we find no more. We don't claim that pans go out leak free 100% of the time, but we do work with everyone that contacts us to get things fixed. That said we lease commercial space, we hire employees on the books, pay for workmans comp and health insurance, and all in California. We work to make sure the pans work, having made numerous changes over the years in form and function. We have 2 sources of Cadmium plating left in southern California. All exterior welds are gas welds, and maybe that may be part of the problem, given the quality of the materials that are available today, from cores to sheet. We were made aware of this post today by a customer whom we thank, because if we don't hear back, we can't work to fix it. We'll go back to work on welding and our processes and see what we can do to reduce our leak rate. One's too many for us.
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John, I feel your pain, over the years I have made mods etc to many oil pans.. I gave up using water to check them, now I use kerosene, it seems to only need a couple of seconds to migrate thru even the smallest crack or pin hole & doesnt evaporate before you get to see it on a hot day....just be careful with it around the hot weld areas & give them a minute or two to cool off...plus keep it away from the torch..
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mine is fine...
FWIW,
I have an Aviad pan on my 65' 289". It was sourced in 2003. It has NOT had ANY leaks, seeps, etc. in 15,000+ miles. Thanks, Pete |
It's not just Aviaid
My Cobra's Armondo pan doesn't leak a drop. In fact, my 427 doesn't leak at all. (Probably just jinxed myself!)
I do have personal experience with three Canton small block Ford pans that are leakers. Very annoying to fix when you have to pull the engine to fix them. I recommend pressure testing any oil pan before putting it on. I'd suggest this on any brand you use. No one is perfect. |
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