fell in big pothole

hojo82 · Post by **hojo82** » 21 Aug 2011, 21:39

ok so yesterday it was raining heavily and i took a right hand turn and into a puddle of water that was masking a HUGE pothole. well after the big bang, almost onto the frame of the car, i realized that the air guide/skid plate had been ripped off on the passenger side and was dragging...no biggie ill get another one.

well today i noticed oil leaking...not good. its all gone now. nothing on dip stick. what the hell did i do? hit the oil pan? what did i do to my car? possible things that could have been broken?

Post by **keepersboy** » 21 Aug 2011, 21:50

Its a good bet you cracked your oil pan if all the oil drained out after you parked it. These cars are known for having this happen. One bad thing as I understand the oil pan helps to add strength to the block and is structural to the engine, so its is pretty expensive. The good news is that its a pretty simple job to replace. There are some oil lines that could have broken, but you would have noticed all the oil being pumped out right away and your oil light coming on.

hojo82 · Post by **hojo82** » 21 Aug 2011, 22:06

yea its strange that all my oil was out and no oil light. priced new oil pan around $$375 used for $140. Think i can just put a couple quarts oil in and drive cautiously? i didnt even notice oil coming out when i went under the car the day the air guide came loose (removed it).

elchopperfreak · Post by **elchopperfreak** » 21 Aug 2011, 22:19

Check your pan for actual leaks, if you clean it really good you can spray some foot powder and the drip will show right away, if its not major you can always get some JB weld and go for it. I cracked my bikes oil pan in Haiti two years ago, used JB weld and its still holding...

hojo82 · Post by **hojo82** » 21 Aug 2011, 22:22

ill give it a shot. spray on foot powder? get at pharmacy?

Post by **vjaneczko** » 21 Aug 2011, 22:30

That will work if you've never had a speck of oil on the bottom of your car - otherwise, you may be chasing a leak that isn't there. First get some engine cleaner and spray it all over the underside - scrub the nasty bits, too. Once it's dry, add some oil to check for leaks.

You'll also want to inspect the oil filter, the oil cooler hoses, and the oil cooler (which is built into the radiator).

Post by **Matty Moo** » 21 Aug 2011, 22:45

If you need an oil pan, I have several in my attic that I will let go for next to nothing. Don't let people rape you on used parts for a 14 year old car.

Post by **keepersboy** » 21 Aug 2011, 23:12

I think I would be really careful about driving it until I found the leak. You don't have to run long with no oil pres. to do real damage. Depending on where the leak is you can also suck air into you oil which causes cavitation, bubbles, which can also cause lack of lubrication

hojo82 · Post by **hojo82** » 21 Aug 2011, 23:37

thanks keeper...got a buddy to take me to work/school now.
so ive done work on my car...tune ups and a/c system and electrical stuff, but never the oil pan. is it heavy? do i need it up on jack stands or can i just do it in the driveway? tomorrow im going to look at it in the daylight. i see in the diagram that there is the oil pan, pickup line and thats all i can see. whats the procedure for getting it out? please dont say pull engine...not paying a shop

also, why doesnt the oil light come on when u run out of oil?

dam this forum kicks ass

Post by **jblackburn** » 22 Aug 2011, 06:51

When that oil pressure light comes on, the damage is usually already done. It activates when pressure is down to like 3 psi or something.

Early models (1993) had an oil level sensor, but the thing always broke so they got rid of it.

Here's how to go about removing the drain pan. I'd highly recommend getting new O-rings for the pickup tube (as in: do it

). They degrade over the years and cause the car just to pick up air instead of oil.
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=31236

Check out your right side suspension as well. You're liable to have busted something up - control arm, spring seat, something of the sort.