Seeking suggestions to fix oil pan leaks

I've had good luck with Ultra Black Silicon to fix a couple of my older leaking Harleys.  I think the key is get the surface clean and letting it setup for 24 hours before filling with oil.

John

#2551

Here’s a funny story about how not to try to fix it!  PI News, Summer, 1983.

I will try not to do it that way!

After looking at the gasket leak some more, it is clear to me that I will need to replace the gasket again.  This time around I will do it in two steps.  I have access to a bare engine block and will glue the gaskets with Right Stuff to the pan and then bolt the pan to the bare block and let it sit overnight.  Using the bare block allows to me to visually verify that the gaskets are seated correctly.  The next day I will remove the pan from the bare block, apply sealant to the gasket faces and press it up into my engine.  I tried to do it in one step the last time and ended up with the leak at the front.

Probably obvious but, The trick to oil pan leak repairs using sealant is 1) clean ,2) heat (to draw out any oils and contaminates) 3 repeat until spotless. . 4) scuff up the area 5) cover an area at least twice as large as the suspected leak don't put into service for at least 24 hours

I have seen multitudes of leaking bad repairs and repaired many rusted pans  I am not a fan of silicone as a external patch. (Ford's were notorious for big potato chip sized rust spots appearing out of nowhere)

I like JB weld. A heat gun will remove any air from the Jb weld and help it smooth out as a last step.

(My FAV) 3M  2 part panel structural adhesive that works great as a surface patch. Pretty $$$ thou. This had become my go to method. Process is same as JB , do not use in very high heat areas

Have used 3M on rusted metal, aluminum cracks (housings) , rub throughs , all on long standing customer cars (with their approval of course to save $) and never really had a failure after many years. Kind of makes us giggle when we see your Gerry rigged patch job last for that long.

Jerry Sr