Well, I'm almost ready to reinstall my engine in the engine bay. Thanks Pirahna for letting me rent your engine hoist for so long. However, one thing stops me: the oil pan.

I was originally going to clean it, but found the exterior pretty rusty (no rust through, but plenty of surface rust). The inside is ok, but the original black paint has flaked off in places, and I've removed most of it already.

Question is this: if I repaint the INSIDE of the oil pan, what paint can I use? I'm concerned about any new paint flaking off and causing damage to the engine. Presently, I have Duplicolor gloss black engine enamel that I've been using for another project.

Second question: if repainting the oil pan isn't such a good idea, what's the cost of a new OEM or good used OEM oil pan for an 86-92 non-turbo 13B?

 

Why paint the inside of the oil pan? Is oil not a preservative in & of itself? Unless you have a coolant leak, no rust should ever form on the inside...

As far as the outside goes, sand the rust spots down enough to see if there is any noticeable pitting in the metal. If there is a lot of pitting, I'd go for a new pan, because by the time you remove all the pitting (which you have to do to remove all the corrosion), the pan might be awful thin in spots...

 

dont repaint the inside - clean up the outside and spray that. frankly no one will ever see it anyway . . .

 

Agreed.
Most paints are not petroleum resistant, and heat and chemical reactivity will cause most paints to disintegrate.
You'd be lucky if it starts flaking - at least the filter will catch most of it.
If the paint starts to dissolve (most likely), it'll wreak havoc with the lubrication properties of the oil and can cause engine failure.

If you insist on painting it, test the paint by soaking the surface with some oil for several days and see if it stays intact.

Side note, I used VHT "Engine Temp" yellow on my oil pan, and it has started to slowly peel off on the outside.
This is supposed to be "petroleum resistant", and it still doesn't quite work perfectly.


-Ted

 

I was more concerned about corrosion inside, but as long as the outside is coated, it'll be ok.

 

Hmmm...think about it.
You're worried about corrosion.
Oil will always coat the inside.
Oil is used to surpress corrosion.
I don't think you have to worry about corrosion on the inside.


-Ted