I'm sad to report this could be the cause of ending a major forum contributor's FD ownership.

This was posted in another forum, so I hope I'm not stepping on any toes...just wanted to warn the 3rd Gen folks about the dangers of this pan...I think the picture speaks for itself. This happened from road debris, you can imagine how fast the oil exited this pan.

 

Nasty!

Sonny

 

what kind of road debris? a bomb???

 

Did the 'owner' manage to cut the engine before major damage?

It is a perfect example why brittle castings or hardened steels are not acceptable for all applications. Strength is not everything. Sometimes things need to bend instead of break.

Dave

 

It'd have to be a brick! Jarsus! .. isnt that that Pettit pan?

~Kris

 

Unfortunately, this is one of the dangers of cast aluminum: it can be extremely brittle. The pineapple oil pan also sits lower than the subframe, increasing the chance of something like this happening. Anybody look into building a protective undertray for the pan?

-Rob

 

I think the whole story of how this happened needs to be shared as well.... if I recal correctly the road debris was a pretty large rock, but my memory is hazy right now.
-Nic

 

well the pan is intended for racing use right? but it sucks when u hit road debris. especially if it could cost an engine.

 

that's the thing, a new (one of a kind) motor just went in...something fell of a gravel truck and he ran over it, felt it, saw the oil in the rear view, shut down. Upon getting a new pan, and running the car again...something just isn't right. no where near a pin hole leak.

So, now he doesn't feel like keeping the car, out of energy. I'm sure he'll chime in, once he see this...again, I apologize if I'm stepping on toes, just want to warn the community.

 

correct large depris

 

thats a big hole ! like a small dog went and lived in there lol !

 

so someone tore a hole into a "race use" oil pan cause they where driving on the road and hit what looks to be something large.

yea, thats why "performance" work isn't waranteed.

i think it would be more horrifying if the oil pan fell apart due to poor construction, not a rock hitting it at 60 mph.

 

That alone would stop me from purchasing the oil pan, regardless of its extra capacity or baffling and/or added strength claims.

 

So don't purchase one. It barely , BARELY sits lower. This was hit from the bottom up not staight forward. Even Michel would agree this is a extreme case otherwise he wouldn't of went and bought another identical pan. This is like saying people shouldn't have windshields because a few have been killed due to debris making it's way through. Or tires because they may get punctured and send you of the road.

 

Hey, no need to get so defensive about it. I'm only stating my opinion.

Your analogies are also a bit over the top. I'd say it'd be more like people shouldn't have windshields if they're only 1mm thick, or that they shouldn't be driving on tires that have only 2mm of tread left (so that they can suffer a puncture and "send you off the road."

 

While that looks pretty bad, no one here can say with any certainty that the same thing would NOT have happened with a stock oil pan.

Running over large debris = bad.

 

Not defensive, It just seems silly. (I originally thought you were the starter of the thread as well sorry.) People have died from debris through the windshield. ie windshield fails it must be bad to have one on your car. The analogy fits because it is as vague as the the thread on the cause.
I have had stock pans brought in dented bad enough they damaged the oil pickup and snapped the 10mm heads off. You certianly wouldn't see me out here posting warnings. It is a extreme case not the norm.

 

Yeah but what if that debri hit a steel pan?

Would have it leaked slower? I think we all know the answer to that...

 

Sure they can. The stock oil pan is stamped steel and will bend rather than fracture. It is also not lower than the subframe. The cast aluminum pan doesn't bend, it fractures as the pic shows. It also hangs lower than the subframe and so has a much greater chance of striking something.

I like the idea of increased oil capacity and a stiffer motor but the liability of damage to the pan is just too great IMO since it hangs below the subframe. It's asking for trouble. An oil pan with a large hole in it is pretty useless...

Cast aluminum pan: Greater chance of hitting something and a greater chance of failing when it does.

 

Last time I checked stock pans were steel, and your right there was still oil in the pan however the motor was no good due to not being able to pick it up.

As far as the sticking below the subframe the point is mute. It's mm's not inches. The pan was hit on the bottom not the front face.

 

Regardless of the physical properties of the various metals, the stamped steel still could have bent to the point where it would have split causing the oil to leak out resulting in catastrophic engine failure.

 

Regardless of how you try to explain it away the chances of that cast aluminum pan failing due to striking something are at minimum several times higher than the stock pan.

I agree with your words "stamped steel still could have bent to the point where it would have split". Yes, the steel pan can be split and fail. BUT the cast aluminum pan that is more brittle and hangs lower is going to fail much more often than the stock one.

 

I think it's safe to assume that you simply cannot hit a stock steel pan with a single strike and crack it. It will bend. You'd need to whack it many times in the same place to get it to split, to the point of being unrealistic. It's one reason why carbon fiber isn't good for some applications - it's too brittle.

Cast aluminum is much, much, more prone breakage on impact. Putting anywhere below the crossmember makes is much, much more likely to get struck hard. Simple as that.

What does suck as a consumer is that so many products are 'race-only', and many resellers and manufacturers do nothing to inform you of the financial and safety risks.

So both a downpipe and cast alum oil pan are race-only mods, but one is much less durable than stock and can take out your engine when hit with debris. Yet another reason why ricer bolt-on modding is a risky idea.

Dave

 

First Michel will no more get rid of that car than I would mine he's down, he's upset, but he is no quiter. He isn't some 16yr old kid that just bought the thing and is in over his head. This was a fluke thing. The pan does not sit so much lower as to make a major difference. You could have it be the same depth and this could of happened.




https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=412677&page=12&pp=10

 

JB welds!