Advice needed on Rusted out & leaky oil pan on 02 SE
 

So, my piece of crap 2002 Maxima SE now is dripping oil slowly from the oil pan (it's all wet). It's not the drain plug, or the gasket on the plug. The oil change place I took it to last time said, and I have also noticed, that the oil pan is very badly rusted with piece of it flaking off etc. So, I need to replace the oil pan. I see there are a few non OEM oil pans on the market, but I'm hesitant to buy a non Nissan one. I tried that with a new muffler when the factory one rusted through by the mounting flange, and it didn't fit right. :bawling:

Basically, this car is a pile. It's 6.5 years old. I've had it since it was new. The oil pan has rusted through, the exhaust system has rusted through several times in several different places and now basically the whole exhaust system needs to be replaced. I'm getting several CEL's on EVAP leaks too. I won't even start on the paint or the brakes. No more Nissan's for me! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Having gotten that out of my system...

Should I stick with a genuine Nissan oil pan, or not? Also is this something I should try to replace myself. I'm pretty handy and have done my own brakes several times, changed out the struts, etc. Or am I likely to encounter all sorts of problems and should leave it to the "experts" at a shop?

My gosh, how do you get a rusted out oil pan on a 6 year old car? Even for the beach or snow, thats unheard of.
SOunds to me like you might not own the car much longer so I wouldn't spend the dough for a "Genuine Nissan" part.

You got me. :confused: Probably the same way the exhaust system has had so many rust problems too. The car is also developing rust spots under the paint on the roof, wheel wells, drivers door, etc too. I even had a control arm snap less than 24 hours after I bought the car too.
I hope to keep the car quite a while cause I'm a cheap bastard. I'm more concerned with the potential bad fit of a non-OEM oil pan than the quality because clearly the original one was nothing to write home about.

sounds like you took "drive it like you stole it" a little too seriously, or you just dont take car of it. at 9x,xxx miles i havent had any problems at all, besides the typical needing gas, oil, etc. and my oil pan is still shiny every time i change my oil. o well. i would get oem, you can get a brand new one for like $60 or call daveB and he'll hook you up

where do you park your car? on grass?

In a garage now. It's always been parked on pavement.

Yes, I'm sure my driving habits (which are pretty mild mannered) have an impact on all the rust on the car.
Sounds like you don't live in a state where it snows and they salt the roads, and isn't the oil pan painted black?
Where can you get a new OEM one for $60 from? :eek: Even the knockoff are over $80.

it shouldn't have been this rusty. maybe the previous owner hit it on bumps?

There's no previous owner. I bought it new. (my first mistake) :o

shiny AKA clean, not rusty or oily or anything, maybe a slight dust coat

http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasit...3-p-52507.html to start, but other sites will have it cheaper, along with daveB.

fix it, then. there is no such a car that is perfect regardless how old it is. cars break down, that's why they need maintainess.

I would call Dave B. and get a new OEM oil pan. I'm sure he will give you a better price than Courtesy's $70.

i think im in the same boat with u but mine isnt leaking..i got my 03 from a NJ driver and my oil pan is pretty rusty too

Does anyone know if the Nissan OEM assembly includes a gasket? It's not shown as a separate piece in the diagram on courtesy parts.

It sounds like you got a lemon I've got 115k on my 2k2 and have no issues with leaking of any sort. I do have a little rust on the lip of my wheel well but only on the piece that bends back into the wheel well not on the body pannel. Thats too bad but don't hate on Nissan cuz it truely is a well engineried great car sometimes there are a few bad apples in the bunch but I really believe its very few and far between. I wish you well and dont let this one bad experience change your view of one of the best auto manufactures out there.

yeah call Dave B. hes a really nice guy and a very helpfull person.

mine did this last year...i saw a rust flake...touched it...fell off and oil started leaking...my powertrain warranty covered it

I think a big part of it is where you live and the type of weather you have. I live in Canada (Ontario) and have a 2k3. The underneath of my car looks pretty decent, but I get the car sprayed with oil every year before winter. They put so much salt on the roads here in the winter that any car that is not rust proofed regularly gets eaten by rust pretty quickly.

Don't mind my asking...how much for the oil treatment? Is it by a machine or just a mechanic w/ a spray bottle??? Is this available in the U.S.??

BTW, I had rust spots on the front of my oil pan . I used POR15 last fall and I just used a gray color w/ the kit so I knew where I put the paint, and it looks great. NO rust where I fixed it. Also used it on a rear door, too, after zero success w/ other stuff...no rust! (atleast where I fixed it!!) There are new spots, but it works great to stop the rust. That other stuff showed rust after a month of winter salt, but this POR15 shows zero damage after I fixed it.

Try this stuff before buying a new pan. Or if you do buy a new pan and are concerned, treat the entire new one before install and it will certainly outlast the rest of your car.:)

I noticed the last time I changed my oil recently that the pan was damp with oil and it did not appear to be the drain or gasket, mine is pretty rust also.

My car must have felt my frustration with it. :eek: Yesterday the thing felt really quick. :confused: It's trying to win me over again I think. :goofy:

how did you have a control arm snap on a brand new car?

You'll have to ask Nissan since they eventually had a recall due to the issue. :laugh:

I've got a rusty oil pan too. In PA w/ 130,000 miles. had 102,000 when I bought it.

POR15 is good stuff. I put that on my '86 Buick Century winter beater where there was rust around the wheel wells, rockers, pretty much every low part of the car haha

Leave a paintbrush with por15 on it and it will be like a rock in the morning. I fixed a cast aluminum '62 220s Mercedes oil pan with layers of heavy duty aluminum foil and epoxy once. I put a hole in it when I pulled off the road...

Where are you? Salt lake city or Acid Falls Kansas? Sounds like all that corrosion maybe a local thing! I personally would remove the oil pan even if I was gonna fix it with POR15. Clean it up remove as much rust as possible. Treat it with rust inhibitor inside and out then brush on the por15 layer by layer! then once finished prime and paint and don't forget to test it with some oil before you install it to make sure your'e not leaking or just buy a brand new pan from Nissan...I've got a 03 and it still looks brand new even under the hood!

Ok, so I ordered a new oil pan from DaveB. He said the gasket should be silicone, he was busy so I didn't press him on it. What is the right type of silicone to use to make the gasket?

I live in Michigan where they put gobs of salt down on the road in the winter. :(

I don't mind you asking at all :)

It's done manually by the guys there and they have more than spray bottles of this stuff. They have sprayers with hoses hooked up to huge tanks of that stuff. There is a variety of places with different products here. Some drips, some is non drip, some is thick and some is thin.

The place I go to is Canadian company called Krown that have a product of their own (http://www.krown.com/). It costs $110 a year, and they actually have a warranty if your car is less than 2 years old when you come to them the first time and you regularly get it sprayed every year. The product somehow bonds with the metal and repels moisture.

They hose down the car with it pretty good, and spray it in all the holes too (parts in the trunk, the doors, etc). Then they wash it, and then your car drips for a week or so. Since I get it done in the fall when it's cold, in the early summer it starts to drip again a bit on those really hot days.

I know you can get their product in small cans to spray any rust spots you have an additional couple of times a year. Obviously it won't get rid of your rust, but they claim it will significantly slow down its progress.

I'm sure there is similar type of places in the US, depending where you live.

Just get some permatex Black or gray and apply in a constant bead and let dry almost to the touch! Make sure both surfaces are super clean, wipe with acetone or MEK...good luck.

I did the replacement today. It was pretty easy. First I drained all the oil from the motor by removing the drain plug from the oil pan. Then I loosened the bolts then pried off the old rusty pan. I cleaned off the old gasket material from the aluminum pan first with a putty knife then denatured alcohol. I used Grey Permatex as recommended by the service manual and then put the new oil pan on and tightened all the bolts down and torqued them.

I let that sit for more than the recommended 30 minutes and then replaced the oil filter with a new Mobil 1 filter. I ended up putting 5 quarts of Mobil 1 in the motor to get to the full line on the dipstick. That was a little surprising to me since the typical oil change is only 4.25, but I saw that service manual said the motor takes 5 quarts if dry.

So, now I just need to find out what the metal line is next to the oil pan that is also rather rusty and should probably be replaced as well. :bawling:

i say go OEM
the reason u have so much rust is because u don't wash and wax your car..
wash it when there's a lot of salt on it as well, even if it's still snowing

Heh, my 02 has just a touch over 60k on the clock. I am the second owner. The oil pan looks like its ready to rust through at any time.

My exhaust just broke at the rear most flange, and the rest of th exhaust system looks like it might rust through.

The front lower control arms and rear axle looks like the powder coat is pealing off.

My car has a 6mt, and the 3rd gear is so bad, no matter what the revs are, it grinds when it goes into gear. I do not race my car, I take care of it. I have replaced the fluid with some redline stuff, and its the same. Double clutching, it still grinds when it goes into gear. It sounds like a beat to **** 5 liter stang when I shift, and with the sound of the exhaust, its embarrassing to drive.

The hood also looks like its going to fly up and hit my windshield when I am going down the road.

Glad to see I am not the only one wondering why I bought this car...

Where you live plays a big part on rust. I bought my max from someone in new hampshire. Lots of rust for sure. Its ok though. My oil pan is rusted also. My exhaust rotted apart but that is just typical nissan for you. Don't get heated man. Brakes are going to go on you no matter what. Oil pan can be had for cheap and can be replaced quite easily along with your oil change. I actually got an OEM exhaust for free from someone on here.

Good luck buddy

scotty 8 don't worry my hood and all 5th gen hoods do the same thing. The exhaust is quite common on maximas, infiniti i30/i35 and altimas also. Oil pans are common to rust on nissans also. Nothing a new oil pan can fix. Or if you don't want to spend 60-80 dollars you can spend 20 dollars and sand the pan, prime it, paint it high temp black and clear coat it and you are good to go.

I'll fix the stuff as it comes up, its just shocking a car this new is suffering from these sort of problems...