Rust inside oil pan???

[Azca]

Been working on the rig this weekend, chasing oil leaks, got one more to do after today. The latest repair was a leaking #2 oil pan, anyway when pulled and cleaned it I found what appeared to be surface rust on one side of the pan.

Is this common (I hope!)

As an aside she does burn oil, not a lot but you can smell it (not see it) in the exhaust. Loose a quart about every 2- 3k miles. I did not notice water in the oil pulling the pan but then again I wasn't looking for it...

Oh, one more item that may play into this. I had this in my solvent tank for about half an hour with mineral spirits. Would that have affected it?

 

[blkprj80]

Weird... Looks like an area that never got paint at the factory. I wouldn't worry at all about it. I looked but I didn't find any pictures of the inside of my oil pan, so I don't know what mine looked like there.

Ooh, ooh, found a pic of mine! I'm not sure if it's rust or not... There was a lot of stuff in there though!

 

[Timpanogos Slim]

I agree: weird, must not have gotten paint.

It's normal for there to be some moisture in the crankcase.

Go over it with a wire wheel and lay down some rust-converting primer? *shrug*

 

[Mikesta]

Quality control wasn't that great in the 90's... people were still getting over the 80's

 

[western flyer]

If you paint the rust I would try make sure the paint is compatible with the inside of an engine. I have some paints from Eastwood that note on the label to not use them inside an engine. On the other hand, the pan would not likely get very hot...

 

[Azca]

So you guys don't think it is a problem with a HG or other leak into the oil system?

 

[nuclearlemon]

oil residue should be keeping it from rusting