Removing oil pan 4.6L V8 Deville
 

Hello, i'm new to this forum, and am completely baffled on how to repair my oil pan on my 2004 Cadillac Deville ( 4.6L Northstar V8 )

I hit a chunk of ice here in new york and the ice punctured a hole about the size of a dime into the aluminum oil pain towards the front of it. I tryed to jerry rig a temporary fix with a concoction of JB Weld and Epoxy which did not hold (i think not properly setting with this 0 degree weather we've had in new york)

A local scrap yard sells this oil pan off of a deville for $75 compared to the $450+ from a GM dealership new.

The problem i am facing is this, i am able to remove 11/12 of the bolts that hold the oil pan in, The passenger side or driver side corner towards the back of the vehicle, has one bolt on the cadillac at the scrap yard that i cannot remove. I went to lowes and bought specialty knuckles and swivels, i simply cannot get a socket or wrench on this last bolt to save my life. I could torch it off, but, still i would need to figure a way to take the oil pan off of my cadillac to even put the other on....Is there any way i can avoid removing the transmission from the motor to get to this last bolt!?

PLEASE HELP

UPDATE: I was told by a mechanically inclined friend that JB Weld could be used as a semi-permanent repair, if anyone can confirm or deny this to be true. I was told for this process to work (because i tried to use this firstly on my Cadillac's oil pan, but it still leaked the next day when i added oil) is based alot on how much you prepare the surface where the JB weld is being applied, that it cannot have any oil residue on it what-so-ever. Please help with suggestions, as to this being plausible to get me by until the spring months when it is warmer and i can figure out how to correctly replace the pan myself. I also need help figuring out how to remove the old JB weld from the puncture, what can i use to easily remove that.

You have no idea what you are getting into.......

Just to replace the oil pan gasket is a $1200-1400 job........this is not a 3800 or 3.4 engine........

Hes right, caddy Northstars are a whole different animal. Better off taking to a shop to repair it.

few cans of Wal-Mart carb cleaner will remove oil around the area
then you could try {permatex the right stuff} its in a can
at AutoZone over the jb weld repair
its suppose to be able to be back in service instant
THIS IS NOT BUT A TEMP REPAIR UNTELL YOU CAN GET IT IN A SHOP

the permatex is a silicone gasket maker I would think would seal off oil that's seeping past the jb weld

I would put some on a surface in the same temperature as the car then you can cut it in two to see if it fully cured before you use the car

be sure to watch the area still until you can get it in a shop

IF YOU DONT LIKE THIS IDEA SEE ABOUT HAVING THE PAN WELDED UP BY A SHOP WHILE ITS ON THE CAR IF IT CAN BE GOT AT

we got it to work with one tube of JB water weld , it took about 20 minutes to do and i just put it over top of the excess jb weld, it's been 3 hours still no leak, hope it gives me time till the spring to tear the motor from the tranny when its warmer out. just want it to temporarily hold.

I would be just driving it to a shop......if that let's go while driving you are talking an engine, not an oil pan....

I was kind of baffled about this, until I looked it up online:
| Repair Guides | Engine Mechanical Components | Oil Pan | AutoZone.com

One of the instructions advise to 'Remove the trans-axle assembly if necessary'. I wonder if this is one of those 'if necessary' times, which sounds stupid.

So I interwebbed, and assuming the 2001 is similar, you may find this thread to be of interest:
Changing the 2001 Deville Oil Pan Gasket

Simply put, it's dumb. If you have collision insurance, that may be worth the trouble of getting your insurance company involved, because quite frankly, I am baffled at how stupid that job is to do from the looks of it.

The problem is, no room, and getting to the bolts at the rear of the pan, which is hard to access due to the exhaust pipe and transmission......

Basically, you need a lift..... you need an engine lift assembly, to hold the engine/transmission up while you drop the cradle......you also have to disconnect the exhaust manifold to lower that pipe....depending on the vehicle, in some cases you have to remove the tranny, in others you don't......

Like I said, this is a 1200-1400 dollar job compared to a 2-300 dollar cost for the same job on a 3.8 oil pan.....about 5X's the cost.....

Agree with Rjolly....let the insurance company pay for it......

I did many northstar lower end reseals during my stent as a dealer mechanic. And yes you can't remove the oil pan because the exhaust pipe that runs under the oil pan. And you can't remove the exhaust pipe without removing the transmission. I found it easier to drop the engine and transmission on the sub-frame as a unit then remove the engine from the trans and sub-frame after its out from under the car. It's definitely not a at home job.