Oil pan hole caused by belly cover

monkeytrader · Jun 21, 2018

My 2006 TDI had a large oil leak. I first looked at the normal areas. Then after removing the belly cover I noticed a small leak from the pan. I lightly touched it with a flashlight and boom a large leak.

After removing the oil I noticed a perfectly worn area on the pan. After further investigation it was caused by the plastic belly cover rubbing on the aluminum pan.

I've repaired it however I'm concerned about what caused the belly cover to make contact with the oil pan. Any Ideas?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/noyo2xf5gy36hot/IMG_7614.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wulk110aovjg962/IMG_7616.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/txpgr0fen8tw519/IMG_7621.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pbn0kjeqagoz6wr/IMG_7625.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/piz1vgg2a63qyaf/IMG_7636.jpg?dl=0

chaos2984 · Jun 21, 2018

thats deff crazy. I would cut the plastic piece that sticks up so it doesn't rub again. I know aluminum is soft but i didn't think it was softer than plastic lol.

sptsailing · Jun 21, 2018

That is a very odd development, the actual mechanism of which is not the least bit clear. This would require a great deal of sand or other grit on the plastic, which would need to be combined with repetitive movement of the engine and belly pan relative to each other, and which would also not explain why the aluminum wore instead of the plastic. Are all your engine mounts intact? Do you have a bad DMF, as that could cause the engine to shake more than normal? Do you have mechanically oriented 'friends' who might like to play destructive practical jokes on you?

Tdijarhead · Jun 22, 2018

The plastic didn’t do that, even though it does look like it wore. The plastic would be in worse shape. Most likely you skimmed something, a high curb or road debris of some kind.

Jnitrofish · Jun 26, 2018

I actually can confirm that this has happened on all of my BRM engines, and it is caused by engine and transmission mounts aging and settling, and constant abrasion with oily grit on the plastic belly pan.

The easiest solution in my case was remove the plastic pan and just run my aluminum skid plates. However on one car that I kept the plastic belly pan on I decided to epoxy a strip of aluminum bar to the oil pan to prevent the pan from taking more wear.

sptsailing · Jun 27, 2018

I checked my oil pan today and did in fact notice some slight wear in the same location as the OP's problem. Grit and engine movement might well be able to create such a problem. In the subframe there is a rubber bushing that controls and limits the rotational axis vibrations of these engines. One might examine its condition.

Tdijarhead · Jun 28, 2018

I would never have guessed that plastic would be capable of doing that. One more reason to chuck that worthless dust cover in the garbage and get a dieselgeek panzer plate.

whitedog · Jun 28, 2018

I'm not surprised. I have seen loose a loose zip tie wear through an injection pump line with very little wear on the tie. As suggested, the motor mounts have probably settled.

GreenLantern_TDI · Jul 2, 2018

Plastic will eat carbon based steel so no doubt it will eat aluminium. More and more bearings in industrial settings are plastic and metal. The metal is always the first to go with very minimal wear on the plastic.

monkeytrader · Feb 17, 2019

sptsailing said:
That is a very odd development, the actual mechanism of which is not the least bit clear. This would require a great deal of sand or other grit on the plastic, which would need to be combined with repetitive movement of the engine and belly pan relative to each other, and which would also not explain why the aluminum wore instead of the plastic. Are all your engine mounts intact? Do you have a bad DMF, as that could cause the engine to shake more than normal? Do you have mechanically oriented 'friends' who might like to play destructive practical jokes on you?

Yes my DMF has been an issue for years. I think so, something is cause the engine to drop

monkeytrader · Feb 17, 2019

Jnitrofish said:
I actually can confirm that this has happened on all of my BRM engines, and it is caused by engine and transmission mounts aging and settling, and constant abrasion with oily grit on the plastic belly pan.

The easiest solution in my case was remove the plastic pan and just run my aluminum skid plates. However on one car that I kept the plastic belly pan on I decided to epoxy a strip of aluminum bar to the oil pan to prevent the pan from taking more wear.

I sit the plastics to eliminate the wear. Bu I'm going to try epoxy a strip of aluminum .

turbocharged798 · Feb 18, 2019

The factory VW plastic is heavy in glass fiber. Glass is far harder than aluminum and thus will wear though quite easily. One of those things that seem weird on the surface but once you look at the science behind it, its nothing special.

runonbeer · Feb 19, 2019

Whenever I saw a car come trough the shop with that tell tale wear, I would JB Weld a penny to that spot on the oil pan.

Oil pan hole caused by belly cover

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