Oil pan with hole for sensor (oil level) Good idea?

Obviously the OEM oil pan isn't worth much... how are the oil pans on ebay with the hole for a sensor?

Maybe having an oil level sensor would be a good idea? Difficult to install?

777funk said:

Obviously the OEM oil pan isn't worth much... how are the oil pans on ebay with the hole for a sensor?

Maybe having an oil level sensor would be a good idea? Difficult to install?

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I'd rather spend money on keeping the pan from getting trashed than spend money to find out when the pan gets trashed. If you're worried about doing this again then get a real skid plate. There was a recent thread here in which someone went through THREE oil pans and STILL didn't have a skid plate.

Unless you drive in low traffic and good conditioned roads you want a metal skid plate. That's most of us.
Level sensor would be nice, but it's best to look good under the hood every thousand miles or so. They used to have us check at each fuel fill up, long time ago.
Can't recommend ebay for this, unless you find an individual parting out a car. Ebay has loads of stores, they sell junk for the most part, some exceptions.
You can get one in perfect shape from the salvage yard. car-part.com has a great database. Really easy job the third time you do it.

I'd rather be checking oil pressure rather than level. Idiot lights are useless, if it's low enough that your level light goes off, depending on where it resides, may be too late.

There is a long thread about this, an "oil life" sensor can be installed for flexible service life indication.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=38390

KrashDH said:

I'd rather be checking oil pressure rather than level. Idiot lights are useless, if it's low enough that your level light goes off, depending on where it resides, may be too late.

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The OP took a rock to his oil pan, that's what this thread. Concerns about oil pressure would be moot had he had a skid plate. The instances of random engine-threatening oil losses are pretty few and far between. Only cases in which someone's oil pan was taken out or a turbo oil feed line blew are you likely to encounter any oil pressure issues: yes, there are others, but statistically insignificant to be campaigning for some watchdog solution. Yes, I tend to like gauges too, but they shouldn't be seen as any defense mechanism, not like a skid plate. Again, people should have skid plates if they're worried about oil pressure losses.

Check your oil often. Drive (with a skid plate)

UhOh said:

The OP took a rock to his oil pan, that's what this thread. Concerns about oil pressure would be moot had he had a skid plate. Yes, I tend to like gauges too, but they shouldn't be seen as any defense mechanism, not like a skid plate. Again, people should have skid plates if they're worried about oil pressure losses.

Check your oil often. Drive (with a skid plate)

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I understand this, but the OP is wanting to use a low oil sensor as a defense. It's not a solution to taking a rock, but it's a diagnosis and monitoring tool. Low oil pressure can tell you a lot of things. Combined with a skid would be the best solution. Skid will protect, but it won't tell you anything of what's going on with the vehicle.

I don't run a skid plate. I run a hybrid pan, but I don't subject the car to harsh driving environments other than the poorly taken care of freeways and roads around here.

KrashDH said:

I understand this, but the OP is wanting to use a low oil sensor as a defense. It's not a solution to taking a rock, but it's a diagnosis and monitoring tool. Low oil pressure can tell you a lot of things. Combined with a skid would be the best solution. Skid will protect, but it won't tell you anything of what's going on with the vehicle.

I don't run a skid plate. I run a hybrid pan, but I don't subject the car to harsh driving environments other than the poorly taken care of freeways and roads around here.

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What "defense?" If you blow out an oil pan or a turbo oil feed line you're likely going to drop oil pressure so quickly that it'll be a toss-up as to which would alert you more quickly, the oil light or the needle on the oil pressure gauge (another thing one has to monitor- how often are you going to be looking at it?). And at that point you're likely going to be toast. If one's engine is going through oil in a more gradual manner then simply monitoring oil levels should be sufficient to ward off any oil light or needle drop. If your engine has oil pressure issues due to mechanical issues (pump, bearings etc.) then one should really look to rebuild/fix (rather than driving and watching for some critical level to occur, which will happen, eventually given enough miles- I have not heard of this really being any concern with [these] engines under 300k miles or so).

My driving is all nice highway roads (I'd put them up against anyone else's as to condition). However, it's not the ROADS that are the concern, it's debris. Crap flies off/out of other vehicles, and out in the country there's some interesting stuff that manages to escape. Oh, look! A chunk of firewood in the middle of the road! Swerve? Into the opposing lane with on-coming traffic (a logging truck)? Nope. Off to the right, into a ditch? Not smart either. Hit it head-on, That's the option.

120+ thousand miles and I have yet to have any oil pressure issues. Meanwhile I've hit plenty of crap on the roads.

Just about anything is possible. I operate based on probabilities. If one has plenty of money (and time) to spend to cover more possibilities then good for them.

I'll leave readers with this, from MyTurboDiesel.com:

The aluminum oil pan is easily cracked if car bottoms out in a pothole, is hit by a rock, you run over a road alligator (shredded and blown out truck tires), or hits other road hazards. This article shows installation of a hybrid steel bottomed/aluminum oil pan that is more durable.

However, any good hit will crack the aluminum sides of the oil pan vs. a metal skidplate which transfers the impact to the body through the supports. To decrease the likelihood of cracking the oil pan, refresh the suspension if it's worn out (many years of weight sitting on the springs causes them to sag and the bushings to compress) and get a metal skidplate to replace the plastic water shield.

These cars almost need a skidplate for protection of the pan. It's the low point on the vehicle, it's aluminum and as a result will crack if it takes an impact and between the two that's bad news.

Mine looks like it's been through a war on the bottom, but it's not in any way bent nor has any damage to the vehicle itself been taken. Had I not had one one the car in any of those incidents, well...... yeah.