Plastic Oil Pans

First intake manifolds, then valve covers, now oil pans:

http://www.designnews.com/article/315513-Plastic_Oil_Pans_Present_Major_Integration_Opportunity.php?nid=2334&rid=673706

They took the opportunity to integrate the pickup and tubes, oil filter mount and lines, and windage tray.

Uses a resin/fiberglass mix, supposedly good for 150 C.

Nice looking piece IMHO.

Time to invest in Nylon futures!

Carter Shore

VW needs these... They can't keep the steel or aluminum ones under their cars as it is!

It doesn't mention anything about sound. Lots of companies are using thicker aluminum pans to reduce engine noise and also using them to add rigidity to the block, sometimes with pans that bolt around the perimeter and also to the main cap/block girdles. I bet the service guys just LOVE the idea of a one-piece plastic pan/sump assembly...sounds like a PITA.

Bryce

The Brown Stig wrote: VW needs these... They can't keep the steel or aluminum ones under their cars as it is!

Oh no they don't. Here's the parts counter conversation:

Home mechanic - "I need an oil pump pickup for a 2015 Passat"

VW counter guy - "Sorry sir, that is only available with the Oil Pan Kit #Q49687346"

Home mechanic - "Ok, how much for the kit?"

VW counter guy - "$876.23 and you will need to order new oil pan bolts because they are torque to yield. I can have it for you by next Thursday."

Home mechanic - "Nevermind, I'll just JB weld the old one back together."

If you think I'm joking, try to buy a PCV valve for a VR6......

I'll pass. Thanks anyways.

Give them a few more years and the entire engine will be plastic and have a sticker on top that reads:

No User Serviceable Parts Inside.

Toyman01 wrote: I'll pass. Thanks anyways. Give them a few more years and the entire engine will be plastic and have a sticker on top that reads: NOT INTENDED FOR SERVICE OPERATION.

Fixed

Nashco wrote: It doesn't mention anything about sound. Lots of companies are using thicker aluminum pans to reduce engine noise and also using them to add rigidity to the block

And as in air intake manifolds, glass-fiber-reinforced nylon provides good mechanical and acoustic attenuation properties. it doesn't?

slefain wrote:

The Brown Stig wrote: VW needs these... They can't keep the steel or aluminum ones under their cars as it is!

Oh no they don't. Here's the parts counter conversation: Home mechanic - "I need an oil pump pickup for a 2015 Passat" VW counter guy - "Sorry sir, that is only available with the Oil Pan Kit #Q49687346" Home mechanic - "Ok, how much for the kit?" VW counter guy - "$876.23 and you will need to order new oil pan bolts because they are torque to yield. I can have it for you by next Thursday." Home mechanic - "Nevermind, I'll just JB weld the old one back together." If you think I'm joking, try to buy a PCV valve for a VR6......

Yeah but my 92 Nissan 240sx required replacing the entire front cover to replace the oilpump, at a cost nearly equal to the one you quoted above. Its nothing NEW. Its just different cause its plastic. IMO, I'd rather buy a plastic oilpan just for the pickup than an aluminum front cover just for the oil pump housing. Plastic is cheaper to make so the potential for cost savings is there.

Plastic seems to make sense for oil pans, as long as they're non-structural.

Since the whole deal is integrated, not likely you would need any individual part. Seems to me that the oil filter part would be most likely trouble area, as the only portion that will see regular human interaction. Nothing else moves. More likely that the whole assembly would be compromized by impact damage or heat. In which case, the recyling yard would be your friend. Nylon is repairable by 'welding', ie it can be remelted and filler added. But I don't know if I'd be willing to tackle it.

The Polimotor Ford engine that was raced used Torlon composites for a lot of the major bits:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_engine

Torlon is a marvelous material, when reinforced with carbon fiber it can be quite strong. It's best use seems to be as a bearing material.

But it's quite co$$tly (don't ask how I know)

Carter

Are the drain plug threads helicoils? Seems like some clod at the jiffy lube could create quite a fiasco by over torquing the threads and cracking the pan.

could always do the old GM thing with the filter intergrated into the bottom of the pan.. make that the drain too

mad_machine wrote: could always do the old GM thing with the filter intergrated into the bottom of the pan.. make that the drain too

interesting, but it sounds like it would make ground clearance an issue. What cars had this?

it wasn't.. the whole filter assembly was inside the pan... you unscrewed the bottom panel and it was just a paper filter you removed..

Later Iron Dukes had that godawful pan assembly.

It looks like a big round plug in the bottom of the pan, about the diameter of an oil filter. Usually has a boogered up hex on it from someone at a quick lube place.

Shawn