Work log from way back when

I got the heads up today that the car might be leaking oil. I crawled under it to find a 3-4" crack in the oil pan. Yup, it drips about 3 times a minute which isn't insignificant. I'm not going to go into why it's like this because I don't want to throw my keyboard across the room.

It looks like I should be able to remove the oil pan without touching the engine or loosening the mounts. One corner is covered though so I'm not sure about that yet. Hence my question.

1.Can I remover the oil pan without touching the engine?
and
2. Can I use an aftermarket epoxy or spray to seal the crack. Is having it welded or replaced my only solution?

Thanks all for your help. Jon

 

I found
How to remove the oil pan
Answer
OIL PAN
REMOVAL
Drain engine oil.
Remove front engine mount bracket. Refer to Engine Mount - Front, in this section for procedures.
Remove powertrain bending strut.
Remove structural collar from oil pan to transaxle Structural Collar - Removal and Installation
Remove transaxle lower dust cover.
If equipped with air conditioning, remove oil filter and adaptor. Refer to procedures in this section.
Remove oil pan.
Clean oil pan and all gasket surfaces.
INSTALLATION
Apply Mopar® Silicone Rubber Adhesive Sealant or equivalent at the oil pump to engine block parting line Oil Pan Sealing
Install a new oil pan gasket to pan.
Install pan and tighten screws to 12 N·m (105 in. lbs.)
Install oil filter and adaptor.
Install transaxle lower dust cover.
Install powertrain bending strut.
Install front engine mount and bracket
CAUTION: The torque procedure for the structural collar must be followed, as damage to oil pan or collar could occur.

Install the structural collar Structural Collar - Removal and Installation using the following 3 step torque sequence:
Step 1: Install the collar to oil pan bolts and tighten to 3 N·m (30 in. lbs.)
Step 2: Install collar to transaxle bolts and tighten to 108 N·m (80 ft. lbs.)
Step 3: Final torque the collar to oil pan bolts to 54 N·m (40 ft. lbs.)
Fill engine crankcase with proper oil to correct level.
Another method thread for removing oil pan
Cold welding compound to fix the crack
I think if I go through all the trouble to fix this thing, I'm either going to have it welded or replaced. Unless a trusted member says that cold welding has as good a chance to work as any other, then I'm not going to risk the time and effort.
99 Neon Sport,
DOHC with atx

 

All done.
Yes you do have to remove the front motor mount, and yes it is a bit of a pain to get the top bell housing bolt back in. The rest is pretty much clock work. I was able to find a DOHC Neon in a j/y so salvaged the pan from that for under $20. The whole project cost under $50 and took probably 5~ hour including drive time.

I reused the gasket which I'm a little concerned about. It's one of those expensive ones so I'm sure it will be fine. The one I removed at the j/y looked like it had gasket sealer holding it which I'm sure would have also been fine.

If anything pops up, I'll post back with updates. So far so good.

Also, there are a few steps in the procedure listed above that weren't necessary. Don't read that and thinks it's gospel. It isn't.

 

I've fixed a lot of trans cases after the diff pin ate thru them with JB weld. They have been on the road for years with no problem. I don'y see why it wouldn't work on an oil pan. Just make shure its CLEAN.