"Rust is not a valid reason for calling an oil pan a POS. It is an example of poor maintenance and owner neglect."

Steve ol' boy you've been drinking wayyyyyy too much German beer.

 

Yup, or sniffing glue.
I have repainted the pan twice and when I do an oil change I wipe down the bottom of the pan with oil.
It still has developed pits and is rusting. My 77 Chevy plow truck has the original pan and is in better shape than the 03 Dodge.
I have to agree with others,,,the original Dodge pan is a POS.

 

steve since you live on the other side of the world from us / here i will cut you some slack these oil pans are sub standard plain and simple we have 10 dodge cummings trucks and have replaced 3 so far and need to replace 3 more thats y i am here looking for a good price on a pan These are all plow trucks but we have others a 1997 chev for example the oil pan on that 1 looks like new the truck looks like sht but the pan is good and if i want a new 1 its $100 not $500
Also to all those who say it is soooooo hard to change an oil pan on these trucks ...lift the truck from the front frame just to get the axel out of the way 4x4 (i know nothing about 2wd) loosen motor mounts . remove trans mount and the fan shroud .lift motor at harmonic balancer . remove pan and pick up as simple as that first one takes 4 hrs then 2 hrs each after that. We do have a drive on hoist and that does make it easier It may be shade tree/red neck but it works for us . And to all you all that want to correct me on my grammer/spelling/punctuation /ect save it for someone who cares thanks BB

 

Steve, the point is the pan needs replacing. Can you help the OP or are you only here to stir up trouble with your poor attitude?

 

Completely uneducated opinion! These oil pans as well as other engine manufacturers rot out constantly. You think for one second detroit went to a fiberglass oil pan cause it was lighter??

 

In order to prevent my pans from rusting out, I spray them with Fluid Film. I also wash my trucks undercarriages down on a regular basis as well. You can pick it up in an aerosol spray can at AutoZone.

 

a 1997 chev for example the oil pan on that 1 looks like new the truck looks like sht .Same company Same maintainance Same due diligance Bla Bla Bla these oil pans suck our duramaxes and our power strokes dont need new oil pans call it what you want but i call it sub standard .We have all 3 brands and only have to replace oil pans on the dodges As well we have a 2000 dodge (2nd gen) the oil pan on that truck is original and looks like new but if i needed a new one its only $150 I wonder why Cause they cant sell them because they dont rot out OMG

 

For those that disagree with my statement, I will probably never convince. It is their choice. These oil pans are stamped and drawn in the same manner all other pans are made and they use the same steel alloy. Corrosion is always a maintenance issue, period. I was born and raised in Boston, Ma. and there the road salt issue is alive and well. Washing the road salt off is normal practice, as well as a good paint scheme. When I bought my truck and before I drove it, I put the truck on stands and painted everything under the truck that was either not painted or painted poorly and I regularly wash and touch that paint up as necessary. I have no corrosion issues. I further suggest that painting an already salt corroded steel piece is not straight forward, as those salt crystals will be embedded in the steel surface. Consequently, repainting without adequate cleaning and neutralizing that salt will not stop the corrosion. This is just as valid for steel as it is for aluminum. It is infinitely easier to do the painting before the corrosion starts than after.

As salt is a base, it needs to be treated with acid, before repainting. I use vinegar on aluminum and phosphoric acid for steel. There are multiple brands of this stuff on the market for this purpose worldwide. After this treatment, use an etching primer, then a hard two part topcoat and the problem goes away. Unfortunately, the oil pan is also exposed to stones and grit and will be chipped, so the additional application of a tar based undercoat will make the pan corrosion free. The problem of inadequate corrosion protection from the factories has been with us forever. Some are worse than others of course, but the problem exists with every brand I know of, including motorcycles. Taking care of this issue is an owner responsibility, otherwise the cost of these vehicles would be unaffordable. This is what I call due diligence.

 

I still live in Mass, your correct with regards to the road salt issues.

Paint bubbling up from underneath a poorly prepped and painted new part is hardly a maintenance issue. Its a manufacturing defect that the end user must correct.

I have changed dozens of Cummins oil pans on everything from the old NTC engines upto the N14's. For several years we were changing out powerstroke oil pans due to rotting, Ford could not stock enough of them. International DT466's were another favorite.

I think it is excellent that you have the time to clean and paint the underside of your truck. Holding others to that expectation is unreasonable.

 

Yeah, it's not a maintenance thing if the dodge crap rusts where any other vehicle doesn't. I live in NV where rust is not a problem for anyone. I picked my truck up from the local dealer, had about 30 miles on the odometer. Now the rear differential cover is orange and the oil pan dented way toe easy (lol). Also there is some serious rust starting to show up around the drivetrain in different areas. Did I mention I live in the desert, and nobody I know has rust problems with any other brand. Just shotty paint and prep when you see rust on new parts. A properly painted piece of steel shouldn't require phosphoric acid as preventative maintenance.

 

You are probably a nice guy but are really missing the point
If corrosion is always a maint issue than explain why so many of us have vehicles (mine are far older than my Ram) that are maintained identically to the Ram but yet the Rams oil pan is the only one that's failing.

Also the pans are not made in the same manner.
For instance, my Subaru has an aluminum oil pan and you can see the metal is thicker on my 77 chevy oil pan.

You are talking about how you took your brand new truck and before you drove it you painted and repainted every surface.
Why the heck would you have to do that? I haven't ever had to do it for any other vehicles.
You don't buy a brand new vehicle expecting to immediately have to perform work that should have been done at the factory.

Corrosion is not always a maintenance issue, period.
Corrosion can be the result of poor manufacturing, period.

 

I don't know if my oil pan is good or bad, but it's nice to know that it has an advocate in Germany.
John

 

You can't blame dodge for a pan built by cummins they farm stuff out just like the rest of them I would say to buy your next pan strip it, blast in, PRIME it, then paint it, it should last longer!

 

For the non-believers here. I painted the underside of the Ram, because of my experience with two new Corvette's, a new Mazda, two Kawasaki's a new BSA and a new Harley Road King. They were much worse than the Dodge. Another more common problem is dry fasteners. The factories cannot afford to use anti-seize on every bolt. As an owner, you cannot afford not to. The use of anti-seize prevents the ingress of water into the treaded hole. This is a really big issue on bikes, because the screws are usually cadmium plated threaded into aluminum holes. Once wet, you have a battery causing electrolysis. Although the screw thing is not so critical on cars and trucks, I still do it. It's only a PIA once and it pays big dividends later on. Even if you don't do your own maintenance. If you have your truck serviced by others, they charge by the hour. The more trouble they have, the more labor you're charged.

 

For the gentleman that insists this issue is a factory issue, consider the result of you insisting adequate painting is done under the truck before you purchase. I suggest to you that the guy will sell the truck to someone else before he paints it underneath. If you elect to purchase, once you pay the money, you own the issue regardless. You can **** and moan forever claiming it's a factory problem, but you're going to pay no matter what. So, it really comes down to fix it now for cheap or buy a new oil pan down the road for $500............your call.