All engines, regardless of type, must use oil to keep all the contact points lubricated inside the engine. The oil also helps, to some degree, cool down certain components inside the engine.
The purpose of the oil pan is to hold all the engine’s oil both while running and when turned off. The pan must be large enough for all the oil to be stored in it when the engine is not running but also must have pickup tubes and baffles to pump the oil to the top of the engine when it is running.
Some oil pans today still use a gasket, whereas most modern vehicles use some form of RTV or liquid silicone sealant. If the gasket or mating surface is leaking, the oil pan will need to be removed and the sealant or gasket replaced, depending on the type of vehicle.
Oil pan gasket replacement can range in difficulty, and thus, the labour cost is dependent on the type of vehicle.
How Much Should Oil Pan Gasket Cost??
The oil pan gasket replacement cost is going to depend heavily on the difficulty of removing the oil pan. Most gaskets and liquid sealants are relatively inexpensive, so the bulk of the repair is dependent on the labour cost. And as always, the labour rate is dependent on the region.
Let’s assume a labour rate of £70 an hour when tapping the services of an independent shop, and £100 an hour for a dealership. The cost of oil is not included in the price, and many shops will charge a full oil change on top of the pan replacement.
- For a 2010 Ford Focus, the job calls for 2.7 hours of labour. This oil pan uses a liquid gasket. At an independent shop, the labour charge would be around £190 to remove the oil pan and reseal it. The cost of the sealant can range from £13 to £20, depending on the type and brand of sealant used. If the oil pan is being replaced, an aftermarket oil pan can range from approximately £45 to £90, depending on the markup and the brand of pan purchased. At the dealership, the labour would cost around £270 for the same service. The sealant used by the dealership would cost around £15 to £25 depending on the region. If the oil pan is being replaced, the cost of a brand-new Ford oil pan for this vehicle would range between approximately £140 and £175.
- For a 2006 Honda Pilot, the job calls for 6.2 hours of labour. This vehicle uses a liquid silicone gasket. The increased labour on this vehicle is due to the difficulty in removing the pan. This vehicle actually requires the front subframe to be removed to gain access to the oil pan. At an independent shop, the labour would cost around £435 to remove and reseal the oil pan. The liquid gasket can range from around £13 to £20, depending on the type and brand of sealant used. If the pan is being replaced, the cost can range between approximately £60 and £95, depending on the markup and the brand of oil pan used. At the dealership, the labour cost would be around £620. The liquid gasket used by Honda dealers is around £20 to £25. For a brand-new Honda oil pan, the part cost can be in the range of approximately £130 to £175, depending on the region.
- For a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro with a v6 engine, the job calls for 10.8 hours of labour. This oil pan uses a liquid gasket, and the increased labour cost is due to the front subframe requiring removal to replace or reseal the oil pan. At an independent shop, the labour would cost around £755 to remove and reseal the oil pan. The liquid gasket can range from £13 to £20, depending on the type and brand of sealant used. The cost of replacing the pan with an aftermarket part would range between approximately £45 and £80. At the dealership, the labour cost alone would be around £1,000. The liquid gasket that Chevrolet uses costs between £13 and £20. To have the oil pan replaced with a brand-new Chevrolet oil pan, the part can cost in the range of approximately £120 to £155.
- For a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria, the job calls for 6.6 hours of labour. This vehicle has a steel pan and uses a gasket. At an independent shop, the labour would cost approximately £460 to remove the oil pan, and the gasket is in the range of £20 to £35. The oil pan gasket price for an aftermarket variety would cost between £43 and £70 approximately. At the dealership, the labour would cost around £660, and the cost of the gasket is around £50 for a Ford brand. To replace the oil pan with a new Ford brand, the cost of the pan would range between £85 and £110.
More About Oil Pans
Most vehicles will have between four and six quarts of oil for most of the average domestic and Japanese vehicles. Larger vehicles, like trucks or diesel vehicles, can range in oil capacity of up to 15 quarts of oil. Many European vehicles will take between seven and ten quarts of oil, depending on the vehicle.
Most oil pans are made from either stamped steel or cast aluminium. Most older vehicles used stamped steel, whereas on most cars today, you will find aluminium pans being used. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Steel pans are less likely to be punctured by road debris than aluminium pans. On the other hand, steel pans are much heavier compared to aluminium pans. Aluminium pans tend to strip the threads out of the drain plug much more often than steel pans. But unlike steel pans, aluminium pans can be repaired with a timecert.
A “timecert” is a threaded insert that can be installed into an aluminium pan. This insert is permanent and considered a proper repair by most manufacturers.
The old threads are first drilled out to a slightly larger diameter, then the larger hole is tapped with a special tap tool. The timecert insert is then installed into the larger hole and locked in place permanently. The inside diameter of the timer is the exact same size as the original hole, so the drain plug remains the same.
Some places will offer oversized drain plugs. These are only temporary fixes for stripped out drain plug threads. These oversized drain plugs can leak, and once removed for the next oil change, they rarely seal back up properly. Because of this, oversized drain plugs should be avoided.
Why Would You Need Your Oil Pan Replaced?
The number one cause of oil pan replacement is the stripped drain plug threads. This happens when inexperienced technicians over-tighten the drain plug, causing the threads to be removed from the oil pan. Without proper threads, the drain plug cannot seal up tight.
When this happens, the best option is to ask for a timecert to be installed. Some independent shops will not install this, so you may need to see your local dealership.
Most dealerships charge one hour of labour, so depending on the labour rate, the price can fluctuate based on location. A timecert is a permanent fix, so this can save you money if you don’t have to replace the entire oil pan.
The second most common cause of oil pan replacement is road debris puncturing the oil pan. This happens often, and if the engine is not shut off immediately, your engine could be ruined depending on the size of the hole.
Oil pan gaskets and reseals are very common as, over time, the sealant or gasket breaks down and begins to leak. Most of the time, this leak will continue to progress until you have visual spots of oil on the floor. Having your engine lose oil can cause premature failure due to a lack of proper lubrication.