Oil Pans

Situation

School buses, county and state service vehicles and public utility vehicles all have oil pans that are susceptible to serious damage during routine driving condition. Rocks and road debris often ding or dent the pans. They can also scratch the thin paint exposing the bare steel underneath to corrosion, rust and eventually leakage. The road debris can even puncture the oil tank, especially after repeated impacts. The risk is compounded when the vehicle travels on gravel or dirt roads or on rural routes.

A fleet of school buses in the Midwest was experiencing this problem and looked to LINE-X® for a strong, durable protective coating that would provide long-term impact resistance.

Procedure

The oil pans were removed from the vehicle and taken to the local LINE-X store. There they were thoroughly cleaned to remove any oil and contaminants prior to the aggregate blasting. This ensured that contaminates were not ground into the steel during the etching process. After blasting, the pans were sprayed with SF-515 automotive coating to promote adhesion and ensure that rust would not spread if the LINE-X was never compromised. LINE-X XS-100 was then sprayed at a minimum of 60 mils for impact resistance, preferably 70-90 mils. Pans were completed in 1-2 days.

Note: care must be taken to avoid spraying the mating surface of the oil pan to the engine block to ensure proper reinstallation. Additionally, the oil drain petcock is left uncoated.

For larger fleets, LINE-X coated pans can be switched out with un-sprayed pans during routine maintenance for even less downtime.

Solution

LINE-X XS-100 was applied in standard black on the outside of the pans to provide sustainable impact resistance. The application was completed with limited interruption in daily activities.

Results

After considerable time in the field, not a single pan has had problems. The company continues to take oil pans to their local LINE-X to increase the life of their assets.