2.7L Aluminum oil pan Edge Sport - oil pressure issue

[Cossie]

Omar302,

"The opening appears to be sealed" – no, it is a wide gap, roughly 1 cm high and 6–7 cm wide, allowing the oil to flow in. This means the oil at the bottom is shielded from the flow occurring above the intake pipe.

The higher engine speed in S mode makes sense, as more oil is being pumped, meaning there is insufficient oil available at the bottom for a brief period.

And, as Samurai Edge also suspects, the missing cover in the aluminum sump is likely the cause of the issue.

[1004ron]

@Cossie you could attempt to make a similar "baffle" from aluminum replication the white plastic one seen on the original pan.

 

Also, what about running with a slightly higher oil level, like an additional 500ml?

 

Are you using the original dipstick?

[1004ron]

44 minutes ago, Cossie said:

So, I’ll probably have to buy a plastic pan—if I can still find one. My search has revealed that none of the spare parts suppliers in the USA ship to Germany.

You could use a drop shipping company.

Buy from US ship to Germany | Free US Address

[Samurai Edge]

31 minutes ago, 1004ron said:

You could use a drop shipping company.

Buy from US ship to Germany | Free US Address

 

I was wondering if there was something like that.  Good idea!  💡

[garycrist]

Pull the pan and cut a new slot in the rear of the pick-up. At the very least debur the entry hole and hog it out to

make up for the volume loss due to a smaller feed hole diameter in the Al pan.

[Cossie]

@1004ron  One could test this by setting the oil level slightly above the maximum mark. It is the OEM dipstick.

[Cossie]

@garychrist

 

That would also be a way to keep more oil in reserve. It should be stable enough, given the thickness of the material. I’ll need to discuss this with my workshop—and also whether a cover should be fitted over the opening, similar to the plastic pan. I’ve also found a dealer who ships to Germany. Surely others must encounter this same issue with the aluminum oil pan when they perform an oil change and then drive at higher speeds? In Germany, some stretches of the autobahn have no speed limit—whenever traffic conditions allow for it, at least.

[Samurai Edge]

12 hours ago, garycrist said:

Pull the pan and cut a new slot in the rear of the pick-up. At the very least debur the entry hole and hog it out to

make up for the volume loss due to a smaller feed hole diameter in the Al pan.

 

I don't think this would solve the issue.  One would think it would not hurt.  You would still be missing the point of the white plastic baffle which is to hold a quantity of oil in a specific area of the oil pick up.

 

Which raises another question:

I could not find an oil pick-up tube in the parts drawings anywhere for this particular pan.  Does this connect directly to a port on the bottom of the engine or is there indeed an oil pick-up tube?

If there is indeed a pick-up tube, then there is another possibility that there is a loose connection of the pick-up tube to the motor  OR  that pick-up tube may be cracked, leading to a loss of pressure especially under high flow, like hard acceleration.

[Samurai Edge]

22 hours ago, 1004ron said:

@Cossie you could attempt to make a similar "baffle" from aluminum replication the white plastic one seen on the original pan.

 

Also, what about running with a slightly higher oil level, like an additional 500ml?

 

Are you using the original dipstick?

 

I would guard against this.  Even if he took the actual white plastic baffle and went to install it in the aluminum pan, the only apparent way to attach the baffle would be to screw it to the pan.  The pans are not that thick so that would most likely crack the pan or cause an additional point of leakage.

 

Another possibility would be something like JB Weld, but I don't know how such a product would last being submersed in oil, even hot oil, in it's lifetime.

[omar302]

13 minutes ago, Samurai Edge said:

I could not find an oil pick-up tube in the parts drawings anywhere for this particular pan.  Does this connect directly to a port on the bottom of the engine or is there indeed an oil pick-up tube?

 

From the photos of the oil pump, it doesn't seem there is any such tube. Only a gasket in the pump that should go over the pick up tube.

Link to the oil pump. 

[Cossie]

The idea is interesting; a similar "baffle plate" made of aluminum could be bolted around the oil pickup—which is made of thick material. It would only need to be a few millimeters long so that it doesn't protrude into the oil passage, or it could be secured on the outside using a pipe clamp. Perhaps I’ll look into installing the plastic oil pan during the next oil change. If the car ends up driving fast again, it will simply be due to the cover over the oil pickup.

[garycrist]

Pull the pan, weld 2 locator studs and use the old plastic pick-up.

Be sure to measure pan to oil pump for fitment.

Also Moroso Coyote Gen3 might be a thought for "raw" material to engineer a pick-up.

(Moroso catalog page number 18)

 

Looking at the pics of the 2 pans and estimating PU IDs the plastic PU ID (inner diameter) I

guestimate it to be .9 inches while the Al PU looks to be about .75 ID.While the slot Looks

to be .75X.75

MATH for area of openings. All measurements are by guesstimation based on the pics supplied above.

Formula for area of circle Pi RXR.

Formula for Al pan PU LXH

Stock .9X.9X 3.14=2.54 SQ inches.

 

Al Pan .75x.75 x3.14=1.77 SQ inches

 

Slot for oil pickup .75x.75=.5625 SQ inches

Even if the slot was 1 inch wide and 1 inch tall, one still can't pull enough oil. 

 

Also I do not think one can separate the stock plastic pick-up from the pan.  

[Cossie]

@garychrist

 

Two positioning pins would need to be welded on, and small threads would have to be cut into the weld points on the original plastic suction pipe to allow it to be pressed down and secured. The plastic ribs within the plastic sump are sealed off, effectively using what look like plastic plugs.

Many thanks for calculating the dimensions; I’ve taken some photos, though I don’t own a set of calipers, and my flexible ruler has rounded edges.

 

<<Furthermore, I don’t believe the original plastic suction pipe can be separated from the oil pan.<<

You would have to cut off the connecting studs to remove the cover, but reattaching it to the aluminum oil pan would be a real piece of custom fabrication work.
For now, I’ll keep driving the car as is throughout the winter; when the oil change comes around in 2027, I’ll have to come up with a solution with my mechanic.
Due to the way they were manufactured, all EDGE models equipped with this aluminum oil pan—and whose owners want to (or are permitted to) drive at high speeds—are affected.

 

Yesterday, I drove 190 km on the motorway, never exceeding 155 km/h. It’s doable, sure... but it’s much more enjoyable when you don’t have to constantly keep an eye on the speedometer needle 😉 and the acceleration remains absolutely "fantastic."

[omar302]

I found a thread in Facebook of a similar issue. Seems the common issue is the aluminum oil pan. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fordedgeforum/posts/2749362808595155/

[Samurai Edge]

8 hours ago, Cossie said:

@garychrist

 

Two positioning pins would need to be welded on, and small threads would have to be cut into the weld points on the original plastic suction pipe to allow it to be pressed down and secured. The plastic ribs within the plastic sump are sealed off, effectively using what look like plastic plugs.

Many thanks for calculating the dimensions; I’ve taken some photos, though I don’t own a set of calipers, and my flexible ruler has rounded edges.

 

<<Furthermore, I don’t believe the original plastic suction pipe can be separated from the oil pan.<<

You would have to cut off the connecting studs to remove the cover, but reattaching it to the aluminum oil pan would be a real piece of custom fabrication work.
For now, I’ll keep driving the car as is throughout the winter; when the oil change comes around in 2027, I’ll have to come up with a solution with my mechanic.
Due to the way they were manufactured, all EDGE models equipped with this aluminum oil pan—and whose owners want to (or are permitted to) drive at high speeds—are affected.

 

 

All the work required by someone who knows what they are doing would not be cheap.  Then, hopefully, there would be zero leaks but it would be something you need to be aware of as a possibility.

This is custom work and the new installed, fabricated baffle would have to be test fitted to ensure there is proper clearance.

  -  This is where trial and error come in.  Been there.  Done That.

  -  On a different vehicle years ago, I had an oil starvation problem on high speed turns.  I had the oil pan modified with extra side baffles and an extension to keep the oil down in the pan.

 

To me, unless there is a failure of the plastic pan,  AND  if a proper OTS aluminum pan existed, only then would I consider such a plan.

 

If the only issue is a leaky gasket, I would just properly replace the gasket.

 

Unless, of course, your plan is to race the vehicle, then we are talking a different situation.

[omar302]

25 minutes ago, Samurai Edge said:

If the only issue is a leaky gasket, I would just properly replace the gasket.

 

The issue used to be because the original pan and even several OEM updated versions depended on RTV gaskets that required extensive cleaning from possible contaminants and long cure/drying time that would eventually leak. Making an official fix unreliable. 

Ford later did come up with a Oil Pan with a press in gasket (instead of the RTV), so the official (latest) fix should be a good one with no need to look aftermarket, in my opinion. 

 

The fix differs between  model years, for the 2015-2017 models is under TSB 24-2345 (link to details). 

Edited yesterday at 04:40 PM by omar302

[Samurai Edge]

Extensive cleaning is the norm when it comes to gaskets.  I remember when they used to use a shellac as a sealant for the gasket on metal pans or anything else under the hood where two parts needed to be joined.  If you wanted the new gasket to seal correctly, it was a pain getting the old shellac off.

 

Most likely repeated leaks after service was due to the Tech, or the individual, not properly cleaning the area before re-sealing.  It takes effort.  Not a 5-minute job.

 

When both are available, I use both a gasket and an RTV sealant.  A gasket helps to prevent over tightening the pan bolts and squeezing out all the sealant.

When no gasket is available ( or also with a gasket ) I have found the Perma-Tex Gray sealant to work really well with oil, or other liquids, like coolant.  You just have to let the sealant cure enough to a " semi-solid " (?) before merging two pieces together.

[Edge5280]

Just a heads up and sorry if someone already posted this. Dorman offered this through Amazon and other places and though the pan ifts and no leaks with a felpro gasket, the sump design is a failure as it doesn't have the OEM style baffling. This results in oil starvation under hard acceleration. Maybe a decent diy fabricator could address this and add a baffling system, but otherwise, no go