basically i'm up shit creek, i put a hole in my sump last night and didn't realise till i went to drive to work this morning. now i'm out in the cold and dark trying (and failing) to remove the sump, the oil return pipe is almost impossible to get to and there is a bolt that i'll have to remove the gear box to get to.

so what will happen if i try and weld it while its on the engine? will the remaining oil burst into flames and kill me and the car?

any help on this one would be greatly appreciated, all this walking sucks ass

itl be fine just disconnect the battery and keep a fire extinguisher at hand lol

I'd try and ring somebody who you know that would be able to answer your question.

In my experience, this forum isn't very good in cases of emergencies or being up shit creek.

If you have nobody to ring, then I understand.

HELLS NO, definately remove it!!!! The area needs to be gas freed before welding, as soon as the oil starts to heat up it'll create an oil mist and then boom! A sump wont be that hard to remove, have another look.

thanks for your help, i knew it was a pretty stupid idea but i just needed some one to tell me it was a stupid idea before desperation got the better of me

exxes dub, it really is that hard lol, i've got every thing cracked off apart from the oil return which i just can't get into and get any leverage, and theres a little piss ant bolt that i've now got loose but can't get back into to get out because the gear box is in the way

take the oil filler cap off if you even think of still trying it

It'd probably be alright as far as fire is concerned,you could seal the breather to starve any flamage of oxygen if it even ignited,but you want to clean the inside of the weld anyway. Burnt oil,swarf,any rogue weld,you dont want any of it in there so you'll need the sump off anyway.

And that'll give you a chance to inspect the pump pick-up for any damage.

If it's dented,you'll be better off with a replacement. they're pennies from a breakers,pattern suppliers sell them new as well as VW too.

But for the driveshaft and sealant,its easy enough to remove/replace.

lol at the replies. 'oil mist will explode'. Oil smokes when it gets hot and smoke is not flamable.

I've done it a few times (albeit on axle casings, not a sump but still have oil in em). The main thing is to get all the oil out and try to clean the area as much as possible. As you heat the sump welding it the chances are that the remaining oil film inside will run out because it has been warmed, this will cause all sorts of spatter but if you keep as much power on as you can then it should be ok.

Disconnect the battery -ve though as has been said.

If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't.

for all the effort it is, I think I'd whip it off.

If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't.

for all the effort it is, I think I'd whip it off.

..and replace it with one from a breakers,myself.

if you do do it.. get someone to video it

and if it all goes wrong, whack it up on the 'tube?

so there is a definitive answer for all desperate clubpoloers to follow! you know its a good cause

I removed the remains of my sump off my 6n2 gti last weekend- what a bloody arse it was! there were two bolts near the gearbox edge which were just inpossible to get off. Eventually i ended up 'chisseling' that side off. Once it was removed i could undo the two pesky bolts. If you do go down the road of using abit of elbow grease then make sure you don't damage where the sump attaches on to as the seal needs to be perfecto

I removed the remains of my sump off my 6n2 gti last weekend- what a bloody arse it was! there were two bolts near the gearbox edge which were just inpossible to get off. Eventually i ended up 'chisseling' that side off. Once it was removed i could undo the two pesky bolts. If you do go down the road of using abit of elbow grease then make sure you don't damage where the sump attaches on to as the seal needs to be perfecto

the fly wheel shoud have two cinda holes in it so if you turn the engine over by hand so thay line up you can get at the 2 other bolts

lol at the replies. 'oil mist will explode'. Oil smokes when it gets hot and smoke is not flamable.

Nooooo, it smokes when its burning! Its a process called pyrolisation, the heat releases the hydrocarbons and the mist has a very high surface area causing it to be very flammable. I can offer you an example, when frying food you get the pan really hot then tilt it to the gas and it ignites. Also chip pan fires are a result of pyrolisation to the point of auto-ignition.

Trust me, i'm not a doctor.

Ok, welding an oily sheet of steel will be fine, explosion wise, its the fact that the sump will retain the build up of hydrocarbons which makes it an explosion risk.

sounds rather stupid n dangerous to me u myt end up with less fingers n skin than u started and maybe a bigger hole in the sump, id whip it off mate theres nufin to taking it off

bit of liquid metal on it? :p

cant you drain the oil,,weld it and put the oil back in??

cant you drain the oil,,weld it and put the oil back in??

I'm sure the oils come out of the hole in the sump...

how big is the hole??????

On an amusing sidenote, sure we've all dropped the oil, had a fag and chucked the remains in the oil.

Buy a new one. What cars it on?

if you do do it.. get someone to video it

and if it all goes wrong, whack it up on the 'tube?

so there is a definitive answer for all desperate clubpoloers to follow! you know its a good cause

Hahaha He ^^ said DO DO!! .lol

whilst we r on this sump subject. What is a valver sump made from. I dont think it is but i need to know wether i am able to weld it. Theres nothing wrong with it but i am going to buy another and weld a bash plate on it. Thats if the material is able to be welded???

Thanks

Kuszpit :)

as said above the flywheel has two cut outs in at a certain point to allow out to access the bolts without removing the box.

Olly

cant you drain the oil,,weld it and put the oil back in??

the oil is all over the road outside my house

after a LOT of hassle i managed to get the sump off but now i've ran out of welding wire half way through, looks like i'll be walking again for a few more days