Oil pan replacement question?
 

Ok, Ok, I yield to the expertise of the Honda guru's. Here's the deal.

I currently have a 1996 civic Hx handed down to me from my wife after we upgraded her car. During the last oil change I managed to strip the threads from the pan around the drain bolt. I temporally fixed this with a 1x oversized self taping pan bolt. Now I want to replace the pan and this is where I'm running into some difficulty.

When searching online I find that the stock pan for the d16y5 is the same cast aluminum pan used on the d16y8. However, the pan that's currently installed on the car is stamped steel. My wife informed me that before we met, her mechanic had stripped a previous pan. She of course doesn’t know how it was repaired but my assumption is that he got a steel pan from a d16y7 to replace it because it was cheaper.

So, do you think this assumption is correct. Am I able to replace the existing pan that I believe is from a d16y7 on my d16y5 or is this some aftermarket replacement meant to replace the aluminum pan specifically. I have read mixed reports about the interchangeability of oil pans on the d series blocks. Visibly the only difference I can noticeis that the aluminum block has a bolt in baffle and the steel has a welded in stamped baffle. The bolt pattern seems to be the same in the pictures I have found on the internet. I'd like to know for sure before I go ahead and lay out the cash to purchase a pan that isn't going to work.

Finally, if this is indeed the case would there be any significant advantage to refitting the stock pan at the increased coston a daily driver( i.e. are these engines known to have any cooling issues where the heat sinks from the aluminum pan are needed to keep oil temps under control)? If I did refit a stock pan I assume that I would also need to purchase a new baffle for the aluminum pan thus increasing the cost further.So I would like to get a steel pan from a d16y7 if it's possible.

All help is appreciated and thanks in advance.

Andy

RE: Oil pan replacement question?
 

Whatever pan you get, make sure to use a new crushwasher on the drainplug bolt from now on when draining. Also use a torquewrench so you don't strip threads, and you may also consider a tiny bit ofanti-seize on the drainplug threads.

I dunno if the pans are interchangeable, but you shouldn't worry about adequate cooling through the oilpan, as you can always install an auxiliary oilcooler. Somebody else may know about pan swaps though.

RE: Oil pan replacement question?
 

I think either will work as long as you get a new gasket that is for whichever pan you use. The aluminum one uses a different style than the steel one.