Pizza boss said he doesn't want me delivering in my Explorer if it's leaking.

[Josh P]

Give me $1,000 and 2 weeks with your explorer just saying

I think you might have a great business model. Get paid $500 a week to drive someone else's oily car.

 

[donalds]

I think you might have a great business model. Get paid $500 a week to drive someone else's oily car.

I ment I'd fix it for him

 

[98FordLove]

Honestly I'm surprised ya dont smell any with as much as there looked to be leaking

When I pop the hood I just smell a hot motor.

 

[98FordLove]

I ment I'd fix it for him

Wish you were local or anyone on these forums. I would definitely consider it.

 

[Kpar]

Drain the oil. Let it drain for a couple days if it’s at a low spot in the pan. When no more oil is weeping out, clean area thoroughly. With rags/cloths soaked in a good solvent like acetone or brake cleaner. Apply UltraBlack RTV and press a little through the crack so it acts like a plug. Apply some more. Surface area is your friend. Let it cure at least overnight. Refill oil.

I did this on a large puncture in my 5.0 pan 18,000mi ago. Not a drop since.

Yup, I agree this is the best approach at this point. I prefer the "Right Stuff" RTV from Permatex. It seals and cures fast, my buddies and I have used it for years. Some of my other cars are Corvairs, and you know the stories about leaks (even if that problem was fixed a loooong time ago!).

 

[Josh P]

I ment I'd fix it for him

I know what you meant, I didn't think the car would end up in a jackass movie. $1,000 is a good deal for the amount of work involved. Also I figured after 9 pages of banter, I'd join in.

 

[98FordLove]

A few things after using the Honda again for the past couple of days delivering. I believe I'm just going to go back to using the Honda again for delivering, at least for now. Obviously it's better on gas than the Explorer but also it's just more fun to drive than the Explorer and overall just feels a lot less cumbersome when using it for something like delivering. One thing that constantly worried me when using the Explorer delivering was that I was killing the truck and it would just be the matter of time before the transmission went or something else big would go. I know the trannys on these trucks aren't great and mine now shifts perfect and works great.

I don't want to kill the transmission over time with deliveries. Then the truck would be scrap metal for sure and I would lose out big time. I'd rather have a running working truck than scrap metal if I can avoid it. Doing deliveries 4 nights a week with a 26 year old truck just may be too much to ask for. Then the suspension, even though the front end is new as of last year, the truck frame is still 26 years old and delivering with it may take too much of a toll on it over time to the point where I can't even drive it anymore. I just have to keep reminding myself that the truck is 26 years old, my Honda is 12 years old. Big difference.

Also, placing a mat under the truck each time I shut it off I believe is going to become tedious really quick and over time I feel that I'm going to hate doing it. But I may just pick up a mat anyways since they're cheap and drive the truck for a couple of nights and see how I find doing the mat under the truc. But right now I am thinking that I am going to hate doing it 30 or so times a week when parked at the pizza place.

Still trying to convince myself to just convert the Honda as my beater but so far I can't. But honestly I should be driving my Honda everywhere and only use the Explorer for when I need the cargo space or in bad snowy days and need the 4WD. I hate the car buying process. Buy an old car and good chance it has leaks or needs big repairs like timing belt. This is why I tend to favour cars that have a timing chain. Then you have to take the owners word for it that the car was well maintained and the history is accurate. It's a risk for sure, it could last you 3 months for all you know and then the tranny goes or something.

I am still on the look out for a beater car just for deliveries (there is definitely a lot out there) but I really don't want to pay insurance and maintenance on a 3rd car and if I only plan on doing deliveries for another year max (hopefully not that long, at least not 4 nights a week) then I may as well just tough it out and use my Honda.

But the big thing is Im hoping to be able to drop deliveries to only 2 nights a week within the next few months and if that's the case then using the Honda is no big deal at all. Not really worth buying another beater and then insurance on it just to use it 2 days a week IMO. But if I bought a beater car, it would likely replace my explorer for usage (gravel roads) and then my explorer sits and is only used for super bad winter days and when I need the cargo space.

My best beater car purchase was my 96' Buick Regal that I bought 5 years ago and drove it for 18 months and put on 48k km on it. I drove the thing so much in that 18 months that the Honda barely got driven at all. It costed me $450CAD and never gave me troubles ever even starting it in -40C winters, started right up everytime. But that one was leaking too from the oil pan and the pan job was too big of a job (engine had to be lifted) so I left it. But the leak never got any worse over time, I just kept topping it off every couple of weeks.

 

[allmyEXes]

For now, I'm skipping ahead from post #118 to here to make a comment. MAYBE I haven't missed anything. I finally just had to read the thread to see what all the "buzz" (coffee buzz) was about.
This thread brings back several memories. The first is, back in the 1980s at work, we had a 'beater' Chevy Truck that leaked some oil but probably burned more than leaked. It was getting too expensive to put in a new quart of oil every few days. We resorted to using used oil. Shortly thereafter a guy a few door down would give us his 5K synthetic oil with 5000 miles, 8046.72 Kilometers on it. His Honda was new and his old oil still looked new. Now we could do an oil change with filter. After that, we would top of with his oil and when it started to turn some in the Chevy, we would change the filter. He was delivering Pizza in the Honda.
Another Pizza story... Back in the summer of 1985 both me and my brother were delivering pizza at night after working 40 hr a week, day jobs. We both had cars with primer on them. Mine was a 1966 Mustang that was Tahoe Turquoise with small and large swatches of red but closer to brown primer spots on it. Brother's was a 1978 Fairmont with silver paint with horizontal strips of brownish primer on it in various places. It was old brick kind of color of primer. One of his friends would call the paint scheme "urban camouflage". One evening after the July 4th screw over which is a separate pizza story the boss Manager stopped us at the counter on our way in for a shift. He said to my brother "You can't deliver in your car until it has the new paint on it". I asked about my car and he said the same. Brother said that he was going to have to quit and then I did too. Manager then said that he doesn't know what he was going to do about delivery drivers that evening. Then I remember one of us saying something about that being his problem. All I can say is he shouldn't have scheduled us to work July 4th and the primer thing compounded the issues.
Oh, about the 4.0 SOHC Explorer, and this may have been said, you can't remove the top half of the oil pan without removing the transmission.

 

[Josh P]

For now, I'm skipping ahead from post #118 to here to make a comment. MAYBE I haven't missed anything. I finally just had to read the thread to see what all the "buzz" (coffee buzz) was about.
This thread brings back several memories. The first is, back in the 1980s at work, we had a 'beater' Chevy Truck that leaked some oil but probably burned more than leaked. It was getting too expensive to put in a new quart of oil every few days. We resorted to using used oil. Shortly thereafter a guy a few door down would give us his 5K synthetic oil with 5000 miles, 8046.72 Kilometers on it. His Honda was new and his old oil still looked new. Now we could do an oil change with filter. After that, we would top of with his oil and when it started to turn some in the Chevy, we would change the filter. He was delivering Pizza in the Honda.
Another Pizza story... Back in the summer of 1985 both me and my brother were delivering pizza at night after working 40 hr a week, day jobs. We both had cars with primer on them. Mine was a 1966 Mustang that was Tahoe Turquoise with small and large swatches of red but closer to brown primer spots on it. Brother's was a 1978 Fairmont with silver paint with horizontal strips of brownish primer on it in various places. It was old brick kind of color of primer. One of his friends would call the paint scheme "urban camouflage". One evening after the July 4th screw over which is a separate pizza story the boss Manager stopped us at the counter on our way in for a shift. He said to my brother "You can't deliver in your car until it has the new paint on it". I asked about my car and he said the same. Brother said that he was going to have to quit and then I did too. Manager then said that he doesn't know what he was going to do about delivery drivers that evening. Then I remember one of us saying something about that being his problem. All I can say is he shouldn't have scheduled us to work July 4th and the primer thing compounded the issues.
Oh, about the 4.0 SOHC Explorer, and this may have been said, you can't remove the top half of the oil pan without removing the transmission.

That was back when any car 5 years old was $500 used. Some of those cars are now worth a lot. Maybe you and the OP worked for the same guy at different times?

 

[fast_dave]

Also I figured after 9 pages of banter, I'd join in.

 

[98FordLove]

Here's one spot at the back. Its not all mine, they were already here for years but I've made it a tiny bit darker over the past 5 months. Personally I think it looks alright. I'm sure I'm not the only drivet with a leak.

 

[allmyEXes]

Go purchase a cheap bag of oil dry or kitty litter and pour it all along the drip trails and everyone driving through it will scrub it in. All done. All good!
Then when your Manager is not looking, slide a 2'x3' piece of cardboard under his vehicle for one shift to leak test HIS automobile!

 

[98FordLove]

Go purchase a cheap bag and pour it all along the drip trails and everyone driving through it will scrub it in. All done. All good!
Then when your Manager is not looking, slide a 2'x3' piece of cardboard under his vehicle for one shift to leak test HIS automobile!

What should I pour in the drip trail?

Right now I'm thinking about using my Explorer for deliveries once a week. For two reasons.

That way I cut back on the wear and tear on my Honda going from 4 days to 3 days a week and driving the Explorer one day a week, I highly doubt the boss will notice new drops. Obviously it will still leak onto his place but at 1/4 of the rate when I was using the Explorer 4 days a week.

The only thing is, if he asks if the truck is leaking I'll say......?

 

[Mbrooks420]

That “drip trail” is awfully wet to have only gotten a little darker recently. I wouldn’t want that it my lot, it looks terrible.

If he asks you have two choices. Admit you’re driving your leaking truck after being asked not to.

Lie.

 

[allmyEXes]

Oil dry or kitty litter. I edited my mistake... I was absorbed in the Tennessee vs Alabama game. 52 to 49.

 

[98FordLove]

That “drip trail” is awfully wet to have only gotten a little darker recently. I wouldn’t want that it my lot, it looks terrible.

If he asks you have two choices. Admit you’re driving your leaking truck after being asked not to.

Lie.

That's from many years of a lot of delivery drivers passing through the back and obviously a bunch of cars had leaks. It's always been dark, I just added to the spots but I don't think it's as bad as the boss is saying it is. I mean the oil stains go all the way to the end of the curb and he's got oil stains all over the sidewalk and right outside his back door. Does the kitty litter really work? I shouldn't have to pay for it out of my own pocket. If the owner paid for it then I would be fine with it.

I can't lie to him but tomorrow he is off for the night and I will drive the Explorer. I'm going to try to sneak in driving the truck here and there, once a week would be nice, and drive it on his days off and see how long I can go. Two nights a week would be even better just to cut back on the wear and tear on the Honda.

If he asks if my truck is leaking, I'll just say that yes it was but I got it fixed. And if he says "okay" and I drive the truck once a week, I highly doubt he's going to notice the half dozen added drops from a leaking truck that passes through the back one night a week. This is what I am going to try to do, use the Explorer one night a week and this at least will cut back 25% on the wear and tear and mileage on the Honda.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

That's from many years of a lot of delivery drivers passing through the back and obviously a bunch of cars had leaks. It's always been dark, I just added to the spots but I don't think it's as bad as the boss is saying it is. I mean the oil stains go all the way to the end of the curb and he's got oil stains all over the sidewalk and right outside his back door. Does the kitty litter really work? I shouldn't have to pay for it out of my own pocket. If the owner paid for it then I would be fine with it.

I can't lie to him but tomorrow he is off for the night and I will drive the Explorer. I'm going to try to sneak in driving the truck here and there, once a week would be nice, and drive it on his days off and see how long I can go. Two nights a week would be even better just to cut back on the wear and tear on the Honda.

If he asks if my truck is leaking, I'll just say that yes it was but I got it fixed. And if he says "okay" and I drive the truck once a week, I highly doubt he's going to notice the half dozen added drops from a leaking truck that passes through the back one night a week. This is what I am going to try to do, use the Explorer one night a week and this at least will cut back 25% on the wear and tear and mileage on the Honda.

i wonder if you clean it once out of "good faith" maybe boss moss wont be so harsh on that? must say it kinda looks bad though, with all that oil not saying its on you, just as a whole. maybe he could be upset by that and that compounded with your current leak? dunno.

 

[Mbrooks420]

That's from many years of a lot of delivery drivers passing through the back and obviously a bunch of cars had leaks. It's always been dark, I just added to the spots but I don't think it's as bad as the boss is saying it is. I mean the oil stains go all the way to the end of the curb and he's got oil stains all over the sidewalk and right outside his back door. Does the kitty litter really work? I shouldn't have to pay for it out of my own pocket. If the owner paid for it then I would be fine with it.

I can't lie to him but tomorrow he is off for the night
………
If he asks if my truck is leaking, I'll just say that yes it was but I got it fixed.

This is what is called “lying”.

You’re really trying hard to save “wear and tear” on a 100k plus mile old Honda. You better think long and hard if keeping a few miles off a half dead Honda is worth losing your job over. If I told you to stop driving something, and you kept driving it, and THEN lied about getting it fixed you wouldn’t even be finishing your shift.

That oil isn’t all old. It’s still wet. You’ve been given all the advice you could, and you’re going to use none of it.

Your boss also shouldn’t have to pay because you refuse to upkeep your vehicle. You’re lucky you don’t get fined $$$$ for the gallons of oil you’ve been irresponsibly dumping on the ground in the attempt to save yourself some money.

 

[mitch1204]

Such bad news, it was the perfect delivery truck since it saved all the wear and tear on my regular car. But tonight he asked me if my Explorer was leaking oil and I said "not that I know of". He said someone is leaking oil and leaving huge oil stains all over the place at the back. I said there were stains there before and that is true but he said it wasn't as bad as it is now. And he suggested me to not drive the explorer if it's leaking.

Darn. Really wish I could get it fixed. And I'm due for new brakes (and likely rotors too) now too on the explorer. Really don't want to go back to my regular car to do deliveries again and put all the wear and tear on it. I may have to for the time being.

I'll just tell the boss "sorry turns out my Explorer was leaking thanks for the heads up, I had no idea that it was."

The OHV engine it's easy to get the pan off in place. For $100 on Rock Auto you can get a new Dorman pan and Felpro gasket.
As far as JBWeld goes there are different kinds. You want one that is oil resistant. The surface has to be 100% clean. Use carb or brake cleaner to prep it and sand it if you can. If it leaked he didn't prep it right or the gasket is cracked.
Last thought I put a 1996 OHV engine in my 1997 Explorer. I messed up and bought a 1997 rear main seal and put it in prior to the swap, different size crankshaft. Anyways I dealt with a major oil leak until I got back in there. I would have to add a quart a week it was so bad. One day I tried Lucas Oil Stop Leak. The stuff works well. It cut my oil leak down 80%. Someone with a lessor problem I would think they would get better results.
Until you get it fixed keep an eye on the oil level. The bottom of the dipstick is two quarts low and you're safe until there. I was always driveway aware. Park your front end on grass or stay out in the street. No complaints then.

 

[Turdle]

That oil is from the same vehicle, too much of a pattern not to be. Better get some kitty litter and a brick. Brick the kitty litter In, like scrub it in with the brick . Boss will be impressed.