I took the Jeep for an oil change yesterday, the fellow put it on the ramp then approached me. I can't change the oil your sump is leaking badly, if I remove the drain plug it may disintegrate! he said.
True enough the sump has had a slight leak since I bought it, but I thought the guy was being over dramatic

I have sent for some Metal Putty guaranteed to fix it according to the E bay ad and will have a go at repairing it myself, but if that fails where the hell do I get a sump?, does the engine have to be removed to change it?.
I could well do without this hassle

 

You mean the oil pan? You don't have to pull the engine, just lift the vehicle enough to let the axle droop so you can get the pan out. If you were in the U.S. you would have no problem finding a pan brand new. wwwrockauto.com may help you.

 

Rockauto is good. Just make sure they'll ship to Scotland. Another poster had trouble getting something shipped to Norway.

If you use the putty, be sure the pan is clean and free of oil, otherwise it won't stick. I repaired a Chevy oil pan this way. I had to let it drain overnight and use alcohol to wipe it until it didn't seep out. I sanded the area so it was good and clean and applied Liquid Steel. Then I painted it with Rustoleum paint with a brush, not a spray can. 3 years later, it still wasn't leaking.

 

Hello; I have applied the metal putty over all the thin areas, I'll leave it overnight then paint it with thick paint tomorrow.
The only sump / oil pan I could find was a secondhand one on E Bay, the guy wanted £95 - it may have been as bad as the one on my Jeep.
If it still leaks I will drain it and use more putty.

What oil should I use when I change it?, the handbook recommends 5w30, but the booklet at the supermarket advises 10w40 for the V8 in the UK - so I bought 6 litres of the 10w40.
My last car a Jaguar 4 litre V8 used the 10w40.

 

IMO, I'd use the 10W30 for a basic all around service. I believe 10W40 would be too thick when it gets cold and 5W30 is good for an engine with less than 100,000 miles on it. Your choice.

It gets pretty cold here in upstate NY. I'm running a full synthetic 10W30 oil in my 4.0 liter with 138K miles on it. It runs 50# cold and 40# hot at idle.

BTW, treat the 4.7 well. It is a fragile engine.

I've worked part-time for an instant oil change shop and you'd be amazed at how many rusty oil pans I've seen! It seems the manufacturers don't paint them very well. People don't seem to realize they rot from the outside. I've told many of our customers to paint them, but nobody does. I guess they figure they won't own the car long enough to worry about it.

This is where you come in!

 

The pan was still leaking after applying the metal putty

So I have ordered a new pan and gasket from Rockauto, the total order was £175 UK, the shipping from their warehouse in the US cost more than the parts!.

I plan to keep the Jeep for a couple of years so at least the job will be done right