Hi everyone - newbie here.

My partner hit a curb in her 2007 Honda CRV. This caused a hole in the oil pan, a circle that’s about 1.5" in diameter. We are broke as hell, so we could not afford the $1400 it was going to cause to have our usual mechanic fix it.

I’m just starting out at a job working on trucks and I took a few automotive tech classes. I’ve taken a transmission oil pan off and put it back on before, so I figured I basically had this in the bag.

Long story short, I don’t. Mostly because it looks like the engine is mounted AT the oil pan, so I’d need to learn to jack up the engine and the transmission, which I don’t have the expertise or tools to do…?

Being broke as hell, we are also busy as hell, and the car has been sitting at the curb outside for over two months now. I really did not realize how much time is passing.

The hole has been sitting uncovered.

How many pests can I expect live in there by now? We are in Portland. It’s rained a lot. How bad is the rust situation going to be?

My partner has spent so much time and dedication trying to keep this car in good shape. I really want to do everything in my power to fix however badly I’ve screwed up here. I’m going to be spending today FINALLY learning what it is I need to do to properly support the engine and transmission so I can do the oil pan replacing job, but I’m worried it’s not the only job.

Today, I want to slap some flex seal on the hole, the way I should have a long long long-ass time ago. I’m considering spraying compressed air around in there first?? Will that help or hurt?

Thank you for reading. This is a potentially really big screw-up and I’m very anxious about it so help is appreciated.