Chrysler Repair: Oil Pan need repair on 97 Voyager, plymouth voyager, doubt worth

Question
Hi, I ran over a curb this morning and tore a whole in the oil pan and oil is leaking everywhere.  I don't know what to do and can't afford to pay someone to repair it.  Can you give me some advise on whether it is even worth fixing.  It is a 1997 Plymouth Voyager with 170,000 miles.  It runs ok other than that.  Also, will my manual tell me anything.  Thanks for you time. Sonja Reed

Answer
Hi Sonja,
That is unfortunate, sorry that happened. There are four possible engines that were used in the vans during those years, each with a little different procedure for removing and replacing the pan. So if you write back tell me which one you have. It may say on the top of the engine and will certainly say in the corner of the sticker on the underside of the hood. Then I can give you an exact description of what is involved in r & r the pan.
One idea, depending upon the size of the hole would be to patch it with a piece of sheet metal and some heavy duty epoxy JB weld, if you can get a flat surface upon which to adhere the sheet metal. The pan is probably in the range of $250 for a new one, so if you can remove the old one you could also go to a junk yard and get a good pan off an identical engine. It is no doubt worth trying to repair the hole or replace the pan because the value goes way up if the vehicle is driveable as compared to not. And if you were o.k. with it before the accident it is probably worth much more to you repaired than as a salvage item.
So take a look at the hole and see how big it is and whether it is at a position such that a sheet metal piece could be applied to it and secured in place without leaving any gaps for leakage. If it were really small, you might be able to plug it with epoxy or a plumbing type of expansion drain plug after rounding it out. So let me know the specifics of the engine and what the actual situation is at the hole proper as far as whether there is a flat surface surrounding it and how large is the hole and its shape. It is not inconceivable that you could repair it yourself.
Roland