The steel sump that was on my car was great. I couldn't avoid a rock that fell from a passing vehicle trailer. Huge bang. Pulled over into a layby within yards and checked. Oil pressure gauge showed no loss of pressure. A dent in the bottom of it though. Not a big/deep one. No visible leaks. Dipstick checked ok. I drove carefully home, 40 miles, checking the gauge regularly. Engine still ran sweetly.
Years later when changing the gasket I thought about pushing the dent out ( hammer and dolly). Didn't do it in casethe steel cracked. The dent wasn't near the oil pickup. I did look at a higher capacity sump upgrade but didn't bother.
Good old steel sump.....I dread to think how an aluminium sump would have faired!
Re cleaning oil pist oil change.....yes some spillage from the pre-filled filter. Brake cleaner sprayed to get rid of it. I had that mentality embedded by my dad. Do a job on the car and look for anything to clean.
Brake pads/ drums? Cleanliness is a part of the job.
