I'm the same re. Oil Pan. Makes a nice opposite to Breacher as an updated Groundshaker.
TBH, Odieverse Wheelie being a feral child kind of predates my reading any IDW Wheelie comics. It started as an attempt to justify his speaking in rhyme (driven a bit loopy from isolation and the trauma of life on Quintessa) and his affinity for the Dinobots, and then sort of took hold given the character's function and backstory. Not to mention it fits the look of the toy...
The Odieverse tends to include a lot of 'twists' on characters, most of which are pretty silly. Imagine 2 parts Dr Smoov, 1 part Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and 1 part Transformers Animated, and that pretty much covers the general attitude.