Changed my oil by myself the first time

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Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: semaj281
We've all made mistakes at some point.


Heck, I've done a pile of oil changes over the years, and can probably count on one hand the number of times that I have not made a mess.

At least you didn't blow up your own shop probably didn't forget to open the drain pan and spill 5.5 quarts of oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Towncivilian
At least you didn't blow up your own shop probably didn't forget to open the drain pan and spill 5.5 quarts of oil.


No, not that bad. My aim is a little off a times, that's all.
wink.gif


If I spilled 5.5 quarts of oil, I'd probably be laying next to the puddle, having had a stroke.
 
Originally Posted By: zerosoma
there's a lot of pros on here.

at least they'd like to think so. This is precisely why a person cannot be honest on a message board. People belittle and hurt and scream things at people they never would in real life.

Way to go for ruining my night. I would like this thread closed in honor of the jackasses who are trying to make this a world-record breaking deal.

thanks.


Well, don't be too bummed out. You can't change it now.

I am curious what the car sounded like while you ran it without oil?

I'll hope for the best for you and your car! I'm sure it will go more smoothly next time.
 
Originally Posted By: hpichris
Had a friend once pour engine oil without putting the drain plug back in. That was a fun mess.


Nothin wrong with flushin more of the dirty oil out.
lol.gif
 
I've experienced an "oilmeggedon" or two. Everybody makes mistakes, you're learning. Sorry about the rude and insensitive responses.
 
Quote:
I still remember my first time .........
lol.gif


As for the OP....stuff happens. This just seems like quite a bit of stuff.

The cash for clunkers engine kill shows how long an engine can run without oil.

Very entertaining thread though.
 
Wow. We'll another lesson hopefully learned. DON'T DRIVE OR EVEN MOVE A CAR W/O OIL IN IT! Unless you plan on pushing it with the engine off. The good news is you've learned from the experience, by posting it here. You probably did little to no harm to the engine.
 
I remember my 1st time as well. It was a 85 VW Golf. With the drain pan full of used oil underneith the car, and a pan full of new oil, I thought I was all done without any mishaps. So, ready to clean up, I lowered the floor jack. Turns out there wasnt enough ground clearance between the drain pan and the motor. The drain pan cracked and 4+qts of old black oil dumped all over my moms newish driveway.

On Another forum, I remember a person posting about his drain plug being stripped. in order to change his oil, he would remove the filter and start the car to pump out the old oil. Replce filter and fill the sump, good to go. Said he had done it for years.

After watching a bunch of "cash for clunker" videos, I think there was very little damage to the OP's engine. However, I would never have even thought about turning a key to the on position with no oil in the car. Heck, I even remove the keys from my cars when I change the oil as a reminder to double check my work.
 
Originally Posted By: zerosoma
there's a lot of pros on here.

at least they'd like to think so. This is precisely why a person cannot be honest on a message board. People belittle and hurt and scream things at people they never would in real life.

Way to go for ruining my night. I would like this thread closed in honor of the jackasses who are trying to make this a world-record breaking deal.

thanks.


Man don't let it bug you. Funny part is a lot of people wouldn't be big enough to post if they make the same mistake. But you can be sure they'd be big enough to criticize.

Best way to learn is to get out and do it and you did. You should still be proud that you did it. The car seems fine and now you know you can do it yourself. Learned some stuff along the way. Next time will go better.

As Garak said, I too can probably count on one hand the number of times I've made absolutly no mess at all....stuff happens.

Cheers!
11.gif
 
Originally Posted By: zerosoma
I never had any inkling about cars, what to do, what makes them run, and what parts went where. By reading books, having friends' help, and reading lots on here, I have learned so much.



From reading through this thread, you still have a lot to learn...

I agree with the others, as long as the engine was run no more than a minute, likely there was no serious damage...
 
I may be way off base, but I believe most people were being harsher than usual because we thought you were trolling, posting something ridiculous solely to get a rise out of us anal BITOGERs.

I had an incident after a tow where I lost all of my oil through a cocked oil filter. I idled for a few minutes and then made it about a block away before my engine shut down. Luckily for me, my car at the time, an '05 Ford Focus, must have had an oil pressure sensor that shut down the engine as soon as I lost enough oil. She ran fine, but I traded'er in within two months, it bothered me so badly. Actually, there were other issues that had plagued that gen Focus, and this was the last straw, so to speak.
 
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Yea, I left the drainplug off while I was pouring the new oil in once too. It was about 20 years ago IIRC. Got a pan full of clean 10w30. Had to borrow one of my parent's cars to run to the parts store and get more oil.
 
Just for the record, zero, I was not making fun of you.
There will be times when you'll inadvertantly make a mess.
I know I have.
I changed the BMW's oil in the spring, and did not properly tighten the oil filter housing top on installation.
As quickly as I could start the engine, watch the low oil pressure light wink out and get out of the car and walk around the front, it had blown out a whole quart of fresh M1 15W-50.
I was not real pleased.
After cleaning up the underhood mess (not too bad), I then reinstalled the oil filter housing lid correctly, and then backed the car off the ramps.
I then cleaned up the driveway, and then checked the car's oil level.
It needed a whole additional quart.
The moral of the story is that you'll make a mess every now and then, even if it's a job you've done many times before.
Just work through it.
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
Yea, I left the drainplug off while I was pouring the new oil in once too. It was about 20 years ago IIRC. Got a pan full of clean 10w30. Had to borrow one of my parent's cars to run to the parts store and get more oil.

At least you caught yourself before starting the engine without the drain plug on.
 
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