Did you ever screw up a simple oil/filter change ?

[Scali62]

Everyone makes mistakes ! I've seen good mechanics pour new oil in the crankcase before screwing the drain plug back in only to have 2 quarts on the floor before noticing it when I worked @ a dealership.

But I got to tell you what I did once, a kinda Bonehead thing.
I seem to remember I was in a hurry that day, changed the oil & filter simple enough. I always run the truck & check for leaks, check oil pressure, it was fine.
Kept the truck running put the tools away then went for a ride. About 2 miles into my ride the truck's cab engulfed in smoke. Immediately I shut the engine off & parked . What the F ? blown engine, oil line, gasket ?.
ANYWAYS, all the oil comes pouring out the side of the engine but I couldnt tell excatly from where due to all the smoke from the oil spilling on the hot exhaust & engine. What a mess , big puddle of oil on the ground, smoke galore.
Called my brother & he came & towed me home.
After getting home I checked the filter, she was on tight, didnt forget that, then I removed the filter.
Hmmmmmmmmm 2 gaskets, Theyre were 2 oil filter gaskets on the F.ing thing with a crimp on them both where the oil blew through . When I changed the filter the old filters gasket stuck to the engine { I allways coat the gaskets with oil } but it somehow happened, & I didnt notice it.. When the truck reached a certain oil pressure & rpm into my trip it just blew out inbetween the gaskets...
Embarrassing, messy, but no damage to the engine & I was happy that it was a minor thing.

 

[Scali62]

just wanted to add that I'm available if anyone needs thier cars oil changed @ discount prices

 

[labman]

Does buying Fram count? Been there, done that on forgetting the oil plug. Maybe my worst mistake was buying a cheap filter wrench. Might be OK if you had 180 degrees to take up the slack and turn the filter. Worst part is that I already had the 16'' Channellocks I eventually discovered works great.

 

[Scali62]

Labman I guess you need a little room for those filter wrenches to bite before you can turn the darn things ! I have a pair of those big channel locks, come in very handy from time to time.
thanks for the reply

I guess I put this topic on this board as a " "TIP" to make sure the old filter gasket isnt stuck to the engine before installing the new filter, oh well freakish stuff happens sometimes.

 

[JohnnyO]

Same thing happened to a friend of mine once. Ever since I always check to make sure the old gasket came off. Worst time I ever had was getting the filter off my grandfather's car once. Easy to reach, just wouldn't budge. Ended up hammering a big screwdriver through it -[_]- and shredding it trying to get it off. Finally did but what a mess.

 

[DockHoliday]

I totally botched changing the oil in my boat once. In boats, it is common to suck the oil out through the dipstick hole. Anyway, I purchased this electric pump which turned out to be useless. I purchased a 5 gallon blue blastic fuel container to store the used oil. Had a line running from the pump into the container. I stuffed paper towels around the oil line as it entered the contianer to keep the hose in place. The pump was not working well, and as I was messing with it, the hose came out of the container, and sprayed oil all over the place.

I ended up tossing the pump in the garbage and went out and purchased a manual pump. This **** thing sprayed out out me, which kind of pissed me off. I endured and got all of the oil into the blue container. Lots of oil everywhere now.

Could not get the oil filter off, so had to purhcase a strap wrench (another trip). I got the filter off and was surprised to find it over full, and a decent amount of oil spilled out. More oil everywhere. I poured the contents into the blue container, then put the near empty filter in a blastic bag. Bag had a hole, more oil spilled.

The oil change took 2 hours, and cost me a fortune.

 

[Scali62]

JohnnyO, yeah, I'm glad it happened in a way as you could imagine from now on I make sure the old gasket comes off.
This is also one thing to consider when taking your car to jiffy Lube, mistakes can happen when doing simple oil changes & the oil could blow through the gaskets a couple days later , just as you get on the highway. Better off doing the job yourself.
DocHoliday,
I too have been through thoses inboard motor boat oil changes, thay was a good story, quite a visual

I always made sure I used synthetic oil in my I/O because & changed it once a season because pumping the oil out the darn thing was such a pain in the *** .Oh well, dont have the boat anymore anyways, ex wife saw to that.

[ October 29, 2003, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: Scali62 ]

 

[dickwells]

My favorite was actually belonged to one of my coworkers. He had a chevy pickup with the 4 speed tranny, they are a big thing with a drain plug in the bottom. His teenager volunteered to change the oil, which he did, a couple of days later he says "the truck seems to be smoking a lot more since I changed the oil". Checked the dipstick and found that the oil was all the way up to the top. Turns out the kid drained the tranny and added 5 quarts to the engine! Yea, it was a little high.

 

[Scali62]

Dickwells, thats funny. That kid wasnt too bright, bet he went on to become a politician

 

[dickwells]

Actually, he is now a mailman (no offense to the mailmen on board).

 

[Chris142]

quote:

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Originally posted by Scali62:

I guess I put this topic on this board as a " "TIP" to make sure the old filter gasket isnt stuck to the engine before installing the new filter.[/QB]

---

My dad is the king of this! Several times in my life I have had to go rescue him and bring a filter wrench and oil.

 

[Scali62]

Chris142,
I guess it's more common then I thought. Was a first for me & hopefully a last. I wonder if it stems from not oiling the gasket before installing the filter, I may have been light on the oil that one time. But it was a good lesson.

 

[Drew99GT]

Just don't use a death grip when installing the new filter. And for sure do not use a wrench to install it. Just hand tight with moderate presure until it stops turning is enough, if you lubricated the gasket. Don't continue trying to get it as tight as you possibly can. That way, you can unscrew it by hand as well without any special filter wrenches.

 

[labman]

I think much of the problem is with the range of hand tighten from one person to the next. I know there are guys out there that could over tighten by hand, and some that may need a wrench. I have always oiled the gasket and tightened them up by hand as tight as I could. They have never leaked or loosened, and always came off easily with a wrench. Hand tighten for me leaves them on the light side of the newer 2/3 - full turn after the gasket contacts the engine directions. So I would say, aim for that range, and don't go past it even if you can by hand. Only use a wrench if you have to, to reach the 2/3 of a turn.

 

[Scali62]

Thanks guys for the replys but I believe there's a little misunderstanding going on here. What I was refering to is the time I installed a new filter when the old filter's gasket was stuck to the engine. The thing is it doesnt leak { @ first } , filter tightened OK, but after you hit a certain RPM & oil pressure the oil just blows out from between the 2 gaskets.
Oh well,

 

[Spector]

I forgot to replace the oil filler cap on a Plymouth Reliant once. At a light wondered where the smoke was coming from, pulled into a lot, popped the hood and stared at a small fire on the block. Oil was splashing up on to the block and eventually flamed up. Fortunately, was able to blow it out, the cap was still there so put that on and wiped up the excess and went on.

Scary though!

 

[Scali62]

Spector, that reminds mre of the time I tryed to add a couple ounces of Marval mystery oil while the engine was running , it blew this light stuff all over, LOL<

 

[mikep]

Oh sure. One of the few times I had an oil change done at a quick lube joint they put the filter on so darn toght that the next time I went to change the oil, it wouldn't budge. I proceeded to crush the end of the filter with the filter wrench. So now, not being able to use a filter wrench I had the brainstorm to drive a long screwdriver through the case and turn it off with the scredriver handle

. That made a bigger mess. I ended up taking a different car to the local auto supply and buying the biggest pair of channel locks you've ever seen in your life. That did the trick. Simple oil/filter change took about 2 hours and cost me about $50.00.

Mikep

 

[pacem]

I was changing the oil in 350 Chevrolet and while under the car got confused the turned it the other way. Got it really tight before I realized it was the wrong way. Then tried to loosen it. Tried various wrenches. No help. Tried driving a screwdriver through it. No help. Just shredded the thing.

by that time, I am really frustrated at my own stupidity, getting claustrophobic under the car and annoyed and it started to rain and got colder. I am already messing with it for a day. Hard to imagine how things could get worse but they did. I get the bright idea that I should now take the car a few miles down the road to an oil change place. I put a few plastic bags around the oil filter and tighten them with a belt.
I ask someone and was told no way you can drive this now. I am thinking, why? Start the engine, look under the car and see oil bursting out of it. Incredibly, I still don't make the connection, get in it and drive .... for 2 miles or 120 seconds. I know that number well because that's how long it takes to totally seize the engine.

Ended up with a used engine, 100K on it. My old one had 160K miles, was a good engine, did not burn much oil and could probably last for a while, but such is life. This one is also pretty good.

And yes, I still change my own oil.

[ November 05, 2003, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: pacem ]

 

[Schmoe]

Changing the oil in my Olds once, tried to be quick and bypass the drain bucket. Jacked up the car, had just barely enough room for an empty 5 quart oil jug and funnel to fit underneath the oil drain. Took the drain plug out, freakin' thing fell right smack in the middle of the funnel with the threaded side down in the bottom, i.e. no oil would then drain into the jug. Nobody at home. Had to sit there and hold the jug while nice, hot oil overflowed the funnel and took off down my driveway, all 5 quarts of it. Won't be doing that again.