Long story short - cheap magnetic drain plug from Amazon failed after 8 oil changes. Lost all oil in the oil pan.
Details:
I bought a magnetic drain plug from Amazon, but seems like it is made from a very soft metal that failed fairly quickly. I was out of state. On a straight and empty road I heard my engine getting gradually louder and oil light came on. Immediately I put the car in neutral, shut off the ignition, and coasted to the shoulder. Upon inspection I saw that the drain plug freed itself and got lost at some point, so all the oil drained out. As some of you remember - I had Mobil 15w50 in the sump. (more info here:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4457582/Re:_Mobil_15w50_in_0w20_engine#Post4457582) I was far away from my stash, so could not top it off with more 15w50. So I requested an Uber to the closest AutoZone and bought 5qts of STP 0w20 and STP Extended Life oil filter, along with a new drain plug. Then Ubered back to my Scion on the side of the road. Put the new drain plug in, and added 4qts of 0w20. That got it to the FULL line. Full capacity is 4.7qts, so I guess not all of the oil drained out. Left the old filter on the engine.
Started the vehicle, no abnormal noises were noticed. After a few minutes I checked the oil level again and it was still on the full line. Then I returned the extra quart and oil filter back to AutoZone as I did not need it anymore. So I finished my trip without any more issues, and learned my lesson - never buy cheap magnetic drain plugs again. Oh and always have a set of tools in your car. My small toolcase saved my and many of my friends' cars multiple times.
In other thread I promised to do a UOA of 15w50 after 7k miles, but obviously that wont happen now. I will however do a UOA in 5k-7k miles on this fill of .7qt of 15w50 and 4qts of STP 0w20 synthetic to see how the oil loss affected the engine. I am glad that I had 15w50 in the engine, because as we know - oils with higher viscosity form a thicker film on engine surfaces. Hopefully that myth will be confirmed in my case. A UOA will show I guess.
Enjoy your Sunday!!!
Details:
I bought a magnetic drain plug from Amazon, but seems like it is made from a very soft metal that failed fairly quickly. I was out of state. On a straight and empty road I heard my engine getting gradually louder and oil light came on. Immediately I put the car in neutral, shut off the ignition, and coasted to the shoulder. Upon inspection I saw that the drain plug freed itself and got lost at some point, so all the oil drained out. As some of you remember - I had Mobil 15w50 in the sump. (more info here:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4457582/Re:_Mobil_15w50_in_0w20_engine#Post4457582) I was far away from my stash, so could not top it off with more 15w50. So I requested an Uber to the closest AutoZone and bought 5qts of STP 0w20 and STP Extended Life oil filter, along with a new drain plug. Then Ubered back to my Scion on the side of the road. Put the new drain plug in, and added 4qts of 0w20. That got it to the FULL line. Full capacity is 4.7qts, so I guess not all of the oil drained out. Left the old filter on the engine.
Started the vehicle, no abnormal noises were noticed. After a few minutes I checked the oil level again and it was still on the full line. Then I returned the extra quart and oil filter back to AutoZone as I did not need it anymore. So I finished my trip without any more issues, and learned my lesson - never buy cheap magnetic drain plugs again. Oh and always have a set of tools in your car. My small toolcase saved my and many of my friends' cars multiple times.
In other thread I promised to do a UOA of 15w50 after 7k miles, but obviously that wont happen now. I will however do a UOA in 5k-7k miles on this fill of .7qt of 15w50 and 4qts of STP 0w20 synthetic to see how the oil loss affected the engine. I am glad that I had 15w50 in the engine, because as we know - oils with higher viscosity form a thicker film on engine surfaces. Hopefully that myth will be confirmed in my case. A UOA will show I guess.
Enjoy your Sunday!!!