My worst oil change ever

[oil pan 4]

I was in Japan it was 2003, had a 1993 Toyota exive 1.8L engine five speed manual. It was a free car I got from someone who was leaving to go to another assignment. I checked the oil it was full but it looked like it could really use a change, looked like oil from a old Chevy 6.2 and 6.5 diesel, it was opaque black. Definitely been in there a while.
I changed the oil at the autohobby shop and you were supposed to crush the filter after you drained the oil out of it for recycling, as the Japanese love to recycle steel. When I crushed the filter in the filter crusher carbon that looked like black coffee grounds split the oil filter open and smooshed out of it. There was a lot. The filter was at least half full of this sludge. Yeah I changed the oil again about 500 miles later.

 

[02zx9r rev2]

Cool

 

[JayhawkRoy]

You have lived a charmed life. Worst oil change might include being banned from the craft shop.

Other Worst oil changes must include one or more of the following:
Oil squirting out past catch pan.
Dropping oil filter into catch pan
Oil filter dropped and missing catch pan altogether
Forgetting to put oil pan bolt back into oil pan and watching fresh oil go somewhere.

There's probably more things I have done than this, but I don't remember anymore.

 

[JohnnyG]

Being Japan (been there) OIL was never cheap, and the drivers EVEN CHEAPER! Men over there wouldn't turn on their headlights at night for fear it would decrease their fuel mileage.
Gasoline was very expensive.

I'd have to bet that the oil filter was the one installed at the factory, and possibly the motor oil too!

 

[JohnnyG]

You have lived a charmed life. Worst oil change might include being banned from the craft shop.

Other Worst oil changes must include one or more of the following:
Oil squirting out past catch pan.
Dropping oil filter into catch pan
Oil filter dropped and missing catch pan altogether
Forgetting to put oil pan bolt back into oil pan and watching fresh oil go somewhere.

There's probably more things I have done than this, but I don't remember anymore.

I think I've done every single one of those over the years!
I'll add one more to the list. On and old '62 Chevy Hydramatic, I pulled the transmission drain plug instead of the engine drain plug.
That was actually my VERY FIRST oil change, but certainly not my last!

 

[Kira]

I lived miles away and wasn't keeping track.
How I got the idea to change the oil on his 1983 Buick Regal wagon I do not know.
A cup and a half of oil drained out.

 

[jws555]

You have lived a charmed life. Worst oil change might include being banned from the craft shop.

Other Worst oil changes must include one or more of the following:
Oil squirting out past catch pan.
Dropping oil filter into catch pan
Oil filter dropped and missing catch pan altogether
Forgetting to put oil pan bolt back into oil pan and watching fresh oil go somewhere.

There's probably more things I have done than this, but I don't remember anymore.

Add:

Knocking over jug of new oil somehow after removing cap and foil ceal..
Sloshing used oil over the side of catch pan when moving it.
Overfilling funnel when pouring in new oil.

Yep, done 'em.

Regards,
John

 

[Oillover]

Sadly, my oil change stories were never this eventful.
The worst event I experienced was a filter/diff drain plug that wouldn't budge.

 

[facility1]

17 years oid,had a 1971 ford,351 engine crawled under,drained oil,installed new filter,went up poured in shell fire&ice 7 qts 10w-40 in,,then noticed im standing in a pool of fresh oil in my dads new black top driveway,,,,oh i rember these days....

 

[Ursatdx]

Pulling the fender off a customers old (80'S) Nissan P/U to try and remove the oil filter that had been overtightened.
Had to as I had torn the filter trying to remove it.
Only the base remained and I used a filter "Fang" to remove it.

 

[ripcord]

I figured the OP would end with the shop burned down, a dead pet or worse, lol. My worst was a filter where the seal was half unglued and it squished out to the side letting all the fresh oil pump out on start up.

 

[gfh77665]

I was in Japan it was 2003, had a 1993 Toyota exive 1.8L engine five speed manual. It was a free car I got from someone who was leaving to go to another assignment. I checked the oil it was full but it looked like it could really use a change, looked like oil from a old Chevy 6.2 and 6.5 diesel, it was opaque black. Definitely been in there a while.
I changed the oil at the autohobby shop and you were supposed to crush the filter after you drained the oil out of it for recycling, as the Japanese love to recycle steel. When I crushed the filter in the filter crusher carbon that looked like black coffee grounds split the oil filter open and smooshed out of it. There was a lot. The filter was at least half full of this sludge. Yeah I changed the oil again about 500 miles later.

Actually that's one of the best oil changes, ever.

 

[Skeet6]

Mine was surely forgetting to check for the rubber seal (still attached to engine). Screwed new filter on, filled oil and made a huge mess in the driveway once I started the car.
Mike B

 

[wpod]

17 years oid,had a 1971 ford,351 engine crawled under,drained oil,installed new filter,went up poured in shell fire&ice 7 qts 10w-40 in,,then noticed im standing in a pool of fresh oil in my dads new black top driveway,,,,oh i rember these days....

You are not the only person that has done that.

 

[someonesomewhere]

Had detailed my engine bay the day before. Drain, filter change, replace plug, fill oil. No drips anywhere, nice!

Started car to pull off the ramps. Left the fill cap off. Engine bay looked like it had the measles, oil speckles everywhere. So irritating!

 

[pcf]

Pulled car (Crown Vic) on ramps.
Drained oil.
Left ramp collapsed and smashed oil pan. Huge mess. Go through a lifetime supply of Costco kitty litter.
No apparent damage to car.
Jack up car and get it off of ramps.
Fill with oil with 5qts and realize that I didn’t put the drain plug in.
More huge mess. Out of kitty litter. Throwing down all the newspaper and cardboard I can find.
Jack up car and reinstall plug, leave covered in a smelling like lemon grass.
Fill with oil, change clothes and move car.

Then it was a mad dash with a pressure washer and shop vac to clean up oil.

 

[SaberOne]

After having one nasty encounter with ARCO Graphite, I gave up on doing my own oil changes.

 

[Astro_Guy]

I believe it was a Honda Civic purchased as Certified Pre-Owned. The filter was on so tight that I had to purchase one of those tools that basically cuts into the filter body to get a grip. It didn't end there. The threads on the nipple were dmaged making it difficult to thread on a new filter. This got so much worse after the second change that I took it to the Honda dealer to have them change the nipple. It was clear sailing after that.

 

[2015Corolla]

Men over there wouldn't turn on their headlights at night for fear it would decrease their fuel mileage.

There might be some members here who do that.

 

[oil pan 4]

There might be some members here who do that.

Worst case scenario using headlights costs an half mpg in an economy car.