Oil Change From [censored]!!!

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I changed the oil on my dad's Suburban on Saturday. I was sick, and my stomach was hurting but I did it anyway. Well, the oil overshot and missed the pan, and I ended up lying in a pool of oil. So after I was done I had to clean up about 2 quarts worth of oil off of the garage floor... I feel your pain.
 
Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
This should be in the humor section.
grin.gif


My story from about three years ago:
So I'm covered in house paint from an afternoon of painting and decide "since I'm dirty anyway, I'll just replace that defective power steering switch on my car". I put the car up on my 3-1/2" ramps, it's a bit close, but I can make it. Squeeze under the car. Open end wrench doesn't work. Crawl back out and get a socket wrench. Crawl back under. Proceed to unscrew the old pressure switch. OOPS, of course power steering fluid starts leaking out, quite quickly, too. I look over at the new pressure switch, just out of reach and still with the protective covers on, hmm... I'll just screw the old switch back in, unfortunately, I can't seem to get the threads started. By this time I'm achieving a "personal best" at fluid spillage (not counting the Chuck & Rick "I thought you put the oil drain plug in" incident back in 1976). The switch, now covered in oil, slips from my fingers and rolls away, far far away. I am now laying in the huge oil puddle, all contorted, under the car, holding my finger over the port, like some little Dutch boy, but in a very uncomfortable position. OK, I'll reach over and get the new switch (the one with the protective covers still on). One of my muscles, still tired from the afternoon of painting, doesn't like this strange twisting, stretch, and decides to charlie horse. I finally got the new switch in, but what a work-out. I wonder what the torque spec is for a new switch? I just tightened the #$%^&* thing up and crawled out from under that mess. On a positive note, I did put a piece of cardboard down before I started, so not too much of the oil ended-up on my driveway.

It happens...


Might need to change your screen name to Dutch Boy Rick - hilarious!
 
Changing the clutch in my MG got to be a much bigger job than I figured. Start with the fact that the transmission has a cross brace underneath that's part of the car, so it can't be removed unless the engine comes out. Clutch job? Engine comes out.

Snapped off the air injection pipe when I tried to unscrew it. Just one of those parts that leaves a hole in the exhaust manifold. Fortunately, I found one cheap on eBay.

Used a come-along to pull the engine out, suspended from the rafters in my garage. Seems the ratchet mechanism on this quality product from a well-known far-eastern country was a bit dicey. Came out of the car okay, but as my buddy was ratcheting it down, I was reaching for the wood blocks to put the engine on when the ratchet let go, dropping the engine from about 3 feet up onto the floor. Thankfully, my foot was not under it, the car was not under it, and the only damage to the engine was a slightly flattened oil pan. Cheap come-along went in the trash.

New clutch kit required pressing the old release bearing off the clutch arm and pressing the new one on. Had to find a shop with the right press to do that.

Putting the engine back in with a better come-along, find out I can't line up the transmission shaft with the engine. Much fiddling under the car, and much worse without an engine hoist that can be moved around. Finally conclude I have to unbolt the motor mount cradles to lower the engine enough, and two of the studs snap off. New motor mounts ordered.

Finally get it back together. A little voice says to check the clutch operation BEFORE putting the rest of the world back together. Shoot. Clutch won't release. Bled the hydraulics again. Still won't release. Dad asks if I greased the splines on the transmission shaft first. Uh, no, wasn't in the clutch kit instructions or the service manual.

Engine back out, very sticky coming out again. That must have been it! It was stuck on the shaft. Greased the splines, this time it goes together smoothly putting the engine back in.

Clutch STILL won't release. Finally notice that the spring fingers on this aftermarket clutch looked different from the OEM clutch. Finally stick a mirror and flashlight through the starter hole, and see the pressure plate doesn't budge at all. A kindly fellow MG Midget owner measured his clutch arm travel for me, and confirmed I was getting the right amount of travel at the clutch arm. It's got to be the wrong pressure plate, though it's in the right box.

Send out for the OEM clutch kit. This time, the pressure plate looks like the old one. Engine comes out again (boy, it gets easier the more you do it), and another clutch kit goes in. Engine goes back in for the third time. This time, the clutch releases. Success!

Spend the next several hours putting the carb back in, the starter, the radiator, exhaust connection, oil pressure gauge fitting, fuel line, radiator hoses, heater hoses, and making good progress.

Just before I refilled the cooling system I glance and notice the cooling fan is on my workbench, not bolted to the fan clutch behind the radiator. The radiator is already in. There's no clearance to squeeze the fan in and bolt it on, the radiator has to come out. Again.

Time for cold one.
 
Being so careful carrying the full used oil drain pan, somehow dropped before I could get to my used oil container = bad mess in the garage & of course wife standing there got lubricated too.
Then (on the same OC), after much time cleaning used oil spill, pour fresh oil in the engine... done... except she says "why is all that oil running down the driveway". It's best to reinstall the oil pan plug before adding 5qts of oil to the motor.
I've done much better ever since.
 
Originally Posted By: Errtt
Being so careful carrying the full used oil drain pan, somehow dropped before I could get to my used oil container = bad mess in the garage & of course wife standing there got lubricated too.
Then (on the same OC), after much time cleaning used oil spill, pour fresh oil in the engine... done... except she says "why is all that oil running down the driveway". It's best to reinstall the oil pan plug before adding 5qts of oil to the motor.
I've done much better ever since.


Ive done the same thing once, forgot to install the oil plug, wasted 4 qts of good oil. just be sure to wash up good after used oil contacts your skin, oil is known to cause skin cancer in the state of CALIFORNIA.
 
It was the summer of 1993 and I was doing the first oil change on my new Jeep Grand Cherokee. The drain plug was very tight but I got it out with a 6 point socket and a breaker bar. The oil was draining and I moved topside to change the filter. It too was very tight. The oil filter wrench slipped and I lost a patch of skin over a knuckle. i went inside and washed my hands and bandaged my knuckle. I got the filter changed, oil plug back in place and added my Mobil 1. I double checked everything and started the engine. It sounded normal but the oil pressure gauge stayed on zero. I shut off the engine, checked the oil level(full) and checked for leaks(none).

After considerable head scratching I looked over everything for the 6th or 7th time. When the oil filter wrench slipped I had broken the oil pressure sender unit. It wasn't leaking but it also wasn't sending a signal to the gauge. Big sigh of relief! No damage to engine other than the sending unit. It was Saturday afternoon and the parts department at the Jeep dealer was closed. I called several auto part stores and was told that the Jeep was a new model and they didn't have the sender unit. I gave up that day as I had other things that needed to be done. On Sunday afternoon I tried again. i finally spoke with a parts guy who was smarter than the other guys(and me). Although he didn't have a listing for the Grand Cherokee, he realized it had the same 4 liter 6 cylinder that the Cherokee had been using for years. He had one for the Cherokee and of course it was the exact same part. Problem solved. I went and purchased the part and it took about 5 minutes to install.

The Grand Cherokee is long gone but I still have the scar on the knuckle as a reminder.
 
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[/quote]
Ive done the same thing once, forgot to install the oil plug, wasted 4 qts of good oil. just be sure to wash up good after used oil contacts your skin, oil is known to cause skin cancer in the state of CALIFORNIA. [/quote]


Good thing I don't live in California!!
 
Originally Posted By: docmac86
It was the summer of 1993 and I was doing the first oil change on my new Jeep Grand Cherokee. The drain plug was very tight but I got it out with a 6 point socket and a breaker bar. The oil was draining and I moved topside to change the filter. It too was very tight. The oil filter wrench slipped and I lost a patch of skin over a knuckle. i went inside and washed my hands and bandaged my knuckle. I got the filter changed, oil plug back in place and added my Mobil 1. I double checked everything and started the engine. It sounded normal but the oil pressure gauge stayed on zero. I shut off the engine, checked the oil level(full) and checked for leaks(none).

After considerable head scratching I looked over everything for the 6th or 7th time. When the oil filter wrench slipped I had broken the oil pressure sender unit. It wasn't leaking but it also wasn't sending a signal to the gauge. Big sigh of relief! No damage to engine other than the sending unit. It was Saturday afternoon and the parts department at the Jeep dealer was closed. I called several auto part stores and was told that the Jeep was a new model and they didn't have the sender unit. I gave up that day as I had other things that needed to be done. On Sunday afternoon I tried again. i finally spoke with a parts guy who was smarter than the other guys(and me). Although he didn't have a listing for the Grand Cherokee, he realized it had the same 4 liter 6 cylinder that the Cherokee had been using for years. He had one for the Cherokee and of course it was the exact same part. Problem solved. I went and purchased the part and it took about 5 minutes to install.

The Grand Cherokee is long gone but I still have the scar on the knuckle as a reminder.



On various Jeep forums, there are a few postings each week about someone doing an oil change and knocking that sensor off. I have come close to it a few times myself!
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: docmac86
It was the summer of 1993 and I was doing the first oil change on my new Jeep Grand Cherokee. The drain plug was very tight but I got it out with a 6 point socket and a breaker bar. The oil was draining and I moved topside to change the filter. It too was very tight. The oil filter wrench slipped and I lost a patch of skin over a knuckle. i went inside and washed my hands and bandaged my knuckle. I got the filter changed, oil plug back in place and added my Mobil 1. I double checked everything and started the engine. It sounded normal but the oil pressure gauge stayed on zero. I shut off the engine, checked the oil level(full) and checked for leaks(none).

After considerable head scratching I looked over everything for the 6th or 7th time. When the oil filter wrench slipped I had broken the oil pressure sender unit. It wasn't leaking but it also wasn't sending a signal to the gauge. Big sigh of relief! No damage to engine other than the sending unit. It was Saturday afternoon and the parts department at the Jeep dealer was closed. I called several auto part stores and was told that the Jeep was a new model and they didn't have the sender unit. I gave up that day as I had other things that needed to be done. On Sunday afternoon I tried again. i finally spoke with a parts guy who was smarter than the other guys(and me). Although he didn't have a listing for the Grand Cherokee, he realized it had the same 4 liter 6 cylinder that the Cherokee had been using for years. He had one for the Cherokee and of course it was the exact same part. Problem solved. I went and purchased the part and it took about 5 minutes to install.

The Grand Cherokee is long gone but I still have the scar on the knuckle as a reminder.



On various Jeep forums, there are a few postings each week about someone doing an oil change and knocking that sensor off. I have come close to it a few times myself!


I disconnect it on my Cherokee if I'm using my usual oversized (FL-1A) filter.
 
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