OIl filler cap -- a tip

[Benzadmiral]

I changed my C230's blood today (TropArtic semi-syn, 10w30. Gotta love those Dollar Tree finds, huh?). As I was finishing up, I knocked the oil filler cap off the air cleaner . . .

. . . and down it fell to the encapsulating panel beneath the engine. I'd been wondering if my car had that panel. Well, now I know.

I located it with a flashlight, and was just able to reach it by hand, though I guess I could have fashioned a fishing hook out of a wire hanger if need be. The weird thing is that this is the second time I've lost an oil filler cap. On my previous car, I lost it because I just hadn't put it back in place when I drove to the auto parts store to get a new 13mm socket. Had to buy a new one. But did I learn? Nooo.

Moral of story: Put oil filler cap someplace safe until you need it! Corollary: Top of oil cleaner is not necessarily safe!

-- Paul W.

 

[Vilan]

Only done that once so far. Topped up the oil in the morning and went to work in the afternoon. While waiting to merge onto the highway, I wondered why I could smell burning oil, and why smoke was coming out of the hood.

Luckily there was a nearby side road I was able to pull out onto. Yup, forgot to put the filler cap back on. And somehow it hadn't moved with all my driving... was still sitting on top of the air filter housing. If I hadn't noticed before I hit the highway, that cap would've ended up lying somewhere in the middle of the Trans-Canada while my engine got painted Glossy 5w30 Black.

 

[JHZR2]

Seriously... Once I went a number of weeks on my 98 S10 ZR2 without a filler cap because I sat it on the battery when adding LC... When I popped the hood a few weeks and a few hundred miles later, guess where the cap was still sitting???

On my w123MB, I left a cap sitting under the hood and closed the hood... it made a tiny little but noticable to me upwards dent... DOH!

No offense, but Id be running a 40wt oil, preferably Mobil 1 0w-40 in an MB engine... Does troparctic even meet MB229.1???

JMH

 

[GoldenRod]

If you guys had OCD like I do, you would have checked the oil filler cap about 15 times before shutting the hood.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Hey, JMH,

The C230 is not the supercharged 4-cylinder, or I *would* be using synthetic and a heavier weight. It's a '97, the year before MB got into the Flexible Service System and began to require synthetic oil.

It's reasonably cool down here in NO now (we got gypped out of winter again this year, but it's better than the vicious heat). And I'd like to see if I can eke out a little more gas mileage.

At the next change, I'm sure, I'll go back to 15w40. If I ever get comfortable with the idea of 6-month oil changes, I might try the GC stuff.

-- Paul W.

 

[Eddie]

I remember a neighbor who puts the oil filler cap on top of his air cleaner and later closed the hood on it put a big dent in the hood. I never leave my oil cap on or in my car anyplace. I leave it on the bench. Now that I've said that I'll probably be the next person who forgets to replace it. O-WELL stuff happens.

 

[johnd]

I lost a oil filler cap, bought a replacement and found the original, still down low on the engine 6 mo. later. I used the spare as a bypass return so I still had a stock one to go back to if I wanted.

 

[Tosh]

>On my w123MB, I left a cap sitting under the hood and closed the hood... it made a tiny little but noticable to me upwards dent... DOH!

I did that once (with a tool) while a teenager with my dad watching and rolling his eyes. Ouch. It's never happened again. It is indeed a bad habit to rest things anywhere under the hood. (As a stealership mechanic may have learned when he gifted me a nice pair of side cutters with flourescent green handles.)

 

[UncleS2]

When changing the oil almost a month ago, after filling with the new oil, I got fumble-fingered & knocked the oil cap from its resting place on top of the air intake "flat snorkel", down the rear side of the engine- and it didn't make it to the carport floor. Doh!

In the shade of the carport couldn't see it at all, so had to get a flashlight, then had to get something long & skinny to dislodge. Wiped it clean with a fresh paper towel, then with paper towel soaked with alcohol(I'm a BITOG'er, after all!

), & when it dried screwed it back in until it clicked twice.

Next time, I just hope to remember that there are better places for the oil cap while changing the oil!

I'll probably remember it too- right after knocking the "710" cap off that snorkel again!

 

[Matt89]

I slammed a Honda Civic's hood down on a flashlight one time. Worst part is that the hood latch engaged but in a weird way...took me half an hour to get the thing open.

 

[Dark Jedi]

could be liek that one guy that stuffed a sock in his oil cap hole. lets jsut say it got sucked down in to the cam.