OMG, I poured 5q of syn in the engine w/o drain bolt in!

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First time I have ever done that! I did about 5 OCs this week and muffed the last one. My buddy bought a 5q of ST Synth and a MC filter for "his" Liberty 3.7 that was at 5000mi on drum oil. I guess it was the combo of two people working on a job instead of one, also I was distracted by other things, plus the old filter gave us a bit of a struggle. I felt like an idiot after pouring in the whole 5q and him saying, "is the plug in?" At least I had some GF-4 Drive Clean to put in that only cost me $1.20/q. I told him, we'd redo it if he got another type oil, leaving on the filter. I feel like a dummy. A laugh at my expense, but also a lesson learned.
 
Many years ago I did the exact same thing- left the drain plug out and attempted to refill. Oil all over the driveway!

Only did it once, though.
 
My mom's Sunfire GT has no ATF dipstick, just a check plug for which level is determined while running in Park. The plug on the torque converter looked identical to that on the sump and the Haynes manual was vague and had a pic that didn't match either, so I didn't notice the other plug on the sump and told her to fire it up with the TC plug out. It dumped about 6L of fresh full-syn ATF all over the garage floor before she got it turned off.
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quote:

Originally posted by Dan4510:
The correct way to say it is " I poured oil thru the engine" not into it.

Dan


Or just explain you were doing a "Oil Flush" to get all that "dirty" oil out of the vehicle.

I drained the oil out of my motorcycle when i was 15...a real hot rod, a Honda SL 125, and filled it with a new quart of Pennzoil...then noticed the drain plug was out.

We had a small "shade tree" mechanic garage i had bought the oil from. I went back to get another quart...the mechanic laughed, told me the quart was on him...said it was something i wouldnt forget...he was right, i havent done it again...at least to this point...

darrell
sin city
 
This is one of those areas where OCD is a good thing.
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I re-check each step of my work several times. Just be glad you didn't start the engine before catching your mistake.
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I learned a similar lesson when I was "helping" my dad out with an oil change when I was about 12 years old. When I pulled off the old oil filter, the gasket stuck to the engine and I did not know to look for this. When I started up the engine with new filter and oil (all proud of my work), I heard this noise that sounded like oil squirting all over the garage floor- and it was! There were a couple good things about what happened there. First, at least it happened right away, rather than later, when it could damage the engine before the driver noticed. Second, back in those days we used $.39 Zayre's brand cheapo oil, so no big deal- just the mess to clean up. Lastly, it was a lesson I would never forget, now always looking at the old filter for the gasket and checking/ wiping the filter mount to be sure.
Oh yeah, also I have started to pour that first quart THROUGH the engine on an oil change and caught myself, and yes, I was also out of sync by the second person being there as well. Don't feel too bad. We've all messed up a time or two.
 
Welcome to the "OOPS" club.
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I've lost (only) a half quart once, when I remembered the drain plug in mid-pour. And I blew a couple of quarts of Mobil 1 on the garage floor due to a stuck-and-I-missed-it filter gasket. Do enough work for yourself and you'll discover all the ways you can screw it up (it's still cheaper and more fun in the long run). When I give 'don't do that' advice to others I always tell them 'you don't get to ask how I know this'.
 
Putting oil in is the very last thing that I do before firing the engine up. At that point the oil change is complete and everything is already cleaned up and put away. The very first thing that I do is change the filter, and I set it base-up so that (1) it doesn't leak and (2) I can see that the gasket came with it. I have a set procedure. I always follow it.

That way, I've avoided stepping in the oil drain pan, accidentally knocking it over, putting oil in with the drain plug out, etc. In fact, as soon as I'm done with the drain pan, I empty it out into my disposal container.
 
I think my worst mistake was dropping a full quart of oil into the open oil catch pan. Sure made one heck of a "splash" and got all over...
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Now I have an oil catcher that has two small holes on the top so I can't drop anything into it. Seals up real nice for transportation.
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Bought it at Wal-Mart.


**** EDIT: Ooops... Posted after I realized this was an old thread. Sorry.
 
I poured almost 3 gallons of Delo through my Cummins once. New oil was still jet black as soon as I ran it around the block though..
 
quote:

Originally posted by Ray H:
You guys keep it up - once you're really proficient at it, there's a career opportunity awaiting you at Jiffy Lube(tm).

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Everyone blasts Jiffy Lube for blowing an engine for the same mistake. Even BITOGERS do it
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I still have the stain in the driveway. I won't do that again!

A pour-tru flush is totally ineffective. I run some clear Delo in my engine for a day (old filter) then use it as top-off oil in my Mother-n-Law's car.
 
I have never heard of anyone doing that or forgetting to place the new oil filter on!! LOL

I once placed a new oil filter on and about 2 miles down the road had the oil pressure light come on. The old filter gasket had stuck to the engine and the oil blew through the double gaskets.
 
Scrub with ERA liquid detergent, seems to do a great job. That is after you wipe up as much as you can.....and / or oil dry.....then soap suds.

I dumped 5 quarts of Mobil 1 due to a forgotten drain plug......I had a 15 quart drain pan.....with the small hole in the middle. So I had PLENTY of room for the extra, unplanned 5 quarts......
However, it was in the fall...after the first 5 quarts went down.....a leaf had blown under the car, into the oil drain pan....and ended up over the hole in the middle of the pan.....so......I can tell you that the depression in the middle of that Walmart 15 quart pan holds far less than 5 quarts.

After I finished the job, I cleaned up the mess, put things away, and CAREFULLY pulled the car into the garage, closed the door, and left it there for the rest of the day.
 
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