Post your oil changing mishaps

[talker]

Originally Posted By: RiotGrip
Originally Posted By: talker
Originally Posted By: RiotGrip
Here is a good story:

Picture it Philadelphia 1999, my non-mechanical roommate wants to learn how to do an oil change on his new 1998 honda civic. After draining the oil I struggled for about an hour getting the factory oil filter off, I used a drill and a screwdriver and it finally broke. Filter was replaced and oil was added just as you would for any oilchange.

We then started the car and all sounded well and we moved it into a different space. Once parked and Idleing I looked down at my feet and saw the entire contents of the the oil pan slowly pouring out. The car was shut offf and jacked up. I quickly discovered the culprit--The original gasket was left stuck on the engine and the new filter gasket was just contacting another piece of rubber creating no real seal. The oilchange was repeated and the problem never recurred. I always check the old filter now. All in all a funny story.



Sounds like "the golden girls" from NBC


Glad someone got the reference.

 

[Geonerd]

Back in my youngerer-and-dumberer days, I once managed to fumble a bottle of oil before it got anywhere near the fill hole. A great blob of Castrol's finest took careful aim and splorped itself all over the two crankshaft belt pulleys. I stupidly tried the quick-and-dirty fix by wiping off the spillage and hoping for the best. Starting the motor

instantly slimed every belt and wheel in their entirety. They squealed and howled like a pack of rabid coyotes. Degreasing everything took a while....

One drain plug Doh! too, on my old GPz bike.

 

[spyghost]

i bathed in used engine oil. while removing a very tight oil filter, i suddenly elbowed the used oil container.

my wife hosed me off with a laundry detergent afterwards

 

[InvalidUserID]

Lets see...

on my '96 Camaro, I changed the oil Saturday/Sunday and then drove approx. 100 miles over two days when I opened my hood to see that my oil fill cap was off and sitting in a little curve next to the battery. I don't know what, if any, got into the opening but I ended up doing the filter/oil change again.

and on my parent's '94 Saturn, I loosened up the oil drain plug and drained it...wait, what? Whoops...transmission drain plug. Oh well...filled them up with fresh tranny fluid and then did the oil change.

On my girlfriend's '01 Mustang, I went to change the PCV valve and the plastic "hose" snapped. I mean, really...you have to twist and turn to get the PCV valve out, Ford didn't think the plastic would become brittle and snap?

 

[nomochevys]

I can honestly say I have never had a mishap yet. Knock on wood.

But, My Dad once changed the oil and we made up the road one mile and the oil light came on the old Ford. The oil filter gasket or O ring stuck and he put a new filter on top of that. So it leaked like a seive. We got off the road and there was no damage done to the old 390 cid Galaxy but it sure made a heck of a mess. LOL. I have been careful about this ever since.

Let me say though that I have backed a boat into the water without the plug in it and dang near sunk it. Stuff happens all the time whether it being changing oil or something else.

 

[DNVDMAX]

Originally Posted By: bustednutz
Pulled the plug and drained out 6 quarts of old mobil 1. Changed filter and proceeded to refill with 6 quarts of new mobil 1. Forgot to put the drain plug back in. Wasted 6 quarts and $$$ right down the drain.


Same deal here with 5 qts of M1, 9 out of a 12-pack of suds was involved and to blame, i accept no responsibility, good thing my wife was bringing me another cold one and noticed how clean the oil was that was draining.

 

[Kestas]

Tip: Always change to oil filter first before draining the oil. This'll help avoid the splash.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: InvalidUserID
Lets see...

on my '96 Camaro, I changed the oil Saturday/Sunday and then drove approx. 100 miles over two days when I opened my hood to see that my oil fill cap was off and sitting in a little curve next to the battery. I don't know what, if any, got into the opening but I ended up doing the filter/oil change again.

and on my parent's '94 Saturn, I loosened up the oil drain plug and drained it...wait, what? Whoops...transmission drain plug. Oh well...filled them up with fresh tranny fluid and then did the oil change.

On my girlfriend's '01 Mustang, I went to change the PCV valve and the plastic "hose" snapped. I mean, really...you have to twist and turn to get the PCV valve out, Ford didn't think the plastic would become brittle and snap?


What do you mean? thats one of Fords better ideas.

 

[Kestas]

It lasted through warranty, didn't it?

 

[brian12]

This happened several years ago, when I was like 19 or 20, after I changed the oil on my junk bird. When I went to pull the car out of the driveway oil started going everywhere. I shut the car off and looked under the hood to find the oil filter was not threaded correctly(doh). I remember spending hours with a power washer getting all the oil of the driveway.

 

[getnpsi]

Pre-stash, I had purchased a 5qt jug, searched the garage high&low, no filters left. I left the jug in front of the car in the driveway...Hopped in the car and ran it over. Saved about half of it.

Ive driven over full used oil containers still under the car before. Usually im taking off slowly and hear it before its a mess. Other times I've dragged them. A puddle is much nicer than a 8 inch wide by 5+ feet long thin spill. The culprit is the neon, as i have to usually jack up the car to service it. Once the new oil is in, lower the car, trapping the drain container.

 

[talker]

This thread is fun to read......

 

[Propflux01]

After reading this thread, I don't feel so bad being one of MANY who 'flushed' an engine oil pan and driveway with new, fresh oil while looking blankly at the drain plug and wondering why is it in my hand/on the floor next to the drain pan...!

 

[GEWB]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
...I also forgot to check to see if the gasket came off the engine with the filter. Put the new filter on and what a freakin' mess!

Yup - done that.

Regards,
GEWB

 

[Jason8691]

Got a couple of stories. The first was one of my first oil changes, it was on my Moms 78 T-Bird, and whoever put the filter on must have put it on with an impact wrench. I had to use a screwdriver and hammer to try to get the thing off. On one attempt my hand slipped and I sliced a knuckle open on the oily filter. Mishap two, I changed the oil on my 68 Galaxie and forgot the pan underneath it and backed up, which of course crushed the pan and put 6 quarts of oil everywhere.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: maximus
Worst oil changing episode was the first oil change on my second car. I didn't remove the plug from the catch basin before draining the oil. ALL of the contents of the oil pan were released onto my father's driveway- about 5 quarts.

I've gotten pretty good now. I can usally complete the job in less than 20 minutes with no spillage and minimal oil on my hands.

How often do y'all drop the plug into the catch pan after draining has commenced?


I had the exact same thing happen to me when I was changing the oil on my friend's sister's GMC Sierra Classic. Also during that same oil change, I accidentally overfilled the crankcase by one quart because the manual inside the glovebox was the one to the new Sierra with the 5.3, not the 5.7. It said it took 6 quarts, when it actually took 5. So I had to have him drive it back and I drained out the extra quart. Didn't hurt anything, luckily.

On my sister's fiance's Kia Sephia, I was screwing the new oil filter on, when I realized it wasn't seating properly. I took it off to inspect why, and I found out that the gasket fell off as I was putting it on, and it was making metal to metal contact. Luckily I caught that before I started the car!

 

[Colt45ws]

They make the PCV valve screw in for a emissions requirement. Youll also notice the PCV hose is *HUGE*, this is so the car will not run, or barely run, if the hose is off the PCV.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I will not relive the mishaps.

 

[talker]

I've never really messed up....

 

[gonesurfing]

I've spilled oil in the driveway and garage, had it run unexpected directions... come back outside to find the wind direction changed and is blowing drips onto the driveway.

However a few weeks ago I ran out of nitrile gloves. I proceeded to change the oil in my wife's old Camry hot as normal. Dropped the plug in the pan hole and it was about to overflow. Reached in the hot oil to get the plug an ended up with blisters on several fingers! I got lucky it wasn't worse.