Well, that was a 'fun' oil change experience

[Bottom_Feeder]

I live about a half mile away from the town's recycling center. I had just finished up changing the fluids on my wife's Corolla and had about a half hour to get my car done before they closed so I was in a hurry. And that was a mistake.

I had been driving my car all day so it was still pretty hot. I forgot to put my rubber gloves on but I was already under the car. The hot drain plug came out and slipped out of my now-tingling oil-covered fingers. No big deal until I realized where the plug went: into the drain pan container hole, so the top funnel part was filling up FAST with hot oil, splashing all over the place. With images of a gallon of dirty oil running down my apartment's parking lot in my head (something I would certainly get in trouble for), I had no choice but to stick my poor hand in the hot oil and fish out the drain plug, which took two tries. Not fun but disaster was averted. But then the oil coming out of the engine was filling the almost-full pan as fast as it could drain so it just splattered everything.

Cleanup was time-consuming but I was able to rush through it and get to the recycling center before they closed the gate. Dumping my container is when I realized the hot oil had softened the plastic so much, it warped the base so now it doesn't sit flat anymore.

All in all, quite the annoying experience. Never again.

 

[95busa]

You should try dropping seven quarts of synthetic on your driveway because of low light and a sticky filter gasket.

 

[itguy08]

Another reason I let the dealer do it. For the $30 or so they charge I've got none of those issues. The only car I do is the wife's and I don;t even enjoy that. I'd rather rebuild an engine than change oil or deal with antifreeze.

 

[MichiganMadMan]

Anyone have the Indiana Jones bar scene in Nepal going through their head? Where the German guy grabs the medallion that was in the fire....
The other one was a sci-fi movie Alien Nation, when Sam Francisco has to reach into the water to rescue his partner.

Anyway, I find that when I rush like that, I miss dumb things that I should not have. It's better to postpone it to a better day if you can. I ended up with 5 old spark plugs and one shiny new one after I was "sneaking in" a quick tune up as the sun was going down. It was pretty tough to get to the plugs and I was racing the sun. It was not fun to break out all of the equipment the next day just for one plug.

 

[95busa]

$20- no gas to drive there. No wait. I own the mistakes- and there ain't many of em.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: MichiganMadMan
The other one was a sci-fi movie Alien Nation, when Sam Francisco has to reach into the water to rescue his partner.

Funny, that scene is exactly what I was thinking of after I did it.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
Another reason I let the dealer do it. For the $30 or so they charge I've got none of those issues. The only car I do is the wife's and I don;t even enjoy that. I'd rather rebuild an engine than change oil or deal with antifreeze.


Antifreeze and brake fluid are two things I hate!

 

[supton]

Vacuum extractor. Never had a problem doing the oil change on the Jetta. Only downside is storing the extractor, which probably takes up a bit more space than a catch pan.

I'm sad to realize I've run out of pre-paid maintance on the Camry, and will have to do an oil change in 5k. I haven't crawled under a car to do oil in probably close to 15 years. I forget if I have looked into using the extractor on my Toyotas or not.

 

[TxHeat]

I had not done an oil change in nearly thirty years when I started doing it again in the spring of 2010.

My wife was stunned! I said "No, I think I'll enjoy it!" and I do!

I do the truck and the car about 3 times a year each. We are retired and live in an apartment but I take them to my B.I.L.'s house just a couple blocks away. I always start scrounging for large cardboard boxes a week or two in advance to protect their driveway, I use Rhino Ramps and jack stands and have at it!

I'm able to take my time and check under the hood and under the vehicles for anything else that might need attention, do a proper cleanup after and then enjoy the feeling of satisfaction! Of course, I also feel the small bumps on the head and the burned fingers and the sore back................ but only for a little while!

I owe it to the guys on this forum! I started lurking this site about a year before I joined & reading about everyone's "Oil Stash" & when and how often to change etc just sucked me in!

I imagine I might feel a lot different the first time I dump a quart or more of oil onto their drive way or have some other disaster as the op did. I'm really sorry that happened to you! But for now it's still fun!

So thanks all you Bitogers!

 

[FordTrucks71]

Originally Posted By: 95busa
$20- no gas to drive there. No wait. I own the mistakes- and there ain't many of em.


Good pts! Its a pain to change oil but I know its always done right!! Sometimes I go to a certain quick lube nearby but I watch em like a hawk.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
I live about a half mile away from the town's recycling center. I had just finished up changing the fluids on my wife's Corolla and had about a half hour to get my car done before they closed so I was in a hurry. And that was a mistake.

I had been driving my car all day so it was still pretty hot. I forgot to put my rubber gloves on but I was already under the car. The hot drain plug came out and slipped out of my now-tingling oil-covered fingers. No big deal until I realized where the plug went: into the drain pan container hole, so the top funnel part was filling up FAST with hot oil, splashing all over the place. With images of a gallon of dirty oil running down my apartment's parking lot in my head (something I would certainly get in trouble for), I had no choice but to stick my poor hand in the hot oil and fish out the drain plug, which took two tries. Not fun but disaster was averted. But then the oil coming out of the engine was filling the almost-full pan as fast as it could drain so it just splattered everything.

Cleanup was time-consuming but I was able to rush through it and get to the recycling center before they closed the gate. Dumping my container is when I realized the hot oil had softened the plastic so much, it warped the base so now it doesn't sit flat anymore.

All in all, quite the annoying experience. Never again.

Bottom_Feeder,

Don't worry about it, it's all part of the experience! Get yourself a vacuum extractor or a fumoto valve for the next oil change. You should never be in a rush to change the oil. As The true Bitogers know, you can run your oil for a little longer!

Regards, JC.

 

[user52165]

One word: Fumoto

 

[NineFingerFury]

Originally Posted By: user52165
One word: Fumoto


I just ordered one for my Jeep a few days ago. The short nipple version.

 

[InvalidUserID]

How about a magnetic pickup tool? Occasionally the "grate" on the top of my oil pan will fall in when the plug falls onto it. I have a pickup tool just for the oil pan that I'll fish around in there until it picks it up.

And I'm starting to get a little tired of doing oil changes on my three cars, my girlfriend's two and my parent's three. But that's love, I guess. HAHA.

 

[The Critic]

I've found that a small scrap of paper towel works really well to avoid the situation that you experienced. I personally had the same experience once and it was unpleasant.