Engine oil bottle foil went inside the engine

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The dealer will certainly charge him to look for the foil cap. He will probably write up the RO as Customer Contends he dropped foil cap in engine..........etc. They aren't going to pull the VC for no reason, and will know if someone else took it off.

If there ever is a future issue with engine, bad cam, bearing, whatever they will have an excuse to opt out should they decide to go that route. In all honesty I doubt your buddy has anything to worry about.

Next OCI let the dealer change the oil, if your buddy ever has a problem I'd suggest playing stupid if they even find the foil cap. Say something like, gee I wonder how that got there? JMO
 
He's halfway to running Synlube.





Personally, I would have pulled the valve cover right then and there to make sure. If I didn't see it, life goes on.
 
I deal with warranty everyday and his best option is to be truthful about what happened and pay to have it looked for. They wont flag the truck. Dealer hate being lied to so just be honest and it will work out.
 
So here's the million dollar idea stemming from this little episode: invent a bottle cover that's non-metallic and dissolves in hot oil to a harmless form, like a VII. No foil to worry about and if it falls in, oh well. Maybe the extra VII will offset any shearing.
 
Originally Posted By: J. A. Rizzo
invent a bottle cover that's non-metallic and dissolves in hot oil

I think they already have. Aren't those membranes that they currently use just lightly metalized plastic... that dissolve in hot oil?
 
Originally Posted By: J. A. Rizzo
So here's the million dollar idea stemming from this little episode: invent a bottle cover that's non-metallic and dissolves in hot oil to a harmless form, like a VII. No foil to worry about and if it falls in, oh well. Maybe the extra VII will offset any shearing.


Or use tamper-proof rings.
 
Originally Posted By: Zedhed
It's sitting in the valve cover valley in the head and probably won't get flushed into the pan because of obstacles in the head. Even if it does get down to the pan it can't get sucked into the oil pump because of the pickup strainer. Don't worry about it -- it will stay on the head or the bottom of the pan. It is possible that it could obstruct a return oil passageway but very unlikely and it wouldn't completely obstruct it.

If you just have to remove it -- stop pouring expensive oil through the engine and take off the valve cover and retrieve it.



This is as good advice as it gets.
 
I'll bet lots of cars have those foil seals in them.
There will probably be no harm.
But sure, it could wedge in a cam/lifter, chain, cyl/piston.
It also may break up and get in to oil passages.
 
Originally Posted By: DieselTech
LOL Lots of very poor advice....DO NOT remove the valve cover. Every bit of warranty will go right out the door if he attempts that.

You know what. I recently bought a car. In all my 47 years... I've never had a car with a warranty before. And I've never had a car that felt so "not really mine" before. The car seems to be owned by the bank and the manufacturer... and I'm just a pawn being told what to do and when to do it. Yes, sir! Yes, sir! Right away, sir!

The loan I took out (first loan of my life) is not so bad. I'll pay that off in a month or two and the bank will be off my back about what insurance I have to carry. But the warranty requirements leave me feeling that the car is still not mine at all.
 
Thanks for all the responses. I sent him the link and he doesn't feel too bad about it now, more annoying than anything else. He'll do 3,000 OCI for a few changes and go back to his 5K routine on dino.
 
Originally Posted By: Zedhed
It's sitting in the valve cover valley in the head and probably won't get flushed into the pan because of obstacles in the head.



Originally Posted By: XS650
It probably took it a while to work it's way from the head down to the oil pan, if it ever did.

If it gets to the pan, there is a screen on the oil pump intake that will stop it before it gets into the pump.

If it's in the pan, there is a good chance it will come out with an oil drain. It will help to drain the engine with the oil hot because it will run out faster and be more likely to take the foil with it.

Look in the oil drain hole after the oil is drained, if the foil isn't wadded up, it will hang up at the drain hole.

Round pieces of foil aren't the ideal oil additive, but the chance of any real harm is slim to none.

Edit: I second Zedheds suggestion if the owner is losing any sleep over this.


What they both said. I can't see the thing "floating" its way too far. I can't see it fitting down a drain hole too easily.
 
the only problem I would see is the drain back of oil. I'd pull the valve cover now and see if I could find it. I would think about having an independent mechanic do it just to cover things and that way the dealer wouldn't know.
 
Originally Posted By: cjhepburn
What's the big deal with popping off the valve cover? You could be in and out in less than 15 minutes.


This!

Popping a valve cover is not going to void any warranty. Just use some common sense.
 
If there are 1000 ways to screw up I will do all of them. Since I haven't dropped the foil circle into the engine yet I don't think it's possible. OP said his friend thinks he saw it go in, I say it was an optical illusion.
 
Pop a valve cover? Does this mean take out some bolts,remove plug wires a few hoses ? Or is it a major deal on this truck?
My luck would be the foreign object would block an oil passage,the engine would sieze ,the crankshaft would fall out jamming the steering and cause me to lose control and crash into a bus load of senior citizens.
 
This reminds me of when I used to change my oil under my old live oak tree. I had the cap off once and was busy changing the filter when I saw a leaf fall right into the hole. It was like the scene from Forest Gump and the feather. It took a long time fishing that out, but I did it without removing anything.

Fun times. Now I have a garage and paranoia that keeps these things from happening.
 
Update:

He has 31,500 on the truck and no problems reported. As far as he could tell he hasn't found anything in the oil filter but hasn't been looking real very closely either. He's been 5K OCI with dino. All he added was that the truck seems to run smoother with MMO in the gas tank but wants to try FP60 if it was more readily available.
 
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