Ever have a routine oil change go wrong?

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We've all been there or know someone who has messed up an oil change. From a small dumb mistake to a really big whoopsie, what's your oil change fail story?

-Mine was a guy I know (no, it wasn't me)that was pouring in the new oil, and he noticed an ominous puddle of fresh oil slowly forming on the ground under the car.... guess what he forgot to do...
 
When I was driving a fleet van and took it to a quick oil change place. I asked to use the washroom so I got out of the vehicle over the pit and as I'm coming back I see the guy pouring in oil at the top and I'm watching it pour out of the engine all over the floor in the pit down below. I said to the kid, I didn't know a flush was included. He looked at me puzzled and then I told him what was happening.
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that would be the time i drove over the top of my ramps, and into the front of the oven and cabinets in the front of my parents garage...
see this thread:
OOPS!
 
Originally Posted By: Oilied
We've all been there or know someone who has messed up an oil change. From a small dumb mistake to a really big whoopsie, what's your oil change fail story?

-Mine was a guy I know (no, it wasn't me)that was pouring in the new oil, and he noticed an ominous puddle of fresh oil slowly forming on the ground under the car.... guess what he forgot to do...


I almost cranked the key over, with the drain plug in my left hand, LOL. That was almost a new engine.
 
TWICE, this style of drain pan has resulted in me cleaning massive oil stains off the driveway.

1st time: The little breather cap (yellow in pic) was still on, so oil goes into middle hole, but no air could go out of breather hole...overflowed.

2nd time: Cut off breather cap, so that was OK.. but the oil drain plug fell as is common during an oil change circled around and plugged the middle hole..overflowed.

Tossed the [censored] pan after that and got the type without the "top".

71QiiISI82L._SL1500_.jpg
 
Drained oil, pulled filter, punched hole in filter so it would drain, installed plug, and then found I don't have the correct filter (after pre-filling the one I thought was correct). No other vehicle at home. Had to ride my bicycle 6 miles each way to get a new filter.
 
A buddy of mine was complaining about the cost to service his boat, especially the outdrive. I gave him a quick lesson on changing the drive oil, but I always had Mercruisers, and he had a Volvo drive. I specifically said "read the manual carefully !!". Generally speaking, you drain them from the bottom, and fill them from the bottom with a special drive oil pump. Mercruisers have a single drain plug, and a upper level plug. It turns out, Volvo's had 3 plugs: a lower drain, a mid level, and an upper level. He drained the entire drive, but only filled it to the first level, not the top level. On the next outing, he got about 1/4 mile from the boat ramp and his drive locked up: $3000 repair.
 
I Could not get filter off cause loser tech at Honda dealer put in on to tight, and I had all the oil drianed out so I had it towed. I punched a hole in filter with screw driver to but it would not budge!

Another time the I gave another tech my wix filter to put on and the jerk put on a cheap honda filter! I called the manager momths later after I found out by looking under the car at next oci and she did not do a thing !! The loser tech left the dealership and also overfilled my crankcase and stripped my drain plug!!!!! I wrote a nasty email and again called the loser manger with no luck!!!!

Hopkins Honda in Minnesota!
 
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Heres one for you. Years ago, I was doing a service on a dt 466. Had a high lift drain pan that has a vent you have to open so it keeps up with the larger volume sumps. Two high lift drain pans sitting next to each other saw one had the vent open and somehow grabbed the other (vent was closed) so i dropped the plug out and started my underside inspection (this vehicle was in the air, we have 60k lb lifts) im somewhere at the rear axle when the pan became full and couldnt keep up.... oh the mess it made, hot 15-40 going all over and the drain plug buried in the bottom of the drain pan.
 
I mean, I have forgotten to put in the drain plug as I was replacing the oil, which went all over the floor. What a mess! Beyond that, I haven't had any OCI issues.
However...
...Years ago(late 70's), my sister used to take her Toyota Corona to K-Mart for an oil & filter change(~$8). One particular day I took it in for her as I had to get something at K-Mart's garden section.

While I was waiting for the Tech to button up the car, I was watching him(~ 18 yrs old) through the locked door to the service center. Customers couldn't walk through the door as it was locked on the garage side and the garage/service employee had to let you in from their end.

This new Tech was closing the hood on the car and getting ready to hop in the car/start it and back it out when, I pounded on the door & yelling, "Hay, he didn't put in any oil!"

The MGR opened the door as I was repeating myself & pointing to the car when the MGR shouted to the Tech to shut down the car. The MGR asked the Tech, "DID YOU PUT IN ANY OIL?" The Tech said, "Yeah I did!"

They opened the hood, checked the dipstick and it was dry. The engine didn't run long enough to hurt anything as whatever residual oil was remaining in the engine was enough to keep it from cooking.

I had them check the filter to make sure it was NEW and the correct part# and IIRC, they didn't charge for the service.
 
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Massive spillages of fresh and used oil, big white streaks in the old oil, minor burns; oil splattered all over my arms, face, glasses and hair when the old filter is removed; far less oil drained out than should have been in sump. Nothing too serious, I guess.
 
Buddy helped me do some maintenance on my car back in High School in exchange for buying him cigarettes. He ended up leaving the stuck gasket off the oil filter on the engine. And I didn't double check his work. Blew the seal on my way to work after school the next day.

Between the extra oil change and the tow, it was a very expensive pack of cigarettes.
 
I think the very first oil change I did myself, I double-gasketed the oil filter. Finished the oil change, started it up, and oil was gushing out. Shut it down immediately, no damage, just a big mess to clean up. I never made that mistake again; now I always check to see if the gasket is still stuck to the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
TWICE, this style of drain pan has resulted in me cleaning massive oil stains off the driveway.

1st time: The little breather cap (yellow in pic) was still on, so oil goes into middle hole, but no air could go out of breather hole...overflowed.

2nd time: Cut off breather cap, so that was OK.. but the oil drain plug fell as is common during an oil change circled around and plugged the middle hole..overflowed.

Tossed the [censored] pan after that and got the type without the "top".

71QiiISI82L._SL1500_.jpg



I have the one w/o the top. I looked at those and said no way..........

As far as a routine oil change going bad. Not exactly routine but I did replace an oil sending unit on a 66 Falcon and got a phone call when I had the sending unit out. These were the stone age days when cordless phones didn't exist. I went inside to take the call, was on the phone for about a half hour and forgot to put the oil sending unit in. I had completed an oil change, the sump was full with fresh oil and I fired it up w/o the sending unit. I caught it quick but oh what a mess.
 
When I was younger I once forgot to make sure the gasket from the spin-on oil filter came off with the old filter. Put on the new one, filled engine, fire'd 'er up and ran 'er up in the driveway. Holy [censored]. What a mess.
 
Originally Posted By: rubberchicken
A buddy of mine was complaining about the cost to service his boat, especially the outdrive. I gave him a quick lesson on changing the drive oil, but I always had Mercruisers, and he had a Volvo drive. I specifically said "read the manual carefully !!". Generally speaking, you drain them from the bottom, and fill them from the bottom with a special drive oil pump. Mercruisers have a single drain plug, and a upper level plug. It turns out, Volvo's had 3 plugs: a lower drain, a mid level, and an upper level. He drained the entire drive, but only filled it to the first level, not the top level. On the next outing, he got about 1/4 mile from the boat ramp and his drive locked up: $3000 repair.


And thats why i dont give this kind of advice.
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I grabbed a jug of pyb 5w20 instead of 5w30 for my tacoma. Didnt notice until i was pouring oil used back into my container. I just knew my engine would blow on that stuff. No problems even on dino oil.
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