While I think the majority of us here, change our own oil and filter, I was wondering if any of you have ever done anything as stupid as i once did?! Here's what happened: After draining the old, jet black oil out of my Aerostar van (3.0 V6) removing and installing a new Motorcraft oil filter (FL400S) I lovingly poured in 4 1/2 quarts of crisp, clean, golden and fresh Mobil 1 10w30. The thing about it, is i would normally use Mobil dino 10w30 "Drive Clean" oil, but I decided to splurge, and treat the dependable daily driver van to some Mobil 1, purchased at Sam's Club, case of six average $3.88 quart. I put the 4 1/2 quarts in, wash my hands. About ten minutes later, I pull the dipstick out for a look. Cannot see a oil mark on the dipstick. I think to myself: "Man, this oil is so clean, i can't even see it on the dipstick". Wipe it off, stick it in, pull it out looking very closely now! What?! No reading, dip stick is dry!!! Then a shocking revelation comes to me, in which I shake my head in disgust at my stupidness. Sure enough, I look at the oil pan, pan drain bolt off, the last tiny drop or two of my new Mobil 1, mixed in the drain bucket with the old, oil!! 4+ quarts, right through the engine, and right out again! Of course, with my luck, it wasn't some cheap oil, it was the ONE time I decided to use a good, quality synthetic. Needless, to say that was one oil change I will never forget, approximately two years ago. Ed...

 

On the bright side, at least the Mobil 1 probably got the last little bit of remaining oil out of there!

Also, you could've run the motor without refilling!

So, did the Mobil 1 provide an extra margin of protection for your used oil bucket?

XXL

 

did you say Jiffy Lube performed the oil change? the sounds like something those guys do on a normal basis.

 

I guess this is one of the benefits of being obsessive-compulsive. I check and re-check things so many times its hard to miss anything!

 

I've done that once with one small exception ... I had already pulled out the drain pan.

 

Same type of thing....changed the oil in my Mustang (1990 Gt, 1/4 mile @ 11.98 :-) and didn't even notice the gasket from the old filter stuck to the car. Put the new filter on, poured in the oil, started the car and while backing up I saw all of my new oil on the floor. Wasn't happy.

 

One time I dropped my glasses into a drain pan full of 5qts of dirty oil I'd just removed from my wife's old Blazer. My neighbor whose house is about 100yds away heard me cussing.

 

I once let a friend help me. Thought it would be funny not to hand me a quart of oil, and hand me a quart of tranny fluid instead. On the plus side, I did manage to throw his keys into the woods further than my previous personal best.

 

When I was a kid my dad was teaching me how to change the oil in his truck. After we had drained the old oil (back in them days we just drained it on the ground and wondered why we could never get flowers to grow out by the shed) my dad told me to pour the new oil in. So I did, right into the tranny!!! He was not happy, the woes of a 7 year old with a PO'd pappy. Oh well, turns out that he needed to change the tranny fluid anyway.

 

Oil Change instructions for Women:

1) Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 miles since the last oil change.
2) Drink a cup of coffee.
3) 15 minutes later write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.
Money spent:
Oil Change $20.00
Coffee $ 1.00
Total $21.00
Oil Change instructions for Men:

1) Go to auto parts store and write a check for $50.00 for oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree.
2) Discover that the used oil container is full. Instead of taking it back to O'Reilly to recycle, dump in hole in back yard.
3) Open a beer and drink it.
4) Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5) Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.
6) In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7) Place drain pan under engine.
8) Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9) Give up and use crescent wrench.
10) Unscrew drain plug.
11) Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil: get hot oil on you in process.
12) Clean up mess.
13) Have another beer while watching oil drain.
14) Look for oil filter wrench.
15) Give up; poke oil filter with screwdriver and twist off.
16) Beer.
17) Buddy shows up; finish case of beer with him. Finish oil change tomorrow.
18) Next day, drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car.
19) Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.
20) Beer. No, drank it all yesterday.
21) Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
22) Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to gasket surface.
23) Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
24) Remember drain plug from step 11.
25) Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
26) Discover that the used oil is buried in a hole in the back yard, along with drain plug.
27) Drink beer.
28) Uncover hole and sift for drain plug.
29) Discover that first quart of fresh oil is now on the floor.
30) Drink beer.
31) Slip with wrench tightening drain plug and bang knuckles on frame.
32) Bang head on floorboards in reaction to step 31.
33) Begin cussing fit.
35) Cuss for additional 10 minutes because wrench hit Miss December (1992).
36) Beer.
37) Clean up hands and forehead and bandage as required to stop blood flow.
38) Beer.
39) Beer.
40) Dump in five fresh quarts of oil.
41) Beer.
42) Lower car from jack stands.
43) Accidentally crush one of the jack stands.
44) Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during step 23.
45) Beer.
46) Test drive car.
47) Get pulled over: arrested for driving under the 48) Car gets impounded.
49) Make bail.
50) Get car from impound yard.

Money spent:
Parts $50.00
DUI $2500.00
Impound fee $75.00
Bail $1500.00
Beer $25.00
Total-- $4150.00

-- But the job was done right!

 

I guess the dumbest thing I have experienced is when I delivered my -88 VW Caravelle for oil change. When I come back one hour later the job still wasn't done. - They couldn't find the engine.

(Yes it is in the back under the trunk )

And YES it IS a true story!


Torstein

 

You know how when you turn on the water in the sink and put a spoon under it and it fans and sprays out? Well, the handle on my drain pan has the same effect with hot 10W-30. I pulled the drain plug, and got covered with the stuff, so pay attention when you line up the pan.

 

Been there done that !!!
My first car a 1960 4dr Galaxie (plain), in 1977 it cost $250 with 36k miles. My very first oil change other than the lawn mower.
I bought a filter and 5 quarts of bulk 10w-30 at the Coop station.
Drained out the old and replaced the filter. I was so happy, pouring in the bulk oil, with approx. 1 quart left in the jug my heart stopped ...... the drain plug!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There it sat all nice and clean on the fender. My dad wasn't very happy about the bare spot of lawn under the apple tree for several years.

2 months later my neighbor buddy got his first car and I saw he had the hood up and went over to investigate. Now this guy was an "A" student but I had to try very hard not to laugh at what I saw going on. He was changing oil and everything was done as he was already pouring in the new oil ............... through a paper funnel he made that was placed in the dip-stick hole !!!!
What can I say, I didn't feel so bad about my blooper.

 

I can beat that, oh yes, I can really beat all that.

Was changing the oil on Caprice 350.

Parked it in the garden over a ditch, crawled under there with that tool to remove the oil filter. Twist twist twist. Man that thing was tight I thought. Until I realized I was turning the wrong way. Well, tried to turn it the right way, impossible. Try again, no. Again, cannot. Dented the filter casing. I knew about the right-tight, left loose rule but somehow got confused under the car, laying on my back.

Run to the store for another tool to remove the filter.

Try it, same thing.

Call up experienced friend, says about the screwdriver trick. Get a big screw driver. Punch through the oil filter. Turn. Rips the oil filter casing off, the base doesn't move. Oil on my face and arms. I have maybe 5" of clearance above my face.

Call up the friend again. Tells me to try using a rope. I try it. No way. It is tight .

(this is the next day)

Ask on the forums, tell me to cut off the filter casing, screw in bolts into the filter base, stick a screwdriver between them and twist. They tell me not to drive it.

I was laying on the ground under the car, it was raining, cloudy and cold, I was getting tired, claustrophobic and really frustrated with my own stupidity over something which should have been a 15 minute thing. Why the h3ll did I ever twist the #E$!3 filter the wrong way??

And here is when my real mechanical genius kicks in.

I think, OK, I finally give up and will take it to a garage for them to fix it.

Take some plastic bags, put it over the filter, use some ropes around plastic bags so that all the oil doesn't leak out. I knew it was leaking, but can it really be that bad?

Start the engine, get out of the car and look under it, and see oil dripping from the filter. Still not fully making the connection.

And drive off. For 120 seconds.

That number I will remember for a long time because these were the last 120 seconds that engine ever ran. I made it about 2 miles and that's when the motor seized. It ran out of all in my driveway and the rest of the trip was literally oil-free.

But I didn't know it yet, I called up a tow truck, had it towed to a garage where they told me that. I was utterly amazed to hear that, couldn't believe it.

$1500 and 6 weeks later I had another motor in it.

Oh well, the old engine had high miles anyway. (That's because the oil was changed regularly)

My knowledge of autos has been greatly expanded since then! (and keeps expanding).

 

Man that sounds like something that would happen to me...All that nice clean oil in the dirt....