Oil Change Disaster, what did I do?
- Thread starter Gen3mrd
- Start date
Wedgy
New member
You did the right thing by stopping all work and asking, all you have is stinky exhaust and no damage. If any oil leaked onto the engine/exhaust swing by one of those do-it-yourself car washes and spray it down with the hot soapy water, that will get if off quicker. I bring a pair of ~1 foot ramps so I can spray underneath so I don't have dirt raining down in my eyes when I tackle a project.
https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/ramps.html
When I was in 8th grade I drained my mom's tranny in her station wagon by mistake as I was used to draining a VW Bug.....silly Americans put the engine in the wrong end !
https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/ramps.html
When I was in 8th grade I drained my mom's tranny in her station wagon by mistake as I was used to draining a VW Bug.....silly Americans put the engine in the wrong end !
Two lines in I knew exactly what you did. My friend just told me the other day about his first oil change and how he did the exact same thing. If it makes you feel any better, I bought some rustoleum silver paint to refinish my hub caps and some MAF cleaner to try and get rid of my p0171. Without looking, I spray painted my MAF silver lol!
Hopefully no damage and a lesson learned! GOod luck!
Hopefully no damage and a lesson learned! GOod luck!
Atlanta_man
New member
I've never done anything that dumb.
((Well except for that time when un-doing a U-Joint while on a sloping driveway with no wheel chocks.)) It was 4-wheel drive and I had convinced myself that two wheels would stay locked.
Managed to scoot out from under the truck before it rolled over me, well all but one leg. Hurt for several months. Most thankful no one else was around to get squashed.
((Well except for that time when un-doing a U-Joint while on a sloping driveway with no wheel chocks.)) It was 4-wheel drive and I had convinced myself that two wheels would stay locked.
Managed to scoot out from under the truck before it rolled over me, well all but one leg. Hurt for several months. Most thankful no one else was around to get squashed.
gamefreakgc
Elite Member
Jeez Louise you are one lucky dude! That could have been very, very bad.
Atlanta_man
New member
Events like this really do change the way you do work in the future. No exceptions.
muellernautique
New member
almost exactly what my dad and i did, except we didn't hit anything. after my dumbass spun the car and smacked a curb in the miata (just because you own a racecar does NOT make you a racecar driver, more shit happens lessons) we rebuilt all the suspension parts and the last thing we did was bleed all the brakes. he asked me to check the brake fluid level and it was a little low but he said it'd be fine. finished bleeding them and after some other work before we drove it off the reservoir was totally empty.
like everyone else has said in this thread, shit happens. live and learn. at least you know you'll never make that same mistake again. but we all know we'll find another stupid mistake to make next time :laugh:
Last edited:
Last update until I break something else. Everything seems fine, I have had to check and add more trans fluid a couple times, but seems like the level is stable now. I was finding what looked like fresh oil under the air filter housing, opened it up and you could see the engine was spitting oil into the housing and filter. Cleaned the oil a couple times as it was a little tough to get in there and it does not seem like it's still leaking any oil, replaced the air filter today. Some random spots of oil around the engine, plan on taking it to the self car wash and cleaning the outside and the engine.
Never sprayed down an engine bay before, but it certainly needs it. Watched a video where a guy covers his alternator and other electrical components with a plastic prior to cleaning it, but I know I got oil in the alternator so not sure if I should or not. Will be youtubing some more engine bay cleaning as I don't want another disaster on my hands.
Thanks again for the all help and encouragement!
Never sprayed down an engine bay before, but it certainly needs it. Watched a video where a guy covers his alternator and other electrical components with a plastic prior to cleaning it, but I know I got oil in the alternator so not sure if I should or not. Will be youtubing some more engine bay cleaning as I don't want another disaster on my hands.
Thanks again for the all help and encouragement!
jgue467
Senior Member
Best way to avoid engine bay cleaning disasters is Not to clean the engine bay.
I fried an engine speed sensor on a 280z once, thought I covered everything electrical yet water found its way into a connection and shorted it out, $200 later all was well.
So even though i offroad my runner in dusty, dirty conditions for several years now, I Never clean the engine bay, maybe when I remember I'll run my lawn leaf blower throught it for a quick 'dust off'. Luck. :cowboy:
phattyduck
Elite Member
Having cleaned many engine bays in my time... It is pretty safe to do on a modern car. No distributor to get wet, mainly. It is a truck, it is meant to get wet in the engine bay...
His engine is probably COVERED in oil. Oil on the alternator will kill it with time, more so than a good cleaning. A good wash will help him diagnose any nagging issues that might come up in the future.
-Charlie
I agree totally with Charlie. Go ahead and get things cleaned up. The self-serve car wash is the best place as you are assured the hazardous waste coming off of your 4runner will be recovered and processed properly by the municipal wastewater treatment facility.
The only other tip I'd offer is to take a gas powered hand held leaf blower along to blow dry things before you restart.
JZiggy
Senior Member
Who doesn't love a clean engine bay? Go for it. Mothers back to black or another plastic restorer is good to have on hand too if you really want to detail it.
That engine bay looks fantastic :wof:
I like a clean engine bay but a light coating of grime provides you with some history about what has been messed with or not, like wrench witness marks on bolts.
When shopping for a used car nothing screams CROOK to me louder than an engine bay dripping with slimly plasticizer or silicone from "plastic restore" products. :faint2:
Buckaroo
Member
You should not feel bad about this one bit. I accidentally drained the trans the first time I changed the oil on my new T4R in year 2000. I had changed the oil on many cars before but was in a hurry and that trans plug was just so handy - did pick up on it quickly when I saw that the fluid was red rather than black. Lesson to self that I am still learning over and over: hurrying can end up costing you a lot of extra time. Suggested tip for the futre - pay attention to fluid color....generally - black is oil, red is tranny fluid and green is engine coolant.
Buckaroo
phattyduck
Elite Member
So true. I love having a nice clean engine bay *after* I own the vehicle though. I like having fairly clean hands after maintenance/repair. No need to constantly be wiping things down, cleaning, etc. during the job is nice.
-Charlie
everyone who seriously works on engines has made mistakes. I got the water jacket gaskets switched on an old Evinrude. was pumping water directly into the cylinders.
As for kids these days they are many are ready to learn. My kids have been doing it since dirt bike and ATV days. They had to help fix what they broke. But we have helped many of their friends get interested. My daughters boyfriend had never changed a tire, she took care of that gap in his education. My oldest has friends who do all their own work including building a drift car. They are engineering students at USC. Thats the real USC in South Carolina. Get kids around wrenching and they love it.
As for kids these days they are many are ready to learn. My kids have been doing it since dirt bike and ATV days. They had to help fix what they broke. But we have helped many of their friends get interested. My daughters boyfriend had never changed a tire, she took care of that gap in his education. My oldest has friends who do all their own work including building a drift car. They are engineering students at USC. Thats the real USC in South Carolina. Get kids around wrenching and they love it.
It's really not that bad, the air filter "bay" or whatever had a couple ounces probably and I cleaned up as much as I could from the alternator as soon as I saw the issues. Nothing on the belts or anywhere else I was able to wipe down immediately.
Great idea, this is what I am mostly worried about, I'd REALLY like to spray the crap out of that alternator then let it sit for a while an dry out, but I can't cause of the weather. Maybe I can give it a light spray and then use the blower on it until I'm sure it's dry....don't know though, filling me with anxiety just talking about it. I've driven it enough that I don't NEED to wash the engine bay before it warms up a bit.
Also, this:
is like porn for 3rd Gen lovers... Just plain satisfying to look at, kudos to you.
phattyduck
Elite Member
Driving the car/truck is one of the best ways to dry off the engine... It might leave water spots, that's about the only issue. If water got into a bad spot, warming up the engine and evaporating it quickly is the best solution.
So:
- Wash engine bay (I use simple green, there are other options)
- Rinse engine bay
- Dry off as much as you want (towels, blower, compressed air, whatever)
- Start the engine and go for a drive to get the rest of the water out of there.
- If you want to detail the engine bay, do it after the engine is fully dry.
-Charlie
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