So this fine AM, I put on my spiffy rain slicker 'cause it’s sprinkling just a bit, and head out of the house. I remember I need to put some oil in my buggy so it’ll keep running–oil is good, kids, keep that in mind. So I fill 'er up and hop in and get on my way.
I’m about 10 minutes down the road when I think, “What on earth is that SMELL? Could it be coming from my car? Nah, must be that car in front of me…waitasecond, did I put the oil cap back on?” I call home, ask my stepdad to look out in the street, and sure enough, there’s my oil cap, right where I left it. Oh, so that smell was oil spewing all over the inside of my engine compartment! Lovely!
I call my boss to tell her I’m going to be late, turn around and head back to the house, all the way alternately cursing myself for being a retard and hoping motor oil isn’t very flammable. So I get back home, put the cap back on, use about half a roll of paper towels cleaning up the HUGE mess, make sure the engine isn’t going to burst into flame–but take the fire extinguisher from the garage just in case–and head back toward work; I ended up being about a hour late.
[sub]Quietly and in subscript letters thanks the deities that she is not the only dork on the boards who has driven without replacing the oil cap. And the radiator cap (different time). And drove 6 miles with a birthday cake on the roof of the car (most of it survived). And didn’t realize a bra was hanging out of the hatchback til a policeman pointed it out (boring story - don’t ask).[/sub]
'sokay, geobabe, you’re not a dork. at least you knew about automobiles needing oil. i once had a friend who roached his engine, and couldn’t figure out what had happened. when somebody asked him, “when was the last time you put oil in your car?” his response was, (i swear i am not making this up), “why would you want to put oil in a car?” Happy Monday!!
They ought to make oil caps shaped like dunce caps because we all forget them sometime, Geobabe. Tonite, check your oil again and top off any volume that might have spewed out this morning. And then put the cap back.
Oddly enough, the one time Medea’s Child came over to meet my family, my dad noticed a puddle of oil under her car… Wasn’t her fault, though–the guys who changed her oil forgot to replace the cap (or so she said).
Anyway, not being particularly impressed by the Saran Wrap/rubber band solution somebody came up with, we went to go buy another cap for her trip back. It was the screw-type cap, and there was only one size in the store, so I figured it had to be the right one. Wrong. Didn’t fit. thwack
IIRC, we added oil to fill it back up and she drove home sans cap without incident.
[sub]In my reckless youth I did once leave my oil cap sitting a top my engine after an oil change. Guess we’re both dorks. Shhh…[/sub]
BT,DT, been deradfully embarassed. and I restore British cars for cryin’ out loud! You’d think I’d be more careful about engine stuff.
Did it in my Saturn. Loud ticking, but no smoke. All the oil sprayed into the heat pad on top of the hood. It slowly drained out all over the driveway we JUST had put in.
I cleaned the engine completely and took my Saturn to the dealer where they installed a new pad. It cost me about $100 but I figured it would be appropriate punishment and would ensure that I never made that mistake again.
I once drive from Calgary to Edmonton (approximately 300 km) with the gas cap off and dangling from my car. Being that it was dark, and I was a single woman, I ignored the men that honked and pointed. I would have to say that in that instance, and that instance only was I a dork. That was also about 9 or 10 years ago.
I was waiting to hear more about the spiffy rain slicker. What colour is it?
I did this about a two months ago. I was adding oil and my SO came down and asked me something just after I had pulled out the last empty bottle off the engine. For some reason I was so distracted, I remembered it was the last bottle, but forgot I hadn’t put the cap back on. Shut the hood and took off.
I had to buy a new oil cap. It is indeed an unholy mess… but “Check Engine” light came on for a month after that as well. I think I triggered some sort of oxygen sensor thing and it took that long for everything to get that to get back to normal. Everything seems to be running fine now though.
I felt so stupid going to Shucks and buying an oil cap though…
Cars survive lots of stupidity. When I drove the green van home from the dealership on day-one, I lifted the hood to admire my new machine only to discover that THEY had left the cap off of the transmission fluid filling place, at least I think it was that cap, it was so long ago, I could be misremembering; in any case, as you know, the green machine is still running quite well all these years later.
Unless that’s why the cruise control broke this weekend. Think I should take it back and complain?
So anyway, does your car still smell? (Anita Vacation thinking of asking sister for ride home from National Geographic lecture Wednesday)
I’ve done it-but it really wasn’t my fault. I had a ~200 mile road trip to make, and I had the oil changed the day before, at WalMart. That, of course, was my mistake. I assumed they put the car back together before I drove it off. I pulled off in Manchester, TN (about 150 miles) to get some breakfast and noticed large amounts of smoke coming from my car. I checked…no oil cap. I went into the Cracker Barrel to eat while the car cooled off, then got directions to the nearest WalMart. I explained what happened. They didn’t have a replacement cap in stock, but they checked the oil level, added some, and sent me to the AutoZone up the road with instructions to get reimbursed once I got home.
I got my $ back for the cap, and serious apologies, plus a reason not to get my oil changed at WalMart again.
I knew I could count on the Teemsters to make me feel better!
Yes, it would.
It’s a kind of dark slate blue with a burgundy nylon lining; the hood has a bill like a baseball cap so it keeps the rain out of your face real well. It’s got big ole pockets so you can keep lots of stuff dry. It almost makes me like the rain just 'cause I like wearing it.
Nope, it smells just fine; well maybe it has a whiff of McDonald’s because I’ve been going there for lunch a lot lately. [sub]Eww, I know. It’s the only drive-thru near work.[/sub] I was actually thinking about taking the Metro down to Nat. Geo. We’ll tawk.
Oh, and Spritle? smooch! I just felt like doing that.
You think that’s bad? 10 days ago my oil light AND the buzzer that means you’re outta oil came on. I turned into a shopping center and killed the engine immediately. I look under the car, oil everywhere. “Shit!” I think, “I blew a gasket”. Fortunately, there was a Tuffys repair center in the shopping center, and I wheel my car over. After a week and a half, today they tell me that they checked it out, and there was nothing wrong. I drove off. 5 blocks down the road I notice that my exhaust is so thick with oil smoke, it looks like I am in the “Spy Hunter” video game. Oil buzzer goes back on. I pull over and open the hood. One of the oil lines on the TOP of my engine is split, RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF MY FACE! I go back to the shop and show them-“You think this might be a frickin clue???”. Schmucks. Fortunately, I can fix that myself, 5 minute job, I just have to get the part from the VW dealer.
I once changed the oil on my car and made a majorly dorky mistake. For those who haven’t done it, an oil filter comes with a rubber gasket gently pressed into a groove on the face that presses against the engine. When you take the old oil filter off, you have to check to be sure that the old gasket didn’t stick to the motor before putting the new one on. Anybody see where this is going? I get about a mile and a half down the road and the oil light comes on, so I pull over and check under the hood. There’s oil everywhere and the car is now undrivable – and it starts to rain. I walked a half mile or so to a bar and called a buddy to come get me so I could buy some more oil and do another change beside the road, in the rain.
