So I get an oil change done today, after the change I start my car and notice it sounds…odd. It sounded like a ricer with a tricked out exhaust real deep and low. And based on where it was coming from, I had almost wondered if the exhaust manifold and been broken. For some boneheaded reason, I ignored it, figureing I could look at it later (do you see where this is going). On my next trip out, I noticed that inside of the car smelled like someone was running a (2 stroke) lawn mower in it (do you see where it’s going now). When I finally got that chance, I popped the hood and just as I had suspected, they didn’t put the oil cap on and oil had sloshed all over the engine. I bring it back and tell them what happened. They prompty hosed it off from the bottom and dumped a bucket of water all over from the top. Topped me off and sent me on my way.
I have to admit, I was expecting them to just wipe it down with a rag as best they could and tell me that the rest would just burn off. So…was that the right way? Is it really a good idea to dump cold water over a hot engine? Not only that, but this isn’t an old car, this is a 2006 chocked full of wires and computers and sending units and what have you. It just seemed like that was a problem waiting to happen. Any thoughts? As this is my third issue with them (twice, count them twice) they told me they greased the zerks, at the end of the oil change I asked if they greased the zerks and they said yes. Yet when I got home and checked, they clearly hadn’t even touched them, and I had to take it back)*. I probably won’t use them anymore, haven’t decided I’ll write a complaint to them.
*I’ve had other issues with them as well, such as (hmmm even today) them not asking what kind of oil I’d like them to use, and there was something else, but I don’t remember.
No. Not at all.
In short, the right way to do it is to warm up the engine, block all entrances to the engine, cover the electrical gizmos (they should be in pretty well protected, but you’d hate to fry a $500 chip for want of a 2 cent plastic bag), spray down with an engine degreasing foam, let sit, and then gently hose off. The guy in the link dried his engine with a leaf blower or something, but I think getting the big puddles off and then letting the engine run a few minutes would work just as well.
I’d find yourself a new mechanic.
Dumping cold water on a hot engine is a bad idea and could certainly do damage, like cracking the exhaust manifold for one.
After getting an oil change and before driving the vehicle, you should pop the hood and pull the dipstick. There have been cases where nothing was done at all and even cases where they forgot to put in the new oil. Pulling the dipstick will confirm the proper oil level and show if it is new. clean oil. If it’s black they haven’t changed it. Then you should keep a close eye on the guages, in case something is leaking: drain plug, filter. Shut the engine down immediately if any problem occurs. Finally, after driving a few miles, you should check the dipstick again, to assure of no leaks and that they filled and installed the filter properly. Then, after driving and the vehicle has been parked for, at least, several minutes, check the ground underneath, again to assure no oil leaks.
This may sound involved and mistakes may be rare, but it only takes a few seconds and is a lot less hassle than trying to get the shop to pay for a new engine.
A bucket of cold water isn’t going to clean oil off an engine worth a damn, but I doubt it will hurt anything.
Yes the engine compartment is full of electronics.
Yes the electronics don’t like water.
But don’t forget that driving though a puddle will pretty much also soak the engine compartment with cold water. This why all the electronics under the hood are weatherproofed.
So did they harm your car in any way? Probably not.
I’ll never understand why people get oil changes, instead of just doing it themselves. It takes all of ten minutes, is cheaper than taking it in, has less of a chance of some bonehead screwing it up as in the OP (unless you are a bonehead ;)) and is so easy you could almost train a chimp to do it. It’s a bit of a hassle, sure, but no more so than what A.R. Cane suggests.
Because if you don’t have the right tools (like a creeper, and a filter wrench, and a drain pan, and the right socket, which was invariably missing from my tool box), it can be a messy pain in the ass. Well worth the minuscule price I pay someone else to do it, and I used to change my own oil, plenty of times. I don’t go to boneheads, so I minimize that risk. I just decided it was money well spent.
It is done purely to get the service book stamped. Makes a big difference when you try and sell the car on.
I used to do them myself, but my in the last two cars I’ve had, they’ve just been to damn close to the ground. Ford Bonco, Easy, Ford LTD easy, Econoline, I can acutally get underneath it and sit up…Honda Civic, not much clearance there. Yes, I could buy a set of ramps or jackstands. Yes, I know how to do an oil change, yes I’ve done many many oil changes myself. But for $30 I’ll let someone else get their hands dirty and make a mess in their shop instead of my driveway. Besides, it was 12 degrees out today, and the ground is covered in snow, even when I was doing them myself, I would still have someone else do it in winter.
** A.R. Cane** I had it done at a place where you stay in the car AND they have four cameras on the car (two above and two in the pit) I can see everything they do AND they show me the dipstick before and after the oil change.
Every time I get a new car, I do a couple of oil changes, just to familiarize myself with it. After that, I “pay” for it. They don’t charge for labour at the place I go. The oil is marked up to cover for that, and it sucks to be the guy buying it at the marked up price to do the work myself. While I am there, I have them rotate the tyres, a real PITA to do at home.
As for the OP (tangentially) I asked a aeromechanic friend of mine about cleaning the engine and he insists that the best way is to do it with the engine running. That way, if you mess something up, at least you will know what it is (as you were pointing the pressure washer at it when the engine dies). What say you, automechanic dopers?
I would do it with the engine warmed up, but not necessarily running.
::: shrug:::
So with the engine off you find out 2 minutes later you got water in the wrong place. Think it makes that big a difference? If so leave it running.
there are plenty of car washes that offer engine degresser selection along with hot wax and spotless rinse. The degresser is mixed with hot water so it wont damage a hot engine. So for the do it your selfers out there i sugest this it comes out as low pressure foam so it has lee chance of mucking up electriconics. Let it sit a while I usually wash the rest of my car while i wait. then use the spotfree rinse to rinse the engine off.
Cold water on any hot engine is harmful and can crack cylinder heads engine blocks headers intake manifolds exust manifolds water pumps. jist rember that hot metal expands and cold metal retracts so pouring cold water on hot metal not a good idea
The windchill is 8 degrees, if anything else needs to be cleaned the people the fucked it up can clean it.
This is why I don’t change my own oil I’d gladly pay you 10 bucks or so to come over and do it though. 
:rolleyes:
Cite?
In over 40 years in the automotive business I have never heard of a cracked block, head, header, intake or exhaust manifold from cold water on any engine that was not overheated to start with.
As I said before going though a deep puddle pretty much soaks the engine in cold water, with no ill effect.
It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than $10 to get me to change the oil on that vehicle.
I’ve got to get my ass in gear and plow. Sundays are made for this so, I have a bit of time. Waiting for the sun to come over the mountain. That will help a little.
If there is a car valet close by, I’d get it steam cleaned. Warm the engine up a bit, helps to soften the muck and get it off easier plus it aids in rapid drying after the cleaning process.
I have had it done a couple of times when the engine has started looking a bit grubby.
It costs around £10-15 (GBP) here, takes about twenty minutes and leaves the engine and engine bay looking like new. It has the added benefit of disclosing any leaks.