Things I have taken for granted being a car guy, The Oil Change

[451Mopar]

Yes, took longer to post than do the oil change.
My Daughter said, "is that all you have to do, that's easy."
I said, "yes, as long as everything goes correctly."
Lucky she has a fairly low mile 2017 car that looks like only the dealer serviced.
I'm pretty sure the car was in an accident before my daughter bought it, the body repair was not very good, and had cracking bondo and rust stain on the fender.

I started telling her, things don't always go as planned. If you over-tighten the oil filter, it is going to be a pain to get it off.
Use the wrong wrench on the oil fill plug can round the hex head off, over-tighten the oil drain plug and it can strip the threads, or at least make it a bear to remove next time.
Honestly, how many of us have extra oil drain plug gaskets in the tool box. Only reason I have some drain plug gaskets is I knew the one on Glorias car needed to be replaced.
The one on the daughters car was fine, just stuck to the oil pan. I told her it is a part that needs to be inspected and sometimes replaced.

I don't worry much about gaskets for the old Mopars, I have a stack of old partial gasket kits and even some new unused gaskets in the sealed packages.
Working on the old Mopars for 40 years you tend to accumulate a bunch of extra parts.

 

[WileE]

Aww man, you not done the "sliced open plastic jug slop catcher" tool yet?

Yes, that, or .. those grocery store plastic bags wrap around the filter very nicely as you spin it off.

 

[WileE]

Don't know if it's mentioned anywhere, I always use a pick or a knife to punch a small hole in the opposite top of the plastic bottle for air displacement, to prevent oil spillage as it regurgitates during fill, especially with those big gallon jugs. Back in my old days it was punch a small notch with the can opener on the other side of the can.

 

[Cranky]

I get tickled, as this word (oil) seems a particular sense of amusement with northerners - more to the point,
how they perceive southerners pronounce the word.
I've been directly asked more than once - they expect me to say it like fake southern actors would on TV,
"earl" - and when I pronounce it "oll" (no "i" in there, just oll), they find that hilarious.

What can I say? Around here, I've always been told I talk like a Yankee - but when talking to old friends
up north, they always comment on my southern accent.
Man without a country, I guess....

Had a thin joke book about 'all' (oil) and was geared towards Texas. Can't remember the author anymore but it was kinda funny....with pictures an all. First page was "I struck ALL on ma land"! Went downhill from there.

#42 Drive car to quick change place. Remove credit card....

I've replaced a few messed up 'all' drain plugs and had to chase the threads in the pan to clean them up after some oil change place got a hold of the car. I never took any of mine but my dad did and so did other relatives. I know of one where the oil change place didn't even tighten up the plug. Yup, it eventually fell out along with all the all!

My late mother took a class at work to do this. The “teacher” forgot step #14 and guess who the next driver of the family car was after that! Don’t skip #14!!!

Good job on documenting this @451Mopar !

I found out the hard way about #14 in 92 with a 92 V8 Dakota with less than 10k miles on it. The wife was going to take it for a errand and luckily she didn't turn on the radio right off the bat like usual and heard the 'pissing' noise of the oil squirting out from between the now doubled filter gaskets. It dumped almost all the oil out within 500 feet and left a nice oil trail to the point where she stopped. That was a first and I now check the old filter each and every time!

 

[Ron H]

I may copy and send lengthy articles, but I don’t write anything that long.

I stand corrected sir.

 

[moparedtn]

Don't know if it's mentioned anywhere, I always use a pick or a knife to punch a small hole in the opposite top of the plastic bottle for air displacement, to prevent oil spillage as it regurgitates during fill, especially with those big gallon jugs. Back in my old days it was punch a small notch with the can opener on the other side of the can.

Just like with antifreeze jugs, if you hold it "on the flat" (sideways) then the fluid won't "chug" out the spout -
air gets an easy way into the jug to replace the fluid pouring out that way.

 

[Cranky]

Just like with antifreeze jugs, if you hold it "on the flat" (sideways) then the fluid won't "chug" out the spout -
air gets an easy way into the jug to replace the fluid pouring out that way.

Yup! Been doing that for years now......

 

[maxwedgechar]

In about 1939 or 1940 my father was at the Ford dealer and the salesman points to the new Lincoln in the shop. "It's yours for the price of the new motor!". The mechanic drained the oil, it was 5 o'clock and he lowered the car and went home. The owner walked in, saw the car and "tried" to drive it home!

 

[Thrashingcows]

My youngest daughter who's turning 20 in a few weeks can swap out her winter and summer tires on her 88 Aries K-Car all by herself, change the oil, air filter and check and top up all the fluids....She's even had a few break downs and I've talked her through diagnosis and minor repairs over the phone....pretty proud of her!

 

[Purepony]

Number 14!! Lol ask me how I know about number 14

 

[themechanic]

Just teaching kids that internal combustion engines require regular oil and filter changes is an accomplishment.

 

[Purepony]

yeah and get to the part where they forget to put parts back like they did on my oil change. After that I started doing my own oil changes.

They didn’t put the skid plate back and damaged most of the plastic clips

 

[440 4 speed]

Our drag racing granddaughter will do all of those and more. Other grandchildren can do most of the things on the list.

 

[Tony Tee]

The only thing I do differently is put some oil in the engine and start it. to check the oil filter and drain plug for leaks before lowering the car...But a great post!

 

[Triplegreen500]

My youngest daughter who's turning 20 in a few weeks can swap out her winter and summer tires on her 88 Aries K-Car all by herself, change the oil, air filter and check and top up all the fluids....She's even had a few break downs and I've talked her through diagnosis and minor repairs over the phone....pretty proud of her!

Aries K - LOVE IT! You should have her check out my buddy's (Sc)Aries....

Pat's ScAries

(and yes...he's gone 10.96/124.74 with it....!)

 

[Cranky]

yeah and get to the part where they forget to put parts back like they did on my oil change. After that I started doing my own oil changes.

They didn’t put the skid plate back and damaged most of the plastic clips

How bout striping the drain plug or pan? Heard of that happening more than a few times.....and double gasketing the oil filter because the old one stuck to the engine and they didn't check it. Heck, I've did that once but caught it quickly. That happened on a new truck that only had 7k miles on it!

 

[blue_stocker]

While this may not pertain to being 'a car guy', it kinda fits in the 'things taken for granted' cateogory...well, kinda sorta!

Several years ago, when I was living in the land of the lost, I owned a cabinet/woodshop. A friend in Sacto (yes, CA), told me of a friend of his son's had moved to the area and he might look me up, and low-and-behold, he did. A yound guy in his early-mid 20s, worked for CalFire but had little-to-no experience working (the trades) with his hands other than what grunt work he had done with the state fire fighting organization. He started hanging out with me when not on-duty and I started teaching him some basic woodworking/shop/safety skills and soon he was making small and simple projects in my shop. A few months later he started working for a cabinet shop in another small town not far away where he was learning and enjoying himself but the 'boss' was not real easy to get along with and kind of a jerk. Over the next year or so I started teaching him basic automotive skills and he was sucking it up like a sponge, surprising/pleasing himself and building pretty good self-esteem. Over time he ended up moving back to Sacramento, CA and changed professions to EMT for calfire and no longer a fire line grunt. One day he called me and told me he'd like to build a couple of simple shop cabinets for his garage at which point I said, 'Sure, come on up!' He spent a couple of days in my shop with little help and surpervision but accomplished most by himself and did a pretty good job too, I might add!

That was close to 20 years ago and we stay in contact and have built a pretty strong friendship over the years. He's now a carido-vascular therapist at one of the hospitals in the Sacto area, married with two wonderful little ones and doing quite well for himself. I will also add that a few years after he moved from the Dunsmuir, CA area back to Sacto he started making knives and gained interest in other metalworking hobbies. I'm proud to have have known him and become his friend and to have been a help and encouragement in his life and helping him progress in areas of his interest. SO...along with this story here's the punchline and something my Dad taught me; if you can help somebody...'it's always going to cost you something to help somebody...there's always a price. Sometimes it's time, other times it might be knowledge, emotions, material(s) or even money but there's always a price'. If you can, if WE can, we really need to do just that and expect nothing in return. I've done all-of-the-above things and some of the time have been rewarded and some of the time not, BUT the rewards to gain a true friend are priceless and the student has gained something of importance and hopefully apply it to their life!

 

[Ron H]

While this may not pertain to being 'a car guy', it kinda fits in the 'things taken for granted' cateogory...well, kinda sorta!

Several years ago, when I was living in the land of the lost, I owned a cabinet/woodshop. A friend in Sacto (yes, CA), told me of a friend of his son's had moved to the area and he might look me up, and low-and-behold, he did. A yound guy in his early-mid 20s, worked for CalFire but had little-to-no experience working (the trades) with his hands other than what grunt work he had done with the state fire fighting organization. He started hanging out with me when not on-duty and I started teaching him some basic woodworking/shop/safety skills and soon he was making small and simple projects in my shop. A few months later he started working for a cabinet shop in another small town not far away where he was learning and enjoying himself but the 'boss' was not real easy to get along with and kind of a jerk. Over the next year or so I started teaching him basic automotive skills and he was sucking it up like a sponge, surprising/pleasing himself and building pretty good self-esteem. Over time he ended up moving back to Sacramento, CA and changed professions to EMT for calfire and no longer a fire line grunt. One day he called me and told me he'd like to build a couple of simple shop cabinets for his garage at which point I said, 'Sure, come on up!' He spent a couple of days in my shop with little help and surpervision but accomplished most by himself and did a pretty good job too, I might add!

That was close to 20 years ago and we stay in contact and have built a pretty strong friendship over the years. He's now a carido-vascular therapist at one of the hospitals in the Sacto area, married with two wonderful little ones and doing quite well for himself. I will also add that a few years after he moved from the Dunsmuir, CA area back to Sacto he started making knives and gained interest in other metalworking hobbies. I'm proud to have have known him and become his friend and to have been a help and encouragement in his life and helping him progress in areas of his interest. SO...along with this story here's the punchline and something my Dad taught me; if you can help somebody...'it's always going to cost you something to help somebody...there's always a price. Sometimes it's time, other times it might be knowledge, emotions, material(s) or even money but there's always a price'. If you can, if WE can, we really need to do just that and expect nothing in return. I've done all-of-the-above things and some of the time have been rewarded and some of the time not, BUT the rewards to gain a true friend are priceless and the student has gained something of importance and hopefully apply it to their life!

This is a great story. He likely thinks of you as family.

 

[blue_stocker]

It's kinda like both sides as I feel in one-way-or-another, I am as well. One tid-bit I'd like to ad...when I was living and working as a machinetool rebuilder in the SF Bay Area, I would always ask my apprentices, "what are you going to teach me?" They would often give me a very puzzled look, but I never viewed my apprentices as somebody I was solely teaching. Eveyday, I would try to teach them every detail of the machinist trade that I could but at the same time I was always looking to learn from them. It might be simple things that might not have pertained to the trade, but life itself. Sometimes, they would ask questions that would cause me to look at myself or the way(s) I was trying to teach, or possibly analyze the trade process; I would always look for something to learn. No matter what or how much we think we might know, there's always more than what we do know...think about it. Thanks to the internet websites that have so much good material(s) and helping us to learn more. Thanks to the FABO/FBBO/FCBO/FEBO/moparts/yellowbullet/etc etc and the folks who make all this possible. I appreciate your work and the opportunities you present us with...wb