salukijac

I was changing the oil on my 87 and instead of the oil tank I drained oil from the front of the crankcase. I went ahead and drained from the correct place, replaced the drain plugs on the tank and crankcase and left the other off to make sure I didn't drain something other than the oil. I added some oil and oil came out of the unplugged drain. I felt better and put the plug back on and refilled the oil. I finished the oil change (put 9 quarts, drove up to temp, and added more oil until it read betwen the marks on the stick).

So everything seemed normail except the oil light came on at startup and as soon as I gave it gas it went away. Now it does it everytime I start the car.

So I took it for a short drive, temp is up to normal, everything looks good except I noticed my pressure will not go past 1 bar.

What the hell did I do? I'm so pissed I can't see straight. I hate when I make stupid mistakes.

salukijac

UHG!!!!!!!!!!! I took off the Oil relief valve drain plug!!!! The bad part is that I didn't realize the oil pressure relief valve sleeve, spring and piston fell out. Now I have to order it and replace it. What a knucklehead move!!! So the question is, can I drive the car back to the hobby shop (about 5 miles) or do I need to do this work in place?

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Do NOT drive the car.

Replace the lost parts (in the correct order) before you restart the engine.

salukijac

Thanks Steve. Exactly what I needed to now. I'll order the parts from Pelican and replace as soon as they come in.

Ed Hughes

FOCK! I hope you didn't drive far......

People- Even oil changes need you on your game!!! Be careful out there!!!

theiceman

the bits should be in your oil container you captured the oil in .. get digging .... or swimming ..

rusnak

yeah...why do you need to order new parts? Just thoroughly clean them, pay attention to the correct sequence, and reinstall.

edit: I think you went to the borrowed lift, correct? And the parts are probably over there, on the floor or in the trash?

salukijac

You're correct! They're probably on the screen of the oil tank I used. I never saw them coming out. The problem is by the time I realized my bonehead move, the place was closed. I can try to go tomorrow morning when they open and check to see if they're still on the screen.

In all of the oil change discussions here I never read anything about this plug. It wasn't until I got home and started looking at the Bentley, when I realized what I had done.

I knew I had two plugs, I (like a f...ing idiot) took the wrong one off. As soon as I did it I knew I had taken the wrong plug and then I had this knot in my stomach. It's been 8 hours and I still have that feeling.

Parts are already ordered but if I can retrieve them tomorrow, even better. Damn...I feel like an idiot!

Ed Hughes

I don't think anyone has ever questioned this being the oil drain. I think people tend to be looking toward the center of the case for a plug or sump plate, and don't usually see the bypass plug as it is a bit off the beaten path, so to speak. There's actually a second one as well that enters the side of the case, LH side, I believe.

salukijac

Leave it to me to misidentify the plug. I can't remember being sidetracked by anything but obviously I wasn't thinking.

You're correct on the second one....it's on the left hand side also. It's the safety relief valve. I never saw that one until I looked in the Bentley.

ricster

Wow surprised you did this.

ivangene

not that you will repeat this - and thankfully it was caught before an issue became of it..... but do you have a manual? - I used mine even for the oil change... nothing like a quick look before starting a job, might save you down the road

salukijac

Alright guys...I'm not goig to BS you and give you a bunch of excuses or trying to spin it in a way that I have an excuse for you. Yeah I have a manual, cardinal mistake of not using it because I thought I knew what I was doing. Totally against my nature. I used to maintain Ground radars in the Air Force and considered myself an expert and the last day I worked on a radar I still used the Tech Order. Hell, no matter how much I fly, I always pay attention to the flight attendants or watch the safety video.

Trust me, this is not doing much for the ego...as a matter of fact I considered deleting the post once I realized what I had done. But hey...I appreciate you guys not pointing out the obvious...what a sh..head I was. Thanks for the politeness!

I'm telling you this one of the most embarrasing moments of my life...even though I don't know any of you personally.

race911

No, what's worse is forgetting to reinstall an oil filter with an oil change. Had a first-timer lose an engine that way. Called me in a panic wondering why the car smoked so bad and oil was dripping from everywhere. At first I thought it had just blown off. No, he forgot to put one on.................

ricster

Forgot the oil filter????? Wow that's a first. Somethings are better left to the pros