Need help urgently---oil splattered all over engine

[joseph]

lifted up my wife's hood b/c she needed washer fluid. I notice drops over oil and a gritty film of oil splaterred about the engine. I look closely and see that the oil cap is gone. She had her oil changed 2 weeks ago and they must have forgotten to put it back on or screwed it on loosley because my wife and I never, ever look under the hoods. I am extremely upset with Jiffy Lube and will give them a piece of my mind tomorrow but my wife needs to leav at 6:15am for work. Her oil light never lit up over the past 2 weeks and she drives 110 miles a day. So, that's about 1,000 miles since the oil change. I will check the dipstick and try to add oil if needed. Can I put something in place of the oil cap as a temporary solution before I take it in tomorrow night or will it be fine for another 110 miles?thanks for your repliesjoseph

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by joseph »lifted up my wife's hood b/c she needed washer fluid. I notice drops over oil and a gritty film of oil splaterred about the engine. I look closely and see that the oil cap is gone. She had her oil changed 2 weeks ago and they must have forgotten to put it back on or screwed it on loosley because my wife and I never, ever look under the hoods. I am extremely upset with Jiffy Lube and will give them a piece of my mind tomorrow but my wife needs to leav at 6:15am for work. Her oil light never lit up over the past 2 weeks and she drives 110 miles a day. So, that's about 1,000 miles since the oil change. I will check the dipstick and try to add oil if needed. Can I put something in place of the oil cap as a temporary solution before I take it in tomorrow night or will it be fine for another 110 miles?thanks for your repliesjosephFirst thing - top off the oil level. Second, you should put NOTHING in that port. The crankcase is under pressure when your engine is running, so a rag or towel won't stay and could become a ignition source when it falls behind the engine and lands on the exhaust.I would recommend NOT driving it until you get an oil cap for it and get the engine bay degreased. This would be a situation where I would call in late for work to get it resolved. If your engine bay is coated in oil - it could ignite, if the exhuast parts are heavily coated.Contact your quicklube place and let them know you'll be bringing a bill in for your dealer cleaning the engine bay, a new oil cap, and an oil change. They'll probably want to make a claim on their insurance.Don't let them attempt to fix or clean your vehicle.

[joseph]

thanks but it's 11pm and everything is closed. I will to it off and keep the car local until going back to those idiots at jiffy lube for anothr oil change and the same exact oil capthanks for your help

[binary]

You'll have to make a judgement call on driving it. Depending on how much oil is in the engine bay. If there is a ton - I wouldn't drive it at all. If it's just a light mist in some areas, you may be okay. However, I'd lean on JiffyLube and make them pay for degreasing your engine bay as well.Good luck with that and let us know how you fare. Also, you may want to post the location of your culprit so others can stear clear.

[joatmon]

I agree the most important thing is to check the oil level and top it off if needed. Takes 5W30 oil, which you should be able to get most anywhere. You should check the level and fill it up as needed before she drives it again.I did not know the crankcase was under pressure, I thought the PCV valve provided a link between the crankcase and the intake, if anything I would expect the crankcase to be under a very minor vacuum when the engine is running. If it was me, I might make a temporary cap by making a packed ball of aluminum foil and if you get the size right, it could even screw it into the spot where the oil filler cap should be, the foil ball would conform to screw threads.It is always a good idea to check up after an oil change, whether you do it yourself, if it is done by a friend you trust, or if it is done by a "professional" Anyone can make a mistake. Check the oil level, check for leaks, etc periodically.If you can convince Jiffy Lube to own up to their mistake, get them to clean the engine compartment also. (edit, although binary already said that while I was typing my post )

[jake75]

I have never trusted Jiffy Lube or their ilk. The people there generally aren't very swift. They aren't especially cheap either, only real advantage is that they are fast most of the time but many dealers have 30 minute oil changes these days, plus evening and Saturday hours. My son blew an engine on an old Celica after an oil change at Jiffy. Oil was gone and for some reason the oil warning light did not come on. Of course they said it wasn't their fault - impossible to prove.

[joseph]

I will not go to jiffy lube again and will always check for that cap to be screwed on before leaving. I think it is worth the extra time and expense to bring it to the dealer as they will stand by their work. Jiffy Lube has a bunch of 23 year olds in their shops and their maturity level is quite low translating into sloppy workmanship.

[Sputnik]

The exact same thing happened to me here at my dealer. Luckily I noticed there was a problem (saw smoke coming from my hood!) within a day or two and the oil cap was still sitting beside the hole it should have been screwed onto! I took the car back to the dealer and they shampooed the engine (for free of course!) and gave me a free oil change.

[Baltovibe]

Seems to be a very common problem:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id ... d?id=18024

[damronjr]

There was a girl I used to work with that got her oil changed and they didn't tighten the drain plug properly. A few days/weeks later it apparently fell off and blew her engine. She showed them that she had just gotten it done there and they had to pay to replace her engine! She didn't get any warnings or anything either prior to thye engine going.

[binary]

Luckily for us if our oil pressure drops to a dangerous level - the engine will shut off automatically.Still... lets not get that far - shall we? I was surprised at the pressure coming out of the oil filler when I had started it without the cap on. I too had assumed it was going to be a vacuum due to the PCV system.Ah well, regardless of that fact - I hope everything was taken care of for our new member. That indeed sucks finding a mess like that.

[JustinVGT]

I had the exact same thing happen to me 2-3 years ago. I usually always watch mechanics work on my car, but that day I took a walk down the street since they said there was quite a wait. Came back and the car was done, way ahead of time. I paid, then luckily I thought about just taking a look under the hood. The mechanic didn't put the cap on and it sprayed oil all over the inside of my hood and engine cover from just moving the car to the parking lot. I had them clean it up with some degreaser. I am so glad I checked because I right after I got the oil change, I was driving to a college to meet with some friends a few hours away.I've been changing my oil since then, but will still always take a look under my hood after someone else works on it.

[zionzr2]

Rule NUMBER 1 when taking a vehicle to a quicky lube:BEFORE LEAVING CHECK All Caps and Check for Leaks or Messes Yourself!! (YES this SHOULD be THEIR JOB)

[ragingfish]

jiffy lube isn't the only one that makes this error.I made this mistake once on my own. I changed my own oil, threw down the hood, and drove just outside the garage to let it run and circulate. When I opened the hood back up to recheck the level, sure enough, it was splattered with oil. Thankfully, I never drove it, so the revs never kicked up, and the splatter was minimal. But yeah, normally, dealer does all my changes. I probably won't even do my own on the G6 because of the time involved with the change, and more importnatly, the impossible BS I go through to get someone to take the old oil and filter. But I did once go to jiffy lube because I was at a meeting in north jersey, and was leaving from there to go away for the weekend, and i had totally forgotten my oil change the week before...so i had them do it...and first thing i checked when i got it back was to ensure the oil cap was on and tight. thankfully, it was! *phew*As to the aluminum foil recommendation, I'd say if you choose that method, be VERY careful...foil can break off little tiny pieces, and you DON"T want those getting in your engine! We won't even use foil in the restaurant because of the risk of having those little tiny "flakes" falling into food. But whatever you decide, work your hardest to drive the car as little, and as close, as possible. If you could, I'd suggest either take another car, or have the vibe towed, and get an oil cap. If you have AAA or roadside assistance, you should be able to get the tow for free. And if you can't get it free, then slap JL with the bill. You can only make the problem worse by continuing to drive it.

[mcgusto82]

wow. those guys really are grease monkeys. people pay them to do the oil chanche because they don't know how to do one. if they only knew that they didn't either....in response to some of the coments about crankshaft and related presssure...where we pour the oil into isn't the engine block. so it the preassure coming from the oil fill isn't crankshaft preassure it's camshaft preassure. the preassure is from valve blow by. like other have said, don't drive the car without the oil cap. hope you get it all worked out well. hopefully it won't be such a starin on your wife.

[Mavrik]

The oil cap can be left off accidently even by the brightest and most educated tech out there. For myself as a little reminder to put it back on, I set it on top of the hood latch. The hood won't close with it there lol. Or set it right on the engine cover so when you have filled it up with oil, spin that back on before even starting the car. If your doing your own change, all base Vibes take exactly 4 litres.

[drunkenmaxx]

i left my lid off once when i got back from fishing drunk and decided to change my oil.

[RIT]

Funny - I also put my oil cap on the latch. Great minds think alike.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by RIT »Funny - I also put my oil cap on the latch. Great minds think alike.it seems we do

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by mcgusto82 »wow. those guys really are grease monkeys. people pay them to do the oil chanche because they don't know how to do one. if they only knew that they didn't either...If you're referencing me choosing to go BACk to dealer oil changes because I decided DIY was too much hassle, I think your statement is way off base and flat out wrong.People pay them to do it for many reasons. Some people don't know how to. Some people don't care to. Some people don't trust themselves to do it right. And some people don't want to risk doing it themselves, doing something wrong, blowing up the engine, and then having no one but themselves to blame. And the list could go on for pages...Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »For myself as a little reminder to put it back on, I set it on top of the hood latch. The hood won't close with it there lol. Or set it right on the engine cover so when you have filled it up with oil, spin that back on before even starting the car. If your doing your own change, all base Vibes take exactly 4 litres.That's a pretty damn smart idea my friend! If I ever do an oil change again, I'll keep that in mind!

[joatmon]

So when you checked the oil level, what was the result?Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »all base Vibes take exactly 4 litres.My owners manual says oil and filter change takes 3.9 quarts, or 3.7L. I always just use a full gallon. I suppose it depends to some extent on the size of the oil filter used.

[Mavrik]

lots of people do not perform their own oil changes because they do not have the time, equipment to and or the desire to. Changing oil requires you to buy your own oil, flip through a book for the right filter (if you don't know it) as well as have a set of tools suck as a socket wrench for the drain plug, an oil filter wrench and a large drain pan with a lid. Changing the oil itself without proper equipment can be tasking. Myself when I change my own oil, I prefer access to a hoist, which I have at work. But not everyone is so lucky. I'd hate to change my oil by crawling under my Vibe. Lowered or not I can't get under there even on a creeper. Of course you can use car jacks but everyone knows you must keep your car level to get out all the oil so now your jacking up your car off all four wheels.Ok so if you actually went through all that, you now have oil to get rid of as well as that dirty old filter. Off to a shop you go in the hopes they will dispose of it for you and not charge you for it.Adding up all of that... some people find it cheaper just to have someone else do it. And being in the service industry, I'll gladly be that someone else doing it.When I change my own oil, I let it sit there draining till pretty much nothing is coming out. When I put in the 4 litres, its right to the full line and not even mm past it. Thats of course after its been started and pressurized.

[goodvibe]

You probably haven't lost that much oil and only need to replace the cap and get an oil change. No damage should have occured but the smell will last a week or until you get it cleaned. Whipe up what you can. It shouldn't have hurt anything. Remember that you can get a cap at Toyota if Pontiac is out. Change the oil since it has been exposed to more moisture and debri. Lots of outside air rides over the engine.Quote, originally posted by mcgusto82 » the preassure is from valve blow by. HUH? Oil is pressurized through the crank bearings etc and then fed upwards and sprayed on the valvetrain to drain back down to the pan. Blowby is ring related. Even if the valves don't seal properly everything goes to the intake or exhaust. Leaky valve guides also go with the flow.

[binary]

Blowby is only really found in highly worn engines. A good running engine will exhibit minimal pressure from combustion. I think the pressure is related to PCV pressurizing an area and vacuuming another... the result though is that if you leave the oil cap off, there is positive pressure inside the valve cover that escapes - bringing oil vapor and droplets with it.I'm due for an oil change now - and it's ballfreezing cold out with no end in sight... I may be relagated to a quicklube place. I may wait until mobil-lube visits my job, they were onsite today but I'm on vacation!$18 tire rotations, $25 oil changes - all on site.

[Cougar Vibe]

Quote »If your doing your own change, all base Vibes take exactly 4 litres.All base Vibes claim to take 3.7 liters /3.9 quarts. However, there is a great discussion going on over at BITOG about how the Toyota engine can take anywhere between 3.6 and 4.0 quarts; some guys are getting more, some less. Also, Toyota changed the dipstick on the '06 1ZZ engine so that it appears to hold more oil (4.4 quarts) than the '03-'05. The oil pan (Corolla) looks exactly the same on the '06 engine, so the concensus is that overfilling by a half quart is not only not harmful, but may be beneficial (better flow). It would be great if someone here with an '06 1ZZ engine could take a pic of the end of their dipstick, for comparison. Also, some '06 Corolla owners are reporting that their cars are coming with Toyota OEM F1 filters, as opposed to the A2/F2 on prior years. (Corolla forum in http://www.toyotanation.com).Note: I make no claims to accuracy, just passing on what's floating in relevant forums...

[jasonvibe]

Absolutely NO dealer will admit to major wrong doing. The liability and loss of the service manager's job are at stake. After a repair, I had my air cond. compressor "blow" due to improper charging. They just said, "we did not do anything wrong, it was just time". A load of B.S. is all you can expect. The only dealers that treat you with respect is Mercedes, BMW and Porsche. They figure, if you are dumb enough to spend that much money for a car and service. You are to stupid to lie.

[bladez718]

i remember doing the oil change for my dad's car, i forgot to put my oil dipstick and now its Lost.. dont know if auto store sells it..

[cohocarl]

Quote, originally posted by binary »Luckily for us if our oil pressure drops to a dangerous level - the engine will shut off automatically.Still... lets not get that far - shall we? All joking aside, I remember some MGB's had an oil pressure switch that wouldn't allow spark unless there was oil pressure. Actually a good idea....

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by cohocarl »All joking aside, I remember some MGB's had an oil pressure switch that wouldn't allow spark unless there was oil pressure. Actually a good idea....Yeah - I found out my Contour had that feature too (I think it's pretty much a standard item on cars now adays). Bottomed out on unmarked road construction and shattered the oil pan. Engine shutoff a second after the oil light came on... and I was just getting myself back off the ceiling of my car. Regardless - running low on oil is still bad because what oil is left - will be circulated more, and run hotter. So you may have enough to keep from shutting down, but it's almost just as bad.