Engine light on after oil change

[navinslave]

I got my oil changed last week, now the check engine light is on. My car has 63k miles- I noticed when I was driving on the expressway that it sounded like a metallic tractor sound- not noticeable unless you have noise sensitivity like me. Any suggestions before I take to mechanic???

[joatmon]

Before you start the car again,and some time, say at least five minutes since it was last running, pop the hood, pull the engine oil dipstick. Wipe it off, put it back in all the way. Pull it back out and verify that there is oil on the dipstick, between the two marks. Let us know what you find out.

[sideshowalan]

Also check your transmission fluid if you have an auto. They may have accidentally drained the transmission fluid and still put another 4 qts of oil in the engine.

[Chiadog]

Also seems too easy to me to accidentally install a vibe Gt oil filter that would cause the loss of all oil at some point.
Chiadog

[ParknVibe]

I got my oil changed last week, now the check engine light is on. My car has 63k miles- I noticed when I was driving on the expressway that it sounded like a metallic tractor sound- not noticeable unless you have noise sensitivity like me. Any suggestions before I take to mechanic???

Make sure that the oil wasn't over filled. It could foam and cause air bubbles in the oil. the Crankshaft can foam the oil.
It could also be the hidden oil filter screen within the engine that could be clogged.

[lannvouivre]

It could also be the hidden oil filter screen within the engine that could be clogged.

Which one, out of curiosity? Is it the one on the oil pickup tube, or one of the OCV filters? I've only taken apart a Vortec LM7 V8 engine, so I'm curious about what interesting internal bits our lovely inline-4s have got.

[Chiadog]

Also seems too easy to me to accidentally install a vibe Gt oil filter that would cause the loss of all oil at some point.
Chiadog

Oops, I think I was mistaken! It now appears to me that the GT and base oil filters are interchangeable. The only difference being increased capacity/surface area in the GT filter.
Chiadog

Hey Navinslave,
How about an update?

[Tonyk27]

I always use a GT oil filter in my base. Thay cost the same at walmart and I never lost a drop of oil since I started doing it some 60,000 miles ago.

[CharlesinGA]

The reference to the hidden oil filter, is the tiny super fine screen that filters the oil going to the variable cam position actuator. It would not cause noise such as you have experience.

I am very concerned that you have either no oil, or way over full oil, as already suggested. Lube places screw up quite often and the results are usually catastrophic when they do.

As already noted, check your oil and your transmission fluid, RIGHT NOW, before you drive it another inch.

I have a friend who years ago bought (new) a Nissan Sentra (the early rear wheel drive model). She had the oil changed once at a lube place and they had put the oil plug in just a turn or two. It fell out a few blocks down the street and dumped all of the oil. Big mess but she had enough sense to pull over instantly and no damage was done. Another time they "changed" the oil in the 5 speed standard shift, except they forgot to refill it. It self destructed and they claimed no knowledge of it. But she had a service ticket paid and was smart enough to have it towed to a DIFFERENT shop, one who had seen the crappy work the lube place had done all too many times. He told them to get her a new transmission or they would see him in court as an expert witness. They installed a junkyard transmission that was never as good as the original.

Charles