:embarassed: OK. I feel really DUMB. But maybe I'll save someone else the grief...that is if there's someone out there as dumb as I am...
Those who remember my car may recall that it's a '76 that looks brand new and has only 40K miles.
Last week, I noticed the oil was low. Fearing my V6 was buring oil, I added a quart. But the level didn't go up. So I added another quart. And another. Pretty soon, oil was dripping all over my garage floor. And the car smoked like crazy for the first time.
"Oh no, there must be something REALLY wrong with this car for it to leak oil like that," I thought.
So I took it into my mechanic expecting the worst. He said, "There's oil all over the engine. I don't get it!" He let the engine idle until the oil burned off.
Then, the big "ah hah"! I decided to check the oil level before I drove away. I checked it and complained it was still low. My mechanic smiled and said, "That dipstick is the POWER STEERING, not the oil dipstick!"
Morale to mechanical idiots like me: The Pinto V6 dipstick is located way down under the engine where you can't see it. The one you see up top is the Power Steering!
Oh well. Live and learn! :embarassed:
Quote from: beicholz on August 12, 2010, 10:33:00 PM
:embarassed: OK. I feel really DUMB. But maybe I'll save someone else the grief...that is if there's someone out there as dumb as I am...
Those who remember my car may recall that it's a '76 that looks brand new and has only 40K miles.
Last week, I noticed the oil was low. Fearing my V6 was buring oil, I added a quart. But the level didn't go up. So I added another quart. And another. Pretty soon, oil was dripping all over my garage floor. And the car smoked like crazy for the first time.
"Oh no, there must be something REALLY wrong with this car for it to leak oil like that," I thought.
So I took it into my mechanic expecting the worst. He said, "There's oil all over the engine. I don't get it!" He let the engine idle until the oil burned off.
Then, the big "ah hah"! I decided to check the oil level before I drove away. I checked it and complained it was still low. My mechanic smiled and said, "That dipstick is the POWER STEERING, not the oil dipstick!"
Morale to mechanical idiots like me: The Pinto V6 dipstick is located way down under the engine where you can't see it. The one you see up top is the Power Steering!
Oh well. Live and learn! :embarassed:
That sounds like something I would do!!! Seriously, as you say... live and learn!
Dwayne :smile:
One of the 1st times I ever changed oil on a car (and getting paid for it) was on a '66 Shelby Mustang GT350.
It had a larger than stock cast aluminum pan. I think I must have poured about 10 quarts in that thing and never got a hit on the end of the dipstick!!!
Was standing there thinking about what may be going on and my boss (Ak Miller) 'dropped' some change on the floor near the front of the car.
When I bent over to pick it up for him I noticed an oil slick big enough to make the Exxon Valdez look like a drip!!!
I had forgotten to put the plug back in the bottom of the pan!!!
Nobody else was around.
He NEVER let me forget it!!!
Ooooooops! lol. :lol: :lol: :lol:
:) Thanks for the good humor and undestanding! My car's back to normal...no smoking, runs like a champ. What a relief! I thought I might be facing $3K or $4K for a complete overhaul. Whew! ;D
Hey be careful with that car or I might have to sell you parts off of it's twin in WV....
Funny story! Good thing it didn't turn out to anything major but instead just a harmless laugh in the end. :D
-beegle55
Hey Beegle....Yep! I don't think I will be investing $3 - $4K, much as I love my Pinto. Thank goodness I don't have to! Now that all the excess oil burned off the outside of the engine, she's back to her usual self.
Still, you never know what's going to happen. Perhaps someday, our two Pintos can "merge" and create the world's best Pinto!
Nope... I have the Workd's Best Pinto! lol :lol:
Me too!
Don't feel bad, I potsed a link here a few months back (cannot find it) to a guy who flushed the engine with water after draining the oil and then ran it. he ceased the engine. Too much oil can be a real bad thing, but not as bad as water. Like you said live and learn. :look:
Thanks Rear Ended. So far, the car seems to have survived the ordeal.
wild stories. I have to share this one. 3 months back I did an oil change on my 4.L truck motor. pulled the plug, pulled the oil filter and let her sit draining for an hour. Placed the plug back in, tightened up the new oil filter and dumped in 4.5 liters of synthetic. jumped into the truck and hit the ignition to hear this pissing sound. turned off the truck immediately, only to find a large puddle of oil under... sat scratching my head on this one... went under and tried to tighten back up the filter... nope tight as could be.... well what the hell... decided to drain out the oil and check the threads on the filter, only to find out the error of my ways was that the first gasket on the old filter was still stuck to the block of the motor. lesson learned and first time that has ever happened. PS the shop floor is still a bit sheened up from the synthetic oil..... you can't get that stuff off concrete.
Thanks to everyone for the humerous stories! I'm happy to report my Pinto is like new now, undamaged by my idiocy. AND she looks great with her new ads from J C Whitney, as recommended by Fred!