Did something dumb today

paulcb

paulcb

- - - Tetelestai - - - R.I.P. - 2022/05/26
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Joined
Jun 4, 2013
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4,647
Location
Celina, TX
Bike
'97/'01 ST1100 ABSII
STOC #
8735
Did a little work on my brother's ST1300 today, brake fluid flush and oil change. During the oil change, we got to talking and I got distracted and forgot to put the drain plug in before pouring 4 qts of fresh oil in. Right into the drain pan it went! :mad: It was my last gallon of that oil too! We had a good laugh though. I've done hundreds of car and mc oil changes and never done that. Wife was out running errands, so she picked up a gallon while we did the brake flush and then I finished the oil change. I hope I learned my lesson. ;)
 
Did almost the same thing on a car. Drained the oil and filter, put the drain plug in, phone rang answered it and chatted. Put five quarts of oil in it started the car and I heard this liquid gushing sound.. shut the car off five quarts of oil sprayed against the radiator forgot to put the new oil filter on. What a mess!!!
 
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You are not alone trust me. One time when me and my buddy was changing our bikes oil later I had a oil leak. I though what the hell is going on here. After careful examination found drain plug gasket was missing. I told my friend next time we do this we do it before drinking!
 
Gave my son a Mazda 5 and one day he and his friend borrowed some tools and the laneway to change the oil and filter.

After a couple of hours he comes in and asks “how much oil does this change take”? Of course I’m focused on work (worked from home since the early 80’s) and said I had no idea but check the dipstick and when it’s about halfway between the low and high marks, you’re in the zone.

About 30 minutes later he comes in and says that it’s staying around the same spot so it’s good. I decide to take a break and come out to see the boys (they’re in their 20’s, so men, I suppose) drive off down the street.

As the smoke starts to pour out of the exhaust, I call my boy, tell him to shut it off and pull it over.

Turns out they’ve drained the transmission and added God only knows how many litres of oil to the crankcase.

CAA towed the car to a friends garage where they drained the crankcase, refilled it and the transmission, test drove the car and pronounced it had suffered no ill consequences from the experience.

Not sure the boys share even my limited skill in the garage...

G
 
GGely said:
Gave my son a Mazda 5 and one day he and his friend borrowed some tools and the laneway to change the oil and filter.

After a couple of hours he comes in and asks “how much oil does this change take”? Of course I’m focused on work (worked from home since the early 80’s) and said I had no idea but check the dipstick and when it’s about halfway between the low and high marks, you’re in the zone.

About 30 minutes later he comes in and says that it’s staying around the same spot so it’s good. I decide to take a break and come out to see the boys (they’re in their 20’s, so men, I suppose) drive off down the street.

As the smoke starts to pour out of the exhaust, I call my boy, tell him to shut it off and pull it over.

Turns out they’ve drained the transmission and added God only knows how many litres of oil to the crankcase.

CAA towed the car to a friends garage where they drained the crankcase, refilled it and the transmission, test drove the car and pronounced it had suffered no ill consequences from the experience.

Not sure the boys share even my limited skill in the garage...

G
Click to expand...
That was the warning.....after a couple of hours....If your son is like my youngest son I would have to include a operators manual so he could use the socket wrench.
 
Tool use isn’t ever an issue. Even my 12 year old grandson wrenches my bikes, vehicles and his parents cars. However, I was so focused on work this day that I didn’t track the time.

Love my boy...
 
In my teens I worked at a car dealership one summer. Mostly I did oil changes. Somehow I forgot to put in the 5 quarts before driving the car across the street to the parking lot. When I realized what I had done, I carried 5 quarts across the street and put it in all the time freaking out wondering what damage I had done.

Had I known then what I know now, I might have just driven the car back into the service bay and put the 5 quarts in there.
 
A junior mechanic at the shop that I always go to did an oil change on my pickup...... When I picked it up he said the oil he took out smelled funny and showed a a piece of cardboard he had smeared some on.... I was in a hurry and didn't think too much about it and went home. About a half hour later the shop owner called and asked me to bring it back so he could double-check what was done.
Turns out the junior guy drained the front differential (4 wheel drive) and dumped another 6 quarts of oil into the engine. The shop owner straightened it out and gave me a letter stating that if there turned out to be any damage he would cover it. Drove it another 100,000 miles with no issue.
 
paulcb.....
I spent four years in the USAF, back when many of our maintenance personnel saw it as a better alternative to jungle boots.
I could write a book on stupid. Forgetting a drain plug was a little thing.
 
GGely said:
Gave my son a Mazda 5 and one day he and his friend borrowed some tools and the laneway to change the oil and filter.

After a couple of hours he comes in and asks “how much oil does this change take”? Of course I’m focused on work (worked from home since the early 80’s) and said I had no idea but check the dipstick and when it’s about halfway between the low and high marks, you’re in the zone.

About 30 minutes later he comes in and says that it’s staying around the same spot so it’s good. I decide to take a break and come out to see the boys (they’re in their 20’s, so men, I suppose) drive off down the street.

As the smoke starts to pour out of the exhaust, I call my boy, tell him to shut it off and pull it over.

Turns out they’ve drained the transmission and added God only knows how many litres of oil to the crankcase.

CAA towed the car to a friends garage where they drained the crankcase, refilled it and the transmission, test drove the car and pronounced it had suffered no ill consequences from the experience.

Not sure the boys share even my limited skill in the garage...

G
Click to expand...
My Co-worker did the very same thing with his Toyota Corolla 4wd wagon! His family was going to Texas so decided to change the oil himself. However he noticed that there was too much oil and loosened the oil filter to let it drain down to the correct level. Left for his trip. When he got back he relayed the story to me. Puzzled I went out to the parking lot and asked him to show me what he had drained. One look at it and I told him he had drained the transmissio! So that little 5 spd manual car went to Texas and back with little or no oil in the tranny!
It was his first front wheel drive car. The car never had tranny troubles and went well over 200k miles before he gave it to a church member that needed a car!
 
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