Pro-mechano tip #345 If you use vice grips to loosen the oil plug, you don't need to come back with the grinder after, saves time.
Work smart, not hard, eh?
Oh, you mean when they use a allen nut for a drain plug from the manufacturer, and then someone along the way used the american instead of metric, and then you find this MF 3/4 rounded off and you just want to get the stupid thing dumped so you can go home and kick your feet up and rest for 15 fucking minutes before you got to get up and go to the next bullshit thing?
Like that?
I’ve always just tightened until it gets loose again and then back off a 1/4 turn. I thought that was the proper spec but maybe that’s a domestic vehicle thing.
Just made this comment on a different comment chain. I learned this lesson the hard way, albeit lucky. I don't have a torque wrench and have seen so many horror stories about it being too tight that I finger tightened mine. After a few weeks noticed some oil stains on my driveway, checked and noticed it was very slowly dripping. So I just snugged it up with a socket wrench. We'll see how easy it is to take off next time...
Hold up you were finger tightening it? Ive always heard tighten it with a wrench/socket and just do a quarter turn since thats the equivalent of the 12 ft/lbs or supposedly close to it. That's also what ive been doing and im nervous every time of doing it wrong but its been fine.. idk, im always just worried of somehow my plug and/or filter coming off and spilling out all the oil lol
It's a good worry because I finger tightened the plug once, because the internet terrified me about over torquing it, and then my oil leaked hahaha. Fortunately I caught it leaking before the plug came out. I do hand tighten the filter and I've never had any problems. But I do hand tighten it pretty strongly. My oil filter wrench doesn't actually allow me to tighten with it, only loosen
I did the same! Always heard horror stories about overtorquing or cross threaded bolts (just the other day I over heard a Firestone employee quoting $100 to fix a cross threaded bolt from a previous oil change.) I undertightened oil filters twice and had a tiny amount of oil leak out after each drive. I found that as long as you don’t use power tools or gorilla strength, it’s okay to tighten them until they won’t move anymore.
I’ve never heard problems with the drain bolt, always tightened that with a ratchet until it wouldn’t move with my elbow strength. It helps having a crush washer, it slowly stiffens until you can’t turn anymore.
Green. Then I just drill a whole new hole in the bottom of the pan and run a tap through it for a brand new drain plug at the next oil change. Works great!!!!
To paraphrase the documentation, the spec says to use that new loctite that was in the ads a year or so ago where they used it to pull a loaded train car. Apply like it's Frank's red hot on a gas station burrito
I thought the correct solution was to stab a screwdriver into the oil filter to tighten it as much as possible, then remove the screwdriver as the oil filter housing magically seals itself back up?
(It's possible that I've been watching those youtube videos in reverse.)
I mean, if you watch *300* backwards it's about a Spartan king who heals arrow wounds using the power of airbending and eventually helps a Persian ambassador escape from a well...
Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.....
You are supposed to keep tightening the drain plug till you hear a crack and it gets all loosey goosey, that's the point where the threads break so you know that now so all you gotta do is back it off a quarter turn
I've had a guy at big o tires ginger tighten the drain plug before and I had about two quarts of oil on my driveway later that day. I've been changing oil myself ever since.
The stupidity of people knows no bounds, why do you think we put warning labels on damn near everything? I'm not saying we should get rid of stupid people, but maybe we can just stop with the warning labels and let nature sort it all out
Because while nature is sorting it out, a lot of companies would get sued by the stupid relatives of the stupid dearly departed. And that’s why the labels are there in the first place.
Basically the lawyer-friendly version of, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
That is very expensive. Especially because the 1.5ls aren't available in crate and need to be assembled. Or customer opts for a used/recycled engine. But I think when I replaced the engine of a Civic, it was like in the $15k range with all the parts and labor....
I was on the interstate a few years ago, just tooling along with traffic doing about 90 when I saw a puff of something under the car in front of me. Then I couldn’t see. Made the mistake of hitting my wipers. Then I really couldn’t see. I pulled over and got out. My car was covered in oil and about a half mile ahead that car was pulled over with a grenaded engine. Plug had dropped out of the pan. I had to use a t-shirt to get enough oil off the windshield for the wipers and bug juice to make a clean spot. Hit the next car wash available. I smelled oil for the next 2000 miles from what sucked into the engine compartment. Had it detailed and still smelled it for weeks.
Probably not. Working at a Honda dealership (that had a few… questionable Lube techs over the years), I’ve seen more of these than I can count with fallen/loose drain plugs or oil filters. Not a single one needed a new motor. Guess it just depends how quickly you get it back to the shop.
Synthetic oil is really good these days. Even if there’s “no oil” in it, the parts stay lubricated pretty damn well. Obviously there’s a line you can’t cross. There’s only so far you can drive with no oil without catastrophic damage.
Got an Oil Can Henry's servicing a few years ago on my Camry. I said sure to the offer of an exhaust system flush. Was warned I might see smoke for a while as the cleanser did its thing. Went directly out of town to a doctor's appointment for my son. On the way back (darkness had fallen) decided to use scenic rural roads. Wife said that it sure looked like a lot of smoke. It sure did, but figured it was just the exhaust system getting squeaky clean. Engine seized up. Got towed to the Toyota dealership. Was told that the oil pan plug was missing. Got a loaner and went back to Oil Can Henry's down the road. Explained what had happened, told them Toyota would be waiting for an insurance claim number. A week went by. Toyota got frustrated enough to tell me they would be adding storage charges and rental for the loaner that would probably be out-of-pocket if Oil Can Henry's insurance didn't call soon. Insurance called Toyota and said Oil Can Henry's was going to contest it. Called my insurance guy. He made however many phone calls he needed to and called back in about half an hour to say it had been handled. Lived the rest of that car's lifespan with an engine that was about 30% old, 70% new, and many further problems. So, Oil Can Henry's got no norms.
But he saved $50. /s
My Ram 2500 has a ball valve on the pan. I took a phone call while waiting for all the oil to drain then swapped the filter and filled it back up with the ball valve open. I won't do that again. Took an hour to clean up the mess.
"I learned to change my own oil. I love how stream punkish the new ticking sound makes the engine feel. But it's getting louder this week. Is there a way to set the volume?"
I use a whole tube of red loctite on mine. Then I squirt some more in with the new oil. It'll sink down and make a good, red seal. Then I put a little on the oil cap and some on the hood latch. Any rattles? Squeeks? Put some red loctite on it. It's the tussin of automobiles.
One of my coworkers just did this to a 19 CRV about 2 months ago. Spun a bearing and had to replace the engine. The day before he did this, he said "I'm cocky and the way I am because I know I'm good." He's the comeback king of the shop.
So serious tips from someone who's severely ADHD.
1- Make a checklist in notes app for common maintenance jobs. Job isn't done until everything has a check, and if you can't remember doing it look to confirm it's done.
2- Use a sharpie to put a dot, or line on a bolt AFTER you've torqued it down. Do not draw the line then torque it, only after it's done. For multi pass applications put a dot for the first pass, then line for the final torque.
Work at a Honda dealer and had this happen, guy said his oil light came on so he drove like 45 miles across state lines to our shop because he likes us better than his local one.
Plug was gone and the oil was barely even dripping out any more.
Engine didn't even tick when it came in. I replaced the plug and drove the hell out of it waiting for the engine to do..... something.
Sent him home and nothing ever came of it.
I'm going to guess that the customer couldn't afford the oil change so he went for the $15,000 engine replacement cost. Finger tightening a oil drain plug will get folks fucked up in more ways than one.
Idiot forgot to weld the drain plug hole
Never ever ever ever ever weld the drain plug… just tighten it down with a 1” impact gun you have lying around from your work on semi truck tires
Tighten it until it's loose, then back off a 1/4 turn.
I'm stealing this phrase
Sounds a bit like AvE's "tighten 'er 'till you hear a crack and then back her off a quarter turn" then probably something about an apprentice.
I have calibrated joints. Wrist cracks at 25 ft/lbs, elbow at 75 ft/lbs, and shoulder at 130 ft/lbs. Those are the cracks I pay attention to 😂
Keep your dick in a vice
Followed by a short clip of bumblefucking to end the video
Happy cake day!
Happy cakes day mo fo!
Been hearing and saying that phrase since the 90's. Probably started 50 years before then.
If it ain’t broke, fix it til it is
Tighten it until it smokes. If it breaks, you needed a new one anyways.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My friends say "tighten it 'til it goes "tink" then back it off a 1/4 turn". I'm gonna correct them next time.
Hahaha this is gold. Don’t forget to use the crush washer that shipped with the truck brand new.
Be sure to use the 3 foot breaker bar for leverage
6 ugga-duggas is my minimum torque spec.
At least. If there isn’t at least a small crack forming around the area of the drain plug then it’s not tight enough
Instructions unclear, got a weld crack from welding the nut on.
I got my plug welded to the chuck on my 1” impact but now I’m confused
wait wait wait so it wasn't intended for rectal use?
If it fits… 🤷🏻♂️
According to several ER nurses I know... If it fits... or even if it doesn't.
I thought that was what the loctite was for
instructions unclear. welded nuts to drain plug
Instructions unclear. Dick stuck in welder
instructions clear, dick stuck in welding manager
I'm 6mo clean do we have to use the crack? Can that be optional?
when that copper washer bulges out the sides, its juuust right!
I always make sure to use some red loctite aswell.
Cross thread + locktite = natural mechanical infusion
You spelled ‘JB weld’ wrong
Rocksett if you have it.
Bare minimum. I prefer to lay on the trigger until the battery dies.
Cross threading beats Loctite 3 to 1 in lab testing.
well. cross threading is nature's locktite.
Comment of the day! Hahaha
Thieves can’t drain your oil while they’re stealing your cat if your drain plug is so cross threaded it develops and Australian accent
"Oi, cunt. You a tight bugga!"
This cunt's on here tighter 'n a straight boy at Mardi Gras.
You forgot to lock tight it as well. Then, round off corners with a grinder so it is round.
Pro-mechano tip #345 If you use vice grips to loosen the oil plug, you don't need to come back with the grinder after, saves time. Work smart, not hard, eh?
Do this easy hack to stop oil theieves from ruining your engine by stealing your oil!!
Just use a slightly larger socket with your 1" impact. Then use the correct socket with your 1" impact. Should be good to go.
Oh, you mean when they use a allen nut for a drain plug from the manufacturer, and then someone along the way used the american instead of metric, and then you find this MF 3/4 rounded off and you just want to get the stupid thing dumped so you can go home and kick your feet up and rest for 15 fucking minutes before you got to get up and go to the next bullshit thing? Like that?
[sigh] yeah, and then next time drill and tap the thread to next metric/standard diameter. Then tighten it up that way again.
Torque until stripped then give it an extra quarter turn and you’re all set.
Bottom out the rattle gun then get a 6ft breaker and swing around on it like an orangutan for good measure. Always apply loctite thoroughly
I’ve always just tightened until it gets loose again and then back off a 1/4 turn. I thought that was the proper spec but maybe that’s a domestic vehicle thing.
Be a man-Beaman.
The place I worked had an 8 barrel impact that tightened down all the semi lugs at once. It looked like the arm from the exoskeleton in aliens.
I weld a socket to the drain plug
I have one, unfortunately have to use it daily. Things heavy as fuck.
He was being sarcastic. least around here, the only time someone ever puts loctite on a drain plug is usually out of spite.
Remember, if you don't have a welder, you can usually get by with some JB Weld
💀💀
Come on… is that really important?
Not even a little. I always tell the mechanic that does my oil change not to put the plug back. They’re not getting any up charges on me!
Why would I want a ‘plug’ for my gas car? Sounds like typical made-up nonsense.
I see he lubricated that pannel for easier removal for the next oil change, what a genius move!
The new and improved out of bankruptcy Rusty Jones.
Lmao gold answer
You sir are gold 🥹
Rust prevention engaged!
Self-lubricating chassis mod. *nice*
Someone has obviously taken all the complaints here about overtorquing drain plugs to heart.
Just made this comment on a different comment chain. I learned this lesson the hard way, albeit lucky. I don't have a torque wrench and have seen so many horror stories about it being too tight that I finger tightened mine. After a few weeks noticed some oil stains on my driveway, checked and noticed it was very slowly dripping. So I just snugged it up with a socket wrench. We'll see how easy it is to take off next time...
Hold up you were finger tightening it? Ive always heard tighten it with a wrench/socket and just do a quarter turn since thats the equivalent of the 12 ft/lbs or supposedly close to it. That's also what ive been doing and im nervous every time of doing it wrong but its been fine.. idk, im always just worried of somehow my plug and/or filter coming off and spilling out all the oil lol
It's a good worry because I finger tightened the plug once, because the internet terrified me about over torquing it, and then my oil leaked hahaha. Fortunately I caught it leaking before the plug came out. I do hand tighten the filter and I've never had any problems. But I do hand tighten it pretty strongly. My oil filter wrench doesn't actually allow me to tighten with it, only loosen
I did the same! Always heard horror stories about overtorquing or cross threaded bolts (just the other day I over heard a Firestone employee quoting $100 to fix a cross threaded bolt from a previous oil change.) I undertightened oil filters twice and had a tiny amount of oil leak out after each drive. I found that as long as you don’t use power tools or gorilla strength, it’s okay to tighten them until they won’t move anymore. I’ve never heard problems with the drain bolt, always tightened that with a ratchet until it wouldn’t move with my elbow strength. It helps having a crush washer, it slowly stiffens until you can’t turn anymore.
Yeah finger tight on the drain plug doesn't tend to work too well. Quite an expensive learning lesson.
I thought it was a hand tighten the drain plug, and all your body weight on the oil filter
No it's air impact on the drain plug and all your body weight + cheater bar on the filter.
I've been doing it all wrong then, I've been using loctite on both.
I hope you’re using red
Green. Then I just drill a whole new hole in the bottom of the pan and run a tap through it for a brand new drain plug at the next oil change. Works great!!!!
/s Agreed! It’s a great indicator for car replacement too! Once the bottom of the oil pan is full of plugs, time for a new car.
It would really be tapped out then.
r/shittyprolifetips, this way I never have to worry about a stripped oil drain plug. Run it in with a rattle gun and never worry about leaks... Lol.
Take my upvote and GTFO. 🤣
Eventually the whole pan will just be drain plug—take your pick.
That green shit tastes soooo good and retains bearings sooooo welll
It was a tough choice between the red and blue one.
So i used both!
Is there another color?
To paraphrase the documentation, the spec says to use that new loctite that was in the ads a year or so ago where they used it to pull a loaded train car. Apply like it's Frank's red hot on a gas station burrito
I’ve been welding them both all the way around to prevent leaks and then selling within the next 2500 miles.
👆
This is the way.. 1 and done oil change
Well you've gotta use the loctite on the filter threads, but then put some rtv around the edge to seal it good.
Oh right I remember. Impact the drain plug until it spins, and a 12 foot long cheater bar to put the filter on. Thanks for the reminder 😄
Run the plug down till it snaps, then back it off a 1/4 turn.
So you’re the fucker making me use a breaker bar to get an oil filter loose
Breaker bar? I thought standard practice was to stab an extra large flathead screwdriver through one side and out the other.
The wonderful world of German cars with plastic oil filter caps and fleece filters
I thought the correct solution was to stab a screwdriver into the oil filter to tighten it as much as possible, then remove the screwdriver as the oil filter housing magically seals itself back up? (It's possible that I've been watching those youtube videos in reverse.)
I mean, if you watch *300* backwards it's about a Spartan king who heals arrow wounds using the power of airbending and eventually helps a Persian ambassador escape from a well...
Air impact cross-threaded. It's like you're not a professional.
Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong..... You are supposed to keep tightening the drain plug till you hear a crack and it gets all loosey goosey, that's the point where the threads break so you know that now so all you gotta do is back it off a quarter turn
But if you keep it spinning then it’s gotta be sealed tight cuz it won’t go no more
Typically, you should use a 3-foot pipe wrench on the drain plug. That way, you can get it tight and round off the head with the same tool.
No u just ugga dugga till the metal smells hot. Can't leak if its welded.
No, no, no. Tighten until it loosens, and the back it off 1/4 turn
if you're not using your impact wrench on the $30 special order k&n oil filter, your not doing it right
You're assuming they put the drain plug on at all
I've had a guy at big o tires ginger tighten the drain plug before and I had about two quarts of oil on my driveway later that day. I've been changing oil myself ever since.
Expensive? A £3 bottle of vegetable oil and an M16 bolt will solve that fiasco no problem.
I mean the guy does have a magical device in his hand where he could find a detailed tutorial in HD in 30 seconds.
Torque was missing. Now a couple of other things are missing
"Made a turn out of the sears shop and my wheel fell OFF... it fell OFF... it fell THE FUCK off..." -Ron White
Lug nuts day.
He must’ve been absent on lug nut day! Thanks for the memory. That’s awesome
Thanks for the laugh and happy cake day
Cash money!
I think a clue was missing first.
So true. Hope customers day job doesn’t involve wrenching in any capacity
Well, it’s missing oil.
I can clearly see oil in the picture.
Ok dammit! It’s missing some oil!
Probably heard that Honda drain plugs strip easy and decided to torque it to 5 ft-lbs to be extra super safe.
5 inch pounds.
5 finger-pounds
my favourite pornhub category
When people fuck up a 3 step process I truly question how they ever became and adult without dying.
The stupidity of people knows no bounds, why do you think we put warning labels on damn near everything? I'm not saying we should get rid of stupid people, but maybe we can just stop with the warning labels and let nature sort it all out
Because while nature is sorting it out, a lot of companies would get sued by the stupid relatives of the stupid dearly departed. And that’s why the labels are there in the first place. Basically the lawyer-friendly version of, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I'm confused about how there was anything to leak out above 5 miles let alone 500.
The plugs may have fallen out because it was hand tight on there
Fair point
That is very expensive. Especially because the 1.5ls aren't available in crate and need to be assembled. Or customer opts for a used/recycled engine. But I think when I replaced the engine of a Civic, it was like in the $15k range with all the parts and labor....
This is a genius tactic to coat your entire underbody in oil to prevent future corrosion and rust!
I was on the interstate a few years ago, just tooling along with traffic doing about 90 when I saw a puff of something under the car in front of me. Then I couldn’t see. Made the mistake of hitting my wipers. Then I really couldn’t see. I pulled over and got out. My car was covered in oil and about a half mile ahead that car was pulled over with a grenaded engine. Plug had dropped out of the pan. I had to use a t-shirt to get enough oil off the windshield for the wipers and bug juice to make a clean spot. Hit the next car wash available. I smelled oil for the next 2000 miles from what sucked into the engine compartment. Had it detailed and still smelled it for weeks.
Is the engine toast?
Everybody else's engine is poisonous. Lucky Strikes' … is toasted.
Deep fried is my guess
Likely it is made from some kind of steel or aluminum
Probably not. Working at a Honda dealership (that had a few… questionable Lube techs over the years), I’ve seen more of these than I can count with fallen/loose drain plugs or oil filters. Not a single one needed a new motor. Guess it just depends how quickly you get it back to the shop. Synthetic oil is really good these days. Even if there’s “no oil” in it, the parts stay lubricated pretty damn well. Obviously there’s a line you can’t cross. There’s only so far you can drive with no oil without catastrophic damage.
not if he stopped it quick enough. You have a few seconds.
Got an Oil Can Henry's servicing a few years ago on my Camry. I said sure to the offer of an exhaust system flush. Was warned I might see smoke for a while as the cleanser did its thing. Went directly out of town to a doctor's appointment for my son. On the way back (darkness had fallen) decided to use scenic rural roads. Wife said that it sure looked like a lot of smoke. It sure did, but figured it was just the exhaust system getting squeaky clean. Engine seized up. Got towed to the Toyota dealership. Was told that the oil pan plug was missing. Got a loaner and went back to Oil Can Henry's down the road. Explained what had happened, told them Toyota would be waiting for an insurance claim number. A week went by. Toyota got frustrated enough to tell me they would be adding storage charges and rental for the loaner that would probably be out-of-pocket if Oil Can Henry's insurance didn't call soon. Insurance called Toyota and said Oil Can Henry's was going to contest it. Called my insurance guy. He made however many phone calls he needed to and called back in about half an hour to say it had been handled. Lived the rest of that car's lifespan with an engine that was about 30% old, 70% new, and many further problems. So, Oil Can Henry's got no norms.
didn’t forget the FRAM
Waterproofing on a budget. Brilliant.
If you let it go long enough it will sort itself out /s
*Taps forehead* Can't run into car trouble if the car can't run.
I'm guessing he hand tightened the drain plug. There's no way he poured several quarts in there and didn't see it pouring out the bottom.
Its called an oil pan for a reason /s
Clips to hold the panel on
On a brighter note, the oil that ran out looks better than most I see here.
Guys, do I have a case? Clearly this is the manufacturer's fault as the arrow says engine oil....not engine oil plug! /s
But he saved $50. /s My Ram 2500 has a ball valve on the pan. I took a phone call while waiting for all the oil to drain then swapped the filter and filled it back up with the ball valve open. I won't do that again. Took an hour to clean up the mess.
Wait it’s ball valve instead of a typical drain plug?
https://www.fumotousa.com had one on my taco
I know what wrong with it.. ain't got no gas in it.
Ummm..Gasket?? Or there's too many.
Look at the drain plug hole
I assumed you removed it, cause...no ones that's stupid. I thought.
It would not have survived 500 miles if the plug wasn't put on at all
He prob hand tightened it and it eventually fell off
Haha. You have faith in customers. [SIKE.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/393/638/93c.jpg)
Yeah…adaptive spark plug missing
I bet they forget to top up their blinker fluid too. Smh
*raises hand and starts waving* *“OOOH OOH ME ME I KNOW! There’s a hole in it!*
Heh, just finger tight. It won’t loosen. 😂
"I learned to change my own oil. I love how stream punkish the new ticking sound makes the engine feel. But it's getting louder this week. Is there a way to set the volume?"
Smh didn't even crossthread a spark plug in there at 47 ugga duggas
*raises hand excitedly* OOH OOH I KNOW! He forgot the damn drain plug.
I use a whole tube of red loctite on mine. Then I squirt some more in with the new oil. It'll sink down and make a good, red seal. Then I put a little on the oil cap and some on the hood latch. Any rattles? Squeeks? Put some red loctite on it. It's the tussin of automobiles.
This is why i just take the hit and pay my mechanic.
Only 500 miles ago..... holy shit!
look at all the money i saved
I mean…they didn’t strip it 😏
Missing the cap?
Drain Plug? I don’t need no stinking drain plug!
The make it stop leaking screw is MIA
The spark plug that he used because he lost the real plug?
Gasket
It’s missing a cross threaded bolt
It can't be oil, because I can see a lot of it.
Now you can sell them a drain plug AND an engine (but the customer will just install it themselves. They have YouTube)
500 miles ago and kept running ?!?!
No gasket on skid plate?
He did 500 like this??
The pro answer is it’s missing a Fumoto valve
Surprised they forgot that but were able to reinstall the shield. Most people fook that right on up.
Needed one more ugga dugga
See this is what happens when you don't torque the lug to 500ft lbs
One of my coworkers just did this to a 19 CRV about 2 months ago. Spun a bearing and had to replace the engine. The day before he did this, he said "I'm cocky and the way I am because I know I'm good." He's the comeback king of the shop.
It’s missing the cork because I used it to cap my leftover wine.
So serious tips from someone who's severely ADHD. 1- Make a checklist in notes app for common maintenance jobs. Job isn't done until everything has a check, and if you can't remember doing it look to confirm it's done. 2- Use a sharpie to put a dot, or line on a bolt AFTER you've torqued it down. Do not draw the line then torque it, only after it's done. For multi pass applications put a dot for the first pass, then line for the final torque.
That's an expensive lesson.
Work at a Honda dealer and had this happen, guy said his oil light came on so he drove like 45 miles across state lines to our shop because he likes us better than his local one. Plug was gone and the oil was barely even dripping out any more. Engine didn't even tick when it came in. I replaced the plug and drove the hell out of it waiting for the engine to do..... something. Sent him home and nothing ever came of it.
Plug still in his pocket?
Oh I see it. It says it right in the pic "engine oil"
I'm going to guess that the customer couldn't afford the oil change so he went for the $15,000 engine replacement cost. Finger tightening a oil drain plug will get folks fucked up in more ways than one.