This is why you can't trust anyone to work on your car.

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alpha13

alpha13

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I am so Pissed off. I'm sure my neighbors are pleased to hear me cussing for about 2 hours today before I got fed up with this damn oil drain plug. Whoever changed the oil before literally had to have the intellect of a caveman. I tried everything to get the plug out. Heat, heat then a blast of carb cleaner to cool it fast to help break the thing loose. I soaked it with penetrating oil for a few days. Finally I had to resort to buying a bolt extractor socket set. I tapped the socket on with a hammer and and then gave it a good twist and it came right off. Victory!! Then I had the same issue with the oil filter. -__- but I had better luck with a filter wrench and about 1 hours worth of work. I hope the image comes through, I'm trying to post the picture of the new plug and the old one next to it. Has anyone else had trouble with simple things like an oil change? This is why I never take my cars to a mechanic.:banghead:
 
Here is the picture
 

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Usually that's a quickie lube thing. Nobody tells the kids they hire and put in the pit that there is a thing called torque values, and what those might be for filters and plugs.
 
With a big flair at the bottom like this plug has. You could have used a sharp chisel and a hammer and try hitting the plug loose in the direction to remove it. That might have saved you some time.
 
I have seen filters that WOULD NOT come off! On 383, had to replace the oil pump. Like it was welded on! and a few other disasters revolving around oil changes.
 
You caint fix stupid. Glad you got it resolved at least.
 
Its not just on old cars. I remember I had to go out of the country for a while so I thought I'd change the oil on my wife's 2 year old Explorer before I left.

I started around 6 PM and I finally got what was left of the filter off at about midnight. It was insane.
 
crj1968 said:
Its not just on old cars. I remember I had to go out of the country for a while so I thought I'd change the oil on my wife's 2 year old Explorer before I left.

I started around 6 PM and I finally got what was left of the filter off at about midnight. It was insane.
Click to expand...
:wack:
Don`t mind telling like it is !
I had an 88 silverado that my daughter drove for a while. she had the oil changed at a quick lube in Owasso , ok., for about a yr or so. when I got it back the drain plug hole was stripped and had some sort of expandable rubber plug in it. I couldn`t get it out to change the oil w/o tearing it out. ended up tapping the hole to 3/8" pipe, and used a pipe plug in it.
really must have been some smart people working there at that time !
 
Not mopar but I was working on my grandmothers mid 2000's ish f150, guys from the local dealership must have used a breaker bar to torque this oil filter on. The oil filter placement didn't help at all but I literally had to drive a long screw driver through the oil filter to be able to turn it off. Used every normal oil filter removal tool before that point. Let's just say it affirms my mindset of never bringing one of my cars to another person for repairs. (Except bodywork :))
 
had a few customer cars like that.

if you have room, you can stab the oil filter with a huge screwdriver and use it to turn the filter off.

Makes a huge mess but gets it done in 2 minutes.
 
I guess I never thought about the chisel and hammer. Oh I did try vice grips and a small pipe wrench. But the pan is aluminum so it's probably better I didn't hit it with a chisel for fear of cracking it or something. This oil.plug problem was on my 2007 dodge magnum. I've got another story, it's about a fuel pump though. When I was about 18 I had an 84 Ford ranger that was acting up, seemed like a sticking fuel pump. I bought a pump for it and left it in the cab. Sure enough it was. So I parked it in my dad's yard and put the battery from the ranger in the other ranger I had. 86 4x4. Anyway, I told my dad I would be back for it in a few weeks. (I didn't really want to mess with it at the time. I was busy working 12 hour days.) So while it was at his house he thought he would surprise me by getting it fixed. So without my knowledge my dad calls our local mechanic and gets it towed to his shop. So I finally get to my dad's house and I ask where is my truck, and he tells me he had it towed to he fixed. So we drive to the shop and the truck is sitting in the lot. The mechanic hands me a bill of like $130 bucks and so I ask."did you replace the fuel pump?" And he says, "no, it didn't need one." So I look at my bill, and it has a new battery on it and new belts. I was pissed, it didn't need a God Damn battery and belts! So I test drive the truck and I didn't even make it around the block because of fuel starvation. I walk back more than Pissed off. I say "go get my truck and replace the fuel pump like I said to begin with! I'll be back in a few days!" So I come back in a few days and now my bill has gone up to about $250. The first thing I ask is, "did you replace the fuel pump?" He says, "yes, I had to do some other work too." (This pickup had dual tanks on it) so I said" like what?" He goes on to say he had to disconnect the rear tank and fix the wiring for the tank switch. So I get under the truck and the fuel pump was replaced but everything is all messed up and fuel lines are cut open and wires are hanging all cut to shreds! I said" the switch worked fine I use it all the time!! All I needed was a new fuel pump!" He started to say something and I talked over him." Here is $130 for the battery and the belts. Give me my keys." So he handed my keys and I drove off. The truck ran great after the new pump. I've never ever taken anything to anyone again. I've never heard a single word about the rest of that bill from my dad or that guy. Grrrr! It pisses me off just thinking about it.
 
I sold that truck to my brother whom I forgot to tell that the rear tank was broken now because of that idiot and he lost all ten gallons on the ground in the street. Then I got Pissed off all over again. Damn I hate stupid people!
 
Woods74 said:
Hey man, at least it wasn't worse. They could have not put oil in it. :D
Click to expand...

That happened to my grandfather before... Oh wait, it was the drain plug they forgot. Well at least that's how I heard it. He took it to Wal-Mart, did some shopping while they changed his oil. He was driving home and his oil light turned on and it started ticking. He shut it off and looked under and the drain plug was gone. So he called there and told them to bring him a drain plug and fresh oil or when he got back he was gonna shove the car right up their ***. They tried to tell him they couldn't drive to him cuz that's not what they do. So he says,"alright bend over I'm on my way back!" And in less than 10 minutes someone had an oil plug and fresh oil brought to him on the side of the road. Man, I would hate to be the guy who had to deliver it to him. My grandfather is quite the Asshole. But they had it coming lol.
 
well, as a mechanic, I actually see People that should not have wrenched on they own cars as well! Im not defending shortcuts here..
Its not just the mechanics that destroy Things... :) another thing is that at home you may have time to wait for that spare to show up, at work, everything takes time, and Labour is something the customer doesnt want to pay...

that said, we had a Young gun at Our shop that used the impact wrenc on a aluminum oil sump bold....I must say he was shocked when the Complete sump cracked in several pieces..LOL not so happy customer
 
I normally do my own work, however, I've had to use a screwdriver to take off an oil filter when I got lazy and took a vehicle to a quick change oil place. For stuff I don't have time to do, or am not inclined to tackle, I've got a mechanic that does great work that I can trust.
 
that was no mechanic that did that oil change.. I took my wifes car for an oil change at a dealer and when we got it back the throttle cable was off on the top of the motor... disconnected from the "carb" - - how and why will forever be a mystery, but suffice to say, we don't go there anymore.. morons.
 
Be careful with the screwdriver trick. You could mess up the threads on the mount bolt. Your way was the best way cuz it worked right?
Glad it worked out
 
Few years ago I got new tires on my truck at Goodyear. Being raised by a mechanic I just knew they overtightened the lug nuts with the impact gun, so I figured I'd break them loose with a breaker bar before going anywhere else after I got it home. I was 1/2 right - the rears were way tight, but all the fronts were finger loose and 1 was a different size. Tightened them up, removed the odd nut out and took it back to them for the correct one and told them about the loose ones. Service manager asked the gopher next to him what *** hole goes home and checks his lugs. I responded with a smarter one than the one who runs the shop. His face turned red and he was about to say something - I cut him off and asked if I'd been better to drive it until the wheels fell off and then I would own the shop. He walked away.

We all forget something sometimes. We are human. But at least own up to it.....lol
 
Yeah a sharp chisel and hammer usually makes them turn. The tension is at that flanged portion of the plug.
Several years ago a guy calls me and says he cant get an oil filter off. He was no mechanic, just trying to make points with a new girl friend. I forget what POS lil ride it was but the tiny oil filter faced the firewall in close quarters. The guy had already drove a huge screw driver through it and ripped it all to hell. Cut a finger too. Oily freakin' mess in this gals carport. Anyway...
I have this plumbers tool that is simply a loop of heavy strap attached to a piece of square tubing. It is a bit of a challenge to operate because you have to tighten and then hold it there with a second tool so it doesn't back off while you're getting another bite position to tighten more. This tool has never failed to remove the most stubborn filter including the remnants of one recalled here. Important tip to using this type tool... position its strap as squarely and as close to the engine block as possible.
 
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