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Well after having changed the catalytic converter last tuesday and having bought new tires this morning i had a more fatal break down tonight. I decided to go out and drive around in the rain after the storm at about 10 PM to check out how the new tires handle on the highway. I was not driving very fast, cruising at about 75 when I see the red check gages light come on and see my oil pressure drop rapidly. Being next to an exit i swerved into it and parked and turned the car off within about 30 seconds of seeing this occur.
I opened the hood of the car to take a look, oil covered the entire engine bay. I called my insurance company who called a tow truck. The driver got there and immediately knew the problem after seeing the engine bay sprayed. He got his light and pointed at the oil filter, bingo, the thing was unscrewed and barely hanging on. He said the shop he runs does oil changes and it's happened there before, basically someone threaded on the filter and poured in oil then forgot to torque it on tight. So 2K miles later, Houston we have a problem. He said this is why he does not hire kids any more because they are too easily distracted and it can cost thousands of dollars in damage or worse.
So taking his advice we screwed the filter in as it looked fine to me and added 2 qt of oil. I cranked it had normal oil pressure and it sounded okay at first but then after closer inspection I can hear a ticking and a sound I can't really describe but it sounds like a bad bearing. Now my car is parked at a gas station (with their permission) across the street from a chevy dealership waiting for the thing to open.
This is the second quick oil change related incident that I've had this year. At this point I think I'm doing oil changes my self from now on. I do have a good mechanic for other work who is a friend and charges very very fair prices (for instance $150 for a catalytic converter part & labor when midas wants $800.) But going to him for an oil change is just not fast and not convenient.
Has anyone had related experiences? I managed to get money out of Jiffy Lube last time for the oil pan they ruined, so I think I'll manage to get Kwik Car Lube & Tune to do the same if I need a new engine, but tips and your experiences would be appreciated!
I opened the hood of the car to take a look, oil covered the entire engine bay. I called my insurance company who called a tow truck. The driver got there and immediately knew the problem after seeing the engine bay sprayed. He got his light and pointed at the oil filter, bingo, the thing was unscrewed and barely hanging on. He said the shop he runs does oil changes and it's happened there before, basically someone threaded on the filter and poured in oil then forgot to torque it on tight. So 2K miles later, Houston we have a problem. He said this is why he does not hire kids any more because they are too easily distracted and it can cost thousands of dollars in damage or worse.
So taking his advice we screwed the filter in as it looked fine to me and added 2 qt of oil. I cranked it had normal oil pressure and it sounded okay at first but then after closer inspection I can hear a ticking and a sound I can't really describe but it sounds like a bad bearing. Now my car is parked at a gas station (with their permission) across the street from a chevy dealership waiting for the thing to open.
This is the second quick oil change related incident that I've had this year. At this point I think I'm doing oil changes my self from now on. I do have a good mechanic for other work who is a friend and charges very very fair prices (for instance $150 for a catalytic converter part & labor when midas wants $800.) But going to him for an oil change is just not fast and not convenient.
Has anyone had related experiences? I managed to get money out of Jiffy Lube last time for the oil pan they ruined, so I think I'll manage to get Kwik Car Lube & Tune to do the same if I need a new engine, but tips and your experiences would be appreciated!
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