I MESSED UP ON AN OIL CHANGE, CUD THIS HAVE MESSED UP MY ENTIRE ENGINE!?!?

[Lileminem]

ok so I was doing an oil change last night and I accidently drained the TRANSMISSION FLUID instead of THE MOTOR OIL. And Becuz I thought I drained the OIL I added new oil which means that I had the new oil plus the old oil in the engine; SO DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF OIL! When I started up the engine this morning and took it out I noticed that I was revving up the engine but it was barely moving! Then alll of a sudden I notice HUGE AMOUNTS of smoke coming out of the exhaust, so I stopped right there and waited for my dad to arrive.

We emptied the all 8.8 LITRES OF OIL (since I had 4.4 L of old oil plus 4.4 L of new oil accidently added) and added new oil plus new transmission fluid.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS MAY AS COST ME MY ENGINE?!? OR IF IT COULD HAVE MESSED UP ANYTHING?!? ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED THANKS

[Kevin@nextmod]

It shouldn't have caused any major damages to your car as long as after you filled the extra 4.4L of oil, you didn't drive it out for long. If you drained it after then it should be fine.

[stevenma188]

You may have not only messed up the engine, but the transmission as well. Do you have an Auto or a manual? I say you need to get the car towed to a garage to have them pull it apart and see what the damage is.

[Lileminem]

it's TIPTRONIC, so both auto and manual. I was driving it for maybe 10 minutes the absolute most! I already took care of the problem, but I'm just hoping it didn't do any serious damage

[stevenma188]

Tiptronic is an automatic transmission.

[Gizzmo_jr]

Wouldn't the extra oil put to much pressure on the internal seals?
What about the crank trying to slam through twice the oil.

I'd get the car to a service garage ASAP, towed if possible.

edit-didn't see you drove it for so short of a period. still thou..

[stevenma188]

^Yes, having too much oil can also damage the engine. That, plus running the transmission without any fluids.

[Takumi616]

take it to the shop to be safe, tow it in

[Lileminem]

it what ways could it mess up the engine?
not that I'm looking to get a new engine soon
but u think it's worth buying a new engine completely or just buying a new car?

[Takumi616]

:whoa

you don't need to buy a new car because you messed up on one oil change

[Lileminem]

well not a whole car but u think i could have messed up the engine so bad that I would need to buy a new one?

[stevenma188]

You can always go look for a used engine from the wreckers. I beleve taz4432 had to replace his engine, and got a used one and got StreetPerformance to do the install.

[Takumi616]

+1


You can always go look for a used engine from the wreckers. I beleve taz4432 had to replace his engine, and got a used one and got StreetPerformance to do the install.

[em3]

At least the engine wasn't dry. but in this case it looks like you did more damage to the tranny than the engine because there was nothing in it

[Lileminem]

oh tru, k thanks for all the help guyz
I know I'm still a noob at this lol
I'm only 19 but appreciate all the feedback

[stevenma188]

Best of luck man!

At least you didn't add energy drink to your gas can...: http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=226570

[cwp_sedan]

Why are you changing your own oil if you don't know how? Always make sure you do your research before performing any work.

Take the car to a mechanic and have them check out the damage done, if any. Make sure it's a decent shop too.

[froggy]

it what ways could it mess up the engine?
not that I'm looking to get a new engine soon
but u think it's worth buying a new engine completely or just buying a new car?

adding too much oil to the engine can mess it up in a bunch of ways. firstly think of it like adding too much air to a balloon or a tire. With all that extra volume in the crankcase you build up extra pressure and friction on all the parts that are supposed to be moving easily. you could have blown piston rings, valve seals, main bearing seals, cylinder head gaskets, etc. The fact that you saw a big cloud of smoke come out of your tail pipe tells me that at least some oil got into your exhaust system. The transmission too running dry with no fluid is a big no no.

As for whether or not to get a new car depends on how much damage (if any) the tranny and engine incurred, and the age of the car. Engine and tranny installed worst case situation would probably be in the neighborhood of $4 - 5 thousand, or more depending on whether the engines are new, or rebuilt etc, etc.

Do yourself a favour and get it checked out proffesionally

[alho]

The oil froths like cappuccino in the crankcase!!

[Xerox]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but just letting the tranny oil drain without having the car running would NOT have drained 100% of the tranny oil. So at least you weren't running it completely dry.

[philipfreire]

Transmission fluid is pinkish and has a distinctive smell. Oil is Goldish color. Did you not notice the difference when you drained the "oil" the first time?

[WingZero_]

So did you actually put some tranny fluid back in it?

[laksman91]

oh tru, k thanks for all the help guyz
I know I'm still a noob at this lol
I'm only 19 but appreciate all the feedback

age isn't an excuse.

for next time

http://aroyalpain.com/files/2009/08/dipstick1.jpg

[chinsterr]

I can't help but lol. You don't know what transmission your car has but you went ahead and tried to change your oil. Go to mr.lube , it costs $20.

You live and learn. Hopefully your engine/tranny are ok.

[cwp_sedan]

Update?

[mleblond]

isnt the drain plug for the tranny not on the side of the driver front wheel? and the oil pan and oil drain plug on the back? I know it is for the speed but not sure for the auto tranny. Either way I wouldn't be too concerned for the engine, just the tranny may have potential damage but if you can drive it now without any grinding you probably dodged a bullet.

[aris]

Transmission fluid is pinkish and has a distinctive smell. Oil is Goldish color. Did you not notice the difference when you drained the "oil" the first time?

Depeneding the last time the tranmission fluid was changed it will be black....I know my sister in law mazda after about 40,000km the oil is black

[mazdaskit]

Depeneding the last time the tranmission fluid was changed it will be black....I know my sister in law mazda after about 40,000km the oil is black

i changed mine around 55ish & you couldnt even tell it was red lol

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Somewhere in this thread, an Epic Fail Facepalm is missing...

[MPS]

http://forum.i3d.net/attachments/counter-strike-source/943179244d1247668385-abuse-request-double-facepalm.jpg

[mspeed3]

If you damaged the motor, the most obvious signs would be knocking for the engine bay and less obvious would be motor oil burning. keep checking your oil level for the next few days.. And do not ouch th motor in the mean time..

For the tranny, since it's auto, wouldn't shift with the same characteristics.. Also listen for grinding..

BUT, take to a pro.. Very noob move bud.

[mspeed3]

Ouch = push.. Damn iPhone..

[zoso]

I have a hard time believing this person, is it at all possible to hold almost 9 litres of oil in the engine?

[froggy]

oh yeah easily even in a relatively small displacement motor like ours. When the engine is filled to nominal capacity the oil level is way below the crankshaft. you could easily fit in 2x the nominal amount

[billd80]

I agree with froggy, I'd be real surprised if you didn't blow some seals/gaskets. running for 10 mins is plenty long enough to heat everything up and create some massive pressure, most likely the occurance of a lot of smoke was related to a seal letting go somewhere IMOA. let us know what the shop says, I'm interested in just what happens in this case!! I wouldn't be too worried about the tranny personally, I knew a few guys who drove thousands of kms with badly leaking tranny's.

[mazda lover]

Always check for leaks when your finished doing an oil change and of course always recheck the oil level. If you had done this you would have noticed the level was too high, what size engine and type of filter, spin on or canister.

[Rob23]

it's TIPTRONIC, so both auto and manual.

HAHA

[taz4432]

You can always go look for a used engine from the wreckers. I beleve taz4432 had to replace his engine, and got a used one and got StreetPerformance to do the install.

Yup...my original engine spun a bearing (after 2 1/2 months of ownership no less) and I bought a used one that had 18k on the clock. I also just picked up a new (used) tranny as well.

I got my parts from Lecavalier - they are great to deal with and the shipping is FAST! I just searched up an engne and you can have a 2.3L engine with 30k on the clock with a 1-year parts&labour warranty for under $1500CDN and then shipped for a bit more. All said and done you're looking at less than $1700 (MAX) for a 'new' engine with ~30k on it with a 1 year warranty shipped to your door (or your mechanic's ;P).

I couldn't find any 'auto-manual' transmissions so you'd have to call in for that but they *do* have a ton of manual transmissions available for cheap! =)

[froggy]

If he did that he'd be better of getting a new car I think it's a lot of labour and parts involved to switch an auto to a manual trans

[Souls]

I can't help but lol. You don't know what transmission your car has but you went ahead and tried to change your oil. Go to mr.lube , it costs $20.

You live and learn. Hopefully your engine/tranny are ok.

x2
I'm sorry, this oopsie-doopsie is way to noob to believe.... seriously bro... WhyTF would you even attempt an unedumoecated oil change? I sorry if this sound cruel, but there's a real difference between the two fluids.

[Krazy]

x2
I'm sorry, this oopsie-doopsie is way to noob to believe.... seriously bro... WhyTF would you even attempt an unedumoecated oil change? I sorry if this sound cruel, but there's a real difference between the two fluids.

maybe he's in denial... lol
some of us auto users have to accept it sometime.. he just havent done it yet.

[zoso]

x2
I'm sorry, this oopsie-doopsie is way to noob to believe.... seriously bro... WhyTF would you even attempt an unedumoecated oil change? I sorry if this sound cruel, but there's a real difference between the two fluids.

I read probably like 10 different articles before i changed my oil or even jacked up my car, and besides taking 1 look under my car it's easy to identify the oil pan and the oil filter.

However I may change my Transmission fluid now, any good posts that show the best type to use? and where to drain it exactly?

[stock3]

OK, while I agree that OP messed up but some of the ragging on him and comments here are just totally blown out of proportion. I've been working an all my cars for some time now and I had my share of f*** ups, from stripped bolts to driving off of ramps (non of these happened to my Mazda, but my previous used cars that could take the beating). OP will learn from this mistake and I'm 99% sure it will never happen again, nothing beats learning from your own mistakes. At least he's trying to work on his car instead of bringing it to jiffy lube (they mess up a lot too), something that I noticed a lot of keyboard jockeys here do.


Also, people suggesting buying a new car, replacing the engine and tranny or bringing it to a "pro" without knowing if there is even an issue are just as clueless as the OP, but at least OP admitted it. Tell me what is the "pro" going to do? He's not going to take the engine apart (that's the only way to definitely check if any damage was done). Instead he will say: make sure the oil level is correct in the engine and tranny, and listen to abnormal noises, that's all, all these things can be done without the "pro".

So that's what I'm suggesting, don't panic, chances are your engine and tranny are OK, make sure that proper oil and ATF level is in your car, drive and carefully listen to engine and shifting operation. Check the oil and tranny level weekly, see if no oil leaks are present. If everything checks out just drive and don't worry, there is nothing you can do anyway. If there was damage done, that did not manifest itself yet, it eventually will, but until then there is no way of knowing, your engine will not just "blow up" out of nowhere, you will notice it gradually, things like knocking, tapping sounds, sudden oil consumption or blowing smoke from the tail pipe will give it away. Then and only then bring it to a mechanic.

[froggy]

OK, while I agree that OP messed up but some of the ragging on him and comments here are just totally blown out of proportion. I've been working an all my cars for some time now and I had my share of f*** ups, from stripped bolts to driving off of ramps (non of these happened to my Mazda, but my previous used cars that could take the beating). OP will learn from this mistake and I'm 99% sure it will never happen again, nothing beats learning from your own mistakes. At least he's trying to work on his car instead of bringing it to jiffy lube (they mess up a lot too), something that I noticed a lot of keyboard jockeys here do.


Also, people suggesting buying a new car, replacing the engine and tranny or bringing it to a "pro" without knowing if there is even an issue are just as clueless as the OP, but at least OP admitted it. Tell me what is the "pro" going to do? He's not going to take the engine apart (that's the only way to definitely check if any damage was done). Instead he will say: make sure the oil level is correct in the engine and tranny, and listen to abnormal noises, that's all, all these things can be done without the "pro".

So that's what I'm suggesting, don't panic, chances are your engine and tranny are OK, make sure that proper oil and ATF level is in your car, drive and carefully listen to engine and shifting operation. Check the oil and tranny level weekly, see if no oil leaks are present. If everything checks out just drive and don't worry, there is nothing you can do anyway. If there was damage done, that did not manifest itself yet, it eventually will, but until then there is no way of knowing, your engine will not just "blow up" out of nowhere, you will notice it gradually, things like knocking, tapping sounds, sudden oil consumption or blowing smoke from the tail pipe will give it away. Then and only then bring it to a mechanic.

Well I don't agree, with your comment that the "pro" won't do anything that you can't do at home, one thing is that the "pro" will know what the sounds that mean impending doom will sound like, where as the OP going by his admited lack of experience may have no idea of as what to look/listen for to tell him that his engine/tranny are about the kick the bucket. Secondly another check that that pro can do is to check the cylinders for pressure which will tell him whether or not any of the piston rings have been damaged, and such. I also find it kind of cavalier that you would just "drive and hope for the best" not only are you putting yourself and potentially your family at risk but the general public. It's not like it's going to cost tens of thousands of dollars to get it checked out. The only thing that I would suggest is that the OP gets it taken to a reputable mechanic so as not to get taken advantage of

[stock3]

I said to make sure engine oil and ATF levels are correct, and listen for noises that were not there before, check often for oil leaks and check oil level. it's not rocket science, OP drove the car and should know how the engine sounded and AT shifted like, only after everything checks out OP should drive his car as normal, but still should check thing more often that before. Where did you get "just drive and hope for the best" from? If something is not right , then by all means bring it to a mechanic.

The problem I have with mechanics is that, unless you really know one that you can trust, they will see OP as another "sucker" that they can rip off for thousands of dollars, they're all good at making up horror stories that all sound legitimate to someone unfamiliar with car repair.

[mazdabetty]

The problem I have with mechanics is that, unless you really know one that you can trust, they will see OP as another "sucker" that they can rip off for thousands of dollars, they're all good at making up horror stories that all sound legitimate to someone unfamiliar with car repair.

This isn't necessarily true. Apparently you've had one bad apple spoil the bunch? My father is a mechanic and has always been honest in his work. I highly doubt he would even think of ripping off a customer "thousands of dollars" and "making up horror stories that all sound legitimate to someone unfamiliar with car repair" like you say...

OP clearly had no idea what they were doing... should've taken it to a mechanic and let the professionals do their job in the first place.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Where did you get "just drive and hope for the best" from? If something is not right , then by all means bring it to a mechanic.

Probably from this comment and in particular the areas highlighted in red.


So that's what I'm suggesting, don't panic, chances are your engine and tranny are OK, make sure that proper oil and ATF level is in your car, drive and carefully listen to engine and shifting operation. Check the oil and tranny level weekly, see if no oil leaks are present. If everything checks out just drive and don't worry, there is nothing you can do anyway...

The OP should just take the car to Jimmy at Street Performance or other reputable shop and have them test it out so that he at least has peace of mind. Mysterious noises and issues have a wonderful way of manifesting themselves when you are already freaked out that you damaged your car. Let's face it, the OP doesn't exactly sound like he'll be applying as an F1 mechanic anytime soon. Let a professional make the assessment based on proper tests. The primary concern is that he blew a seal in his engine, which can be tested and that he possibly shortened the life of his transmission (which is almost impossible to test for in the abscence of grinding and odd shift behaviour).

[stock3]

Probably from this comment and in particular the areas highlighted in red.



The OP should just take the car to Jimmy at Street Performance or other reputable shop and have them test it out so that he at least has peace of mind. Mysterious noises and issues have a wonderful way of manifesting themselves when you are already freaked out that you damaged your car. Let's face it, the OP doesn't exactly sound like he'll be applying as an F1 mechanic anytime soon. Let a professional make the assessment based on proper tests. The primary concern is that he blew a seal in his engine, which can be tested and that he possibly shortened the life of his transmission (which is almost impossible to test for in the abscence of grinding and odd shift behaviour).

I guess you missed the qualifier "If everything checks out"

Also, please tell me what kind of test can be performed to check for a blown seal? And which seal are you talking about here, main seal, head gasket, rocker cover seal or many of other seals that are in the engine? Wouldn't a failed seal, except a head gasket, manifest itself in an oil leak somewere, which I specifically said to check for?
I truly don't know what "proper tests" you're talking about, if you know something we don't please share, I'm here to learn as well.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

I guess you missed the qualifier "If everything checks out"

Also, please tell me what kind of test can be performed to check for a blown seal? And which seal are you talking about here, main seal, head gasket, rocker cover seal or many of other seals that are in the engine? Wouldn't a failed seal, except a head gasket, manifest itself in an oil leak somewere, which I specifically said to check for?
I truly don't know what "proper tests" you're talking about, if you know something we don't please share, I'm here to learn as well.

It's ok. Pretty apparent by your posts you already know it all.

You also kind of missed the point that the OP won't have a friggin' clue whether everything checks out ok. Which is why people are telling him to go see a professional for piece of mind.

Other people on this forum are idiots- check
Mechanics are mostly all dishonest and rip off their clients- check
You know better- check

I'm done.

Cheers.

[mazdilla]

ok so I was doing an oil change last night and I accidently drained the TRANSMISSION FLUID instead of THE MOTOR OIL. And Becuz I thought I drained the OIL I added new oil which means that I had the new oil plus the old oil in the engine; SO DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF OIL! When I started up the engine this morning and took it out I noticed that I was revving up the engine but it was barely moving! Then alll of a sudden I notice HUGE AMOUNTS of smoke coming out of the exhaust, so I stopped right there and waited for my dad to arrive.

We emptied the all 8.8 LITRES OF OIL (since I had 4.4 L of old oil plus 4.4 L of new oil accidently added) and added new oil plus new transmission fluid.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS MAY AS COST ME MY ENGINE?!? OR IF IT COULD HAVE MESSED UP ANYTHING?!? ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED THANKS


Did you seriously hurt the motor? - No. The huge amounts of smoke were caused by oil blowby through the rings. Maybe a seal or two may have been weakened. That you easily see by oil leaks around the engine. (*See below)

Did you take, oh..... lets say 100,000 kms off of the life of the tranny? Most likely.

But, I find it hard to believe that the car even moved after you drained the thin red fluid out and supposedly replaced it with thick gold fluid. That might have been a clue right there.

Obviously you can read and write. * May I suggest that you buy a service manual for your car and read it BEFORE you touch the fackin' tools. I'm 56 years old and I still do it everytime I work on the car. I own a service manual for each and every vehicle in my yard. From snowblower, lawn tractor, ATV, cars, to pick up truck. I also make notes on the blank pages in the respective manuals.

BTW, windshield washer fluid is thin and light blue and antifreeze is thick and green. The caps are beside each other. I cringe at the thought.

Not to worry though, what you did chalks up to 'wisdom'. :thumbsup

Save your money, top up the tranny with the proper fluid type, add Lucas Transmission Treatment according to the directions, cross your fingers and go. The damage is already done, if there is any.

... and if you are really worried and feel like spending money, Zoom Zoom Boy is right, for piece of mind take it to a reputable mechanic.

[Fuman]

just be more careful next time

[Souls]

I read probably like 10 different articles before i changed my oil or even jacked up my car, and besides taking 1 look under my car it's easy to identify the oil pan and the oil filter.

However I may change my Transmission fluid now, any good posts that show the best type to use? and where to drain it exactly?

yeah, when I did my VR headgasket 7yrs ago, it took me 3 months of research before I even bought parts, and she fired up on the first shot after I was done too.

yeah the OP made a mistake... it was a big one, hopefully everything is OK with his ride. :beer

[newmazda]

Just to confirm something someone already mentioned. You cannot drain all the transmission fluid by just draining it from the drain plug. Most of the fluid is in the torque converter. You might have drained 1/3 to 1/2 the fluid at most. If the fluid in an Auto transmission gets to0 low it will not shift into gear or move your car. Therefore since the car moved you did not drain all the fluid out and chances are you will be okay.

Mistakes happen just learn from them. I personally have seen mechanics that are complete idiots and I would not trust them working on my car. They make mistakes too.

I would just keep an eye on your oil and transmission levels between now and the next oil change and check for leaks. Also make sure when you add transmission fluid you have the car running and warmed up and in park when you check the level.

[mido]

Yo bud, give us an update!

[B&T's 3]

Would you not have noticed this when you replaced the filter and oil came pouring out everywhere?. You do replace the filter during oil changes right???!!!. I supect you may have done serious damage to both your engine and transmission.Take it to a dealer and have them look. DO NOT tell them what took place, just that the car doesnt feel right. You were barely moving simply because you had NO tranny fluid in your AUTOMATIC gearbox. A shiftable automatic is not the same as a manual gearbox. You will potentially have overheated tne transmission and damaged it, and quite possibly have blown gaskets in the motor.ONE minute of running is too long with that amount of oil in it. If you get away with this, you are incredibly lucky. By the way was the "oil" you drained out not red??.

[Lileminem]

sorry guys i haven't beeen online for the longest time. Been busy with work these days, I know i messed up. I'm young and still learning. This is my first vehicle. Thanks for all the help/ and yes i should buy a manual for my vehicle, but crappy tire aparently has none for my vehicle. I don't think I did much damage (i hope) I've been driving it with no problems for a couple years now. But there's something odd about my electircal system now. Supposedly my reverse lights dont work, and YES i changed the bulbs with new ones. Also i think i need a new alternator, my Warning Light is on. and i bought a new battery and installed it. Still the light is illuminating. Does anyone have step by step procedure on how to change an alternator (pictures would be even better) and someplace i might even be able to get it for a reasonable price. Everywhere i checked they are looking for an average asking price of $300 just for the part.

[O1Kanoby]

sorry guys i haven't beeen online for the longest time. Been busy with work these days, I know i messed up. I'm young and still learning. This is my first vehicle. Thanks for all the help/ and yes i should buy a manual for my vehicle, but crappy tire aparently has none for my vehicle. I don't think I did much damage (i hope) I've been driving it with no problems for a couple years now. But there's something odd about my electircal system now. Supposedly my reverse lights dont work, and YES i changed the bulbs with new ones. Also i think i need a new alternator, my Warning Light is on. and i bought a new battery and installed it. Still the light is illuminating. Does anyone have step by step procedure on how to change an alternator (pictures would be even better) and someplace i might even be able to get it for a reasonable price. Everywhere i checked they are looking for an average asking price of $300 just for the part.


whoa its been a while...... i think we have a diy on this site somewhere.

[krimsalt]

Well.. for starters, overfilling 1L generally is not good. Overfilling 4L is generally not good times 4. The excessive pressure could blow apart your PCV, can extremely damage Crankcase seals, you can throw off the balance of your crankshaft, blow through piston rings (which I believe happened if you saw smoke from the exhaust), and damage gaskets. Not to mention the deadly effects it can have on your valves. Running no oil is almost as bad as running double oil. The effects may not happen now, but even running (and attempting to move it) probably added about 10 years of wear-and-tear on the engine.

As for the transmission. Automatic transmissions require the friction additives in the fluid to push and pull your car, converting the torque from the engine. Your Torque Converter in the transmission sucks up about 1L of fluid when the car is on, so despite what a previous commend said, you did most likely drain all the fluids. Attempting to move the car without fluid in it can do 1 of 2 things: Extremely wear out your band-clutches that try to engage , or can glaze it like a real clutch would from over-slipping. Your torque converter would also be running dry, so its high spinning and no fluid pressure can cause it to overheat and lose the effiency on how it transfers engine torque. Your transmissions valvebody can also be severely damaged, again.

This is just honest advice, as to what I've seen. I'm not going to say it's all fairies and rainbows now that you corrected the levels of fluid.

However, if you think that tiptronic is both manual and automatic, nor can tell the difference between engine and transmission... I don't recommend you change your own oil...

However - on a good note, you are probably guaranteed a perfectly running and lubricated timing-chain forever!

EDIT:
I did not notice this was an older thread. It's good the car is running after a year or so. Just be on a lookout for accelorated wear.

[stock3]

I suggest bringing your car to a competent mechanic (if you know one) or a dealership. They can test the alternator if it delivers a proper charge. Your backup lights are not working probably because the fuse is blown or the backup switch in the shifter column is broken. From your description of automotive knowledge I think these items (except checking for a blown fuse) will be over your head to diagnose and repair. No disrespect intended, just trying to save you time, money and frustration, in case something goes wrong.