This is Why I Don't Change My Oil

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by Harpoon PV2

So be honest, how many of you had a self oil changing car or motorcycle back in the day? Cheers, Dennis

Ok. Back in college I owned a 1952 Chevy van with a cracked block. I carried oil and water by the gallon. I think I got about a hundred miles per quart on the oil.

My EM Cobra didn't leak oil much but I did have an interesting oil change experience one day. As I was cleaning up afterwards I found the washer that I should have put on the plug before I screwed it back into the pan. I checked and, sure enough, the washer was missing at the plug. I wrestled with the ideas of dumping the eight quarts of oil I had just added and then finding some way to get all-most-some-any of it back into the engine without creating a huge mess. That was likely as the valve covers on my engine had big AN hoses to a catch can, but no normal oil fill. Putting oil in was a slow process using a funnel in one of the small hose openings. Then I remembered a story I had heard on the old Car Talk radio show. I decided to give it a try.

I began by getting out my shop vac and a length of clear plastic hose. I duct taped one end of the clear hose to the vacuum hose and the other end to one of the valve cover hose openings. I removed the other valve cover hose and taped that opening closed. I then stood well back and plugged in the shop vac. I waited to see if any any oil was being pulled up into the clear hose. It wasn't, and after a minute or so I decided the shop vac wasn't going to explode from engine fumes either. So I quickly slid under the car with the washer and a wrench. I loosened the plug and planned to live with whatever oil came out while I was replacing the washer. To my surprise air was being pulled into the oil pan with enough velocity to prevent oil from coming out. I replaced the washer, tightened the plug, removed my DIY vacuum system and went on with my day.