General Don't change the oil in the dark!

[purple haze]

After treating purple haze to a huge wash and brush up, buying new bits and bobs and even respraying the grille (original colour coded,, posh eh!!??) which has turned out real good if i say so myself....my thoughts have turned to the mechanics.

Tonight was the oil change!

So with oil and filter i set off to a mates house...Bugger no one tole me it had a allen key type sump plug...so off to halfords. Its started to get dark.
Plug now out....getting darker....
Oil drained....filter off....filter on....plug back in....fill with oil....start engine to pump oil round....get out detergent and jet wash....run around trying to find stuff to mop up all the oil on the floor etc etc!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By now its pitch black outside..we had not noticed the filter had a gap between it and the engine..

Turns out i have been sold the wrong filter.....****s....my mate had said when screwing the filter on "this is a bit tight"

Then a major problem.....went to remove the filter and the thread unscrews from the engine and is stuck tight in the filter...just about get it out...
We must have slightly damaged the thread though because it wont screw back into the engine fully!!!!

On goes the old filter and with fingers crossed i drive home.

So peed off..wot a cock up....my mate was not to happy either having his drive look like an enviromental disaster. We were washing seagulls for hours!!!

Kev

 

[lightweightmick]

Some learning curves are steeper than others... though I've had a few steep ones in the past!
I think we all have
and many a Mercedes van has shook its own sump plug out...
least you got it sussed before all the oil was lost and you'd got a knacked engine to boot...
all in all, daylight has a lot of advantages

 

[purple haze]

Your so right!!!!!!

Change of coolant next....might wait till the summer solsties..lots of daylight then!!!!

kev

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Change of coolant is really easy Kev, I made a right fuss over it when doing it, and was really scared, but 2 Selecta's later, I could do it with my eyes closed (so to speak )

Jon.

 

[lightweightmick]

Yeah, dance round your Panda naked with a twig in your hair for good luck
...hang on, isn't your next job to drop oil and fit a new filter?

 

[purple haze]

Not too much oil comes out when you unscrew the filter...will run a tye around the thread and fingers crossed i wont have to buy a new one..i think we just flattened the thread a tiny bit...

As for the coolant...yeah its easy..but then again so the oil change should have been!!!!!

Kev

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

As for the coolant...yeah its easy..but then again so the oil change should have been!!!!!

But the worse thing you can do on a coolant change is cross thread a jubiliee clip, which can be replaced easily and cheaply, lol.

 

[lightweightmick]

I hope those bits of missing thread go the right side of your oil filter....
though I'm sure Fiat will have given this due consideration..?

 

[purple haze]

Im buying a new insert. The guy who looks after all our cars has ordered it. Its only a few quid and saves sodding about.

It seems ok at the moment...but dont want to take the risk.

Kev