I did something stupid

[dhopkins]

I went to change the oil on my 81SC. I forgot completely about the oil in the tank. I emptied the oil from the engine. I sealed it back up. I put fresh oil in. It started to over flow out the fill tube. Then I realized I hadn't emptied the tank. I then drained the tank and spilled oil all over the floor in the process. I added more fresh oil. I think I now have a mixture of old oil and new oil in the car. I think this happened b/c I haven't had a chance to work on my cars for awhile b/c of the workload at work. Thus my mind was momentarily working in a non-Porsche mode.

Don
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1963 356B Super (headed to Austria soon)
1969 911S (still in pieces)
1981 911SC (now with semi-fresh oil)

[Eric911S]

Hello: First you have to get into working on car mode. Start with some good music. Then get your work cloths dirty, put grease marks in the middle of your favourite t-shirt. Swear because you dirtied your shirt then go get a beer. Now you are ready to change the oil. Hope this helps. Thanks Eric

[kenikh]

It happens. Other than a dirty floor and bruised ego, you came out fine. At least you didn't do something REALLY stupid like installing the heads on your '69S rebuild upside down! If it didn't break anything, it's not that stupid.

[sithot]

I watched a friend pour 5 quarts into a car once before he realized the drain plug wasn't in.

Tom

[LeafGreen]

It was on an old 62 Baja bug I had......I just assembled an engine completely out of spare parts (I only spent $10.00 and bought a set of rod bearings and a gasket set out of necessity), and when I started it for the first time it quit a few seconds later. Strange, I thought. I checked for gas, started it and it died again right away. On the third try it stopped rather abruptly and it was then I realized I forgot to put oil in it Long story short......I got a BIG wrench and broke it loose. I put in oil, started it, and it ran great thereafter.

I was wondering how Murphy let me get away so easy as this kind of stuff only happens on a no expense spared rebuild - not a $10.00 one. It's now over 20 years since the incident and I guarantee you he made up for lost time.

[Paul Schooley]

Would like to see a pic of that Tahiti 455 special there Leaf. Sounds like a sweet toy.

[gruen911]

I watched a friend pour 5 quarts into a car once before he realized the drain plug wasn't in.

Tom

Hell Tom, I can beat that.
I bought a 67 XKE convertible about 12 years ago. Flew up and picked it up in person with a buddy up in Niagra Falls, NY and take turns driving it back down to West Palm Beach. While driving down late night around 2:00A.M. thru South Carlolina, my buddy noticed that there was a significant drop off in oil pressure and woke me up. We stopped at the next gas station, and low and behold the car we saw that the oil level was very low and the exhaust pipes and the entire back of the car was dripping with dirt and oil. We figured that the valves were shot and a valve job was needed. Assuming it was just the valves, we figured that as long as we kept pouring oil into the engine, we could make it down to Florida. So we bought a case of oil to fill up the oil tank, and another case to add oil along the way as we continued to check the oil level every 50-100 miles.
I excused myself to take a trip to the toilet, and when I came back I saw that my buddy was pouring the oil into the radiator!!!!!! And he is a car guy.... I guess that is what sleep deprivation does to normally intelligent people.
Situation was so ****ed-up at this point that we decided to call his brother out in Sacramento who is a rocket scientist - literally - and ask him for advice! Luckily for us it was only around 11p.m. his time so he was awake. He told us that we were idiots, and that because oil is lighter than water, all we had to do was get a hose and flood the radiator with water. The oil would flow right out. He was right about the water - and about us being idiots.
Car made it to West Palm with out being towed, but the clutch died on the exit ramp into West Palm. We literally rolled it right into the mechanic's parking lot. $8k later and the car was running great for the next 1 1/2 - until I sold it. I actually broke even on that car, which is rare for a Jag...
Owning an E-type Jag is like having a supermodel for a girlfriend who has brain damage...

[sithot]

I think it is written somewhere that Stirling Moss referred to the "E Type" as the "dumb blonde of sports cars".

Great story!

Best,

Tom

[Leon Todaro]

It may be a "dumb blond" but the view from the driver's seat over that bonnet is the best. The interiors are quite charming too. Should've never sold my 64 roadster. But my 71 E eases the bloody pain quite nicely bloke....

[platas]

Great story, this confirms once more why i now pay for transport instead of doin the adventure, but being ther, and at least you had a buddy, jejej. Only english car that i own an original mini cooper 71 model being restored and having fia papers added to it.