True confessions ~ I am an idiot ~ A Cautionary Tale

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Hello Peaches,

Yesterday, while driving on the highway 40 miles into a 300 mile round-trip, my engine started knocking followed quickly by a final bang and a plume of smoke that signaled the magic had escaped. I coasted in neutral to the next exit and pushed the car into the truck stop parking lot.

The lower end of the engine where the dipstick attaches was blown open and I could see into the pan that should be holding quarts of oil.



True confessions? Yes, I have some explaining to do...

Myth #1 exposed: I consider myself mechanically inclined and present myself as somewhat knowledgeable regarding motor technology.

However, I failed THE most basic task of mechanical basics: I didn't check my oil. That is very bad. What makes it REALLY very bad is that the oil pressure gauge was bobbing up and down, not reading full pressure.

What do I think when I see that? Hmm, there must be something wrong with the gauge. Drive on...

I had an oil change about 1,500 miles ago. "So the oil must be full".

The car does not leak oil. "So the oil must be full".

The car does not smoke when it is running, "so it must not be burning oil", therefore "it must be full".

The car is not over-heating, so everything must be fine...

Hindsight is 20/20. I now remember that engines use oil and it is normal for a quart to disappear. In some Porsches, it is 1 quart per 1000 miles.

The car has only been driven 1500 miles since being resurrected from the dead. I did not know how much oil it would use as part of normal operating. The engine was running perfectly with lots of power and torque. Perhaps it drank a quart per thousand miles? Being a quart and a half low seems to have been enough to make the oil pressure drop, starve the engine of lubrication, and cause a piston to seize?



Why am I bearing my soul for public condemnation and humiliation? I care about my friends and if I can spare one of you what I did to myself, it is worth it.

Do you remember a certain newbie who blew his engine? It turned out that he was high as a kite according to his posts on another web site. Someone here said he was too stoned to check his oil. I don't have any excuses. I was sober as a judge on hanging day driving with my wife in the car when the engine blew. If I had checked the oil and noticed how low it must have been, today would be a different day.

Note to self: Please remember to check your oil when you fill up with gas. Note to my friends: Please remember to check your oil when you fill up with gas.