My Dumbassery Knows No Bounds

Jamison C said:
So for those who don’t know, I bought a very well kept 2002 Toyota Tundra back in May with only 78k miles on it. I took it to San Diego a couple weeks ago with no issues and all of my fluids looked good, but I decided to show it some love after the 1000 mile trip by doing an oil change.

I went through the usual stuff, drained the fluid, had to take the front skid off, pulled the filter and replaced that too, put everything back together and let the engine idle till it was at operating temp. The service manual says the best way to check level is to get the engine up to temp, shut it off for 5 minutes, then check the dipstick. Ironically, my Jeep manual calls for the same procedure. Whilst checking the level, the dipstick showed way over full and it still looked kind of black still. Unusual, but I chalked it up to not knowing this vehicle as well as my Jeep.

Anyways after all is said and done, I go to take a quick drive and the transmission slips, then kicks. Huh, that’s weird. Maybe it’s just me. Runs fine for about 1/2 mile, then slips and kicks again. Ok, now I know it’s not just me, so I drive it another 1/2 mile and park it back at home.

Then the question pops into my head, in the form of panic. Did I drain the right fluid? Is my transmission low? So I decide to take a peak under the the truck at the drivetrain. Sure enough, I identify the bolt I pulled as the plug for the transmission pan. THE TRANSMISSION PAN. Which then brings me to my next concern, my engine is now overfilled by 6.5 quarts! :(

Luckily, I used what evidently-little common sense I do have and did not hammer the engine and tranny during my short mile-long journey. I expected to see oil spewed all over the place and found nothing of the sort, so I don’t think I created enough pressure to damage any seals and blow oil out of any orifices. So I’ll be having this towed to the dealer to deal with because it’s not worth my time to do myself, quite literally. I’ve been wanting to do a full fluid flush front to back, so I guess now is the time.

As I moved the truck back into the garage and pulled my Jeep back out (been using it all week), I felt a sense of peace listening to it run, despite my errors and what it’s going to cost me. It feels good to own a vehicle that I know every nook-and-cranny of, and every in-and-out.
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This is the same amazing guy who put an auto in that Rubicon.

Buddy it is not you - trust me. I filled my TJ with 3 quarts or more with the oil plug out.

Remember that it takes a big man to cry- But it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
 
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mrblaine said:
Look at the bright side, at least you didn't double stack the oil filter gasket and pump 8 quarts of black diesel oil all over a very nice driveway that had to look as pristine as it was before you decided to stop it from rusting.
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I've done that twice in 45 years of changing oil on cars. The first time was when I was a kid and was excusable because I didn't yet know that the gasket sometimes sticks to the block. My old man was very understanding and said, "the important part of today's lesson is making sure you clean every square inch of the garage floor." The second time was in my late 30s in my own garage, and was not excusable because I knew to check for that stuck gasket. My father had recently passed, and I think it was him messing with me because I heard those words once more...
 
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My moment was yesterday. I changed the oil on my Suburban. I crawled under it, removed the filter, ran my hand and a rag over the base plate and installed the new filter. Fill it with 6 quarts of Mobil1 and started it up. I got out looked underneath and oil was gushing everywhere from the filter. I pulled it and sure enough the old gasket was still there. I lost 5+ quarts and spent the next 2 hrs cleaning everything up. Hundreds of oil changes under my belt and this is my first fuck up. Luckily no apparent damage done to engine since it ran for less than 30 seconds but boy what a mess to clean up.
 
I feel for you bucky - that's not a small task to clean up!
 
Never double sealed the oil filter but I've turned more oil changes than I can count into superfund cleanups.
 
I was going over my RZR before a ride the next day and decided to change my engine oil, I promptly drained the rear gear case/differential and poured 2.5 qts. of fresh oil in the crankcase. After running it to check the level I found the crankcase way overfull, Luckily I had enough of the required oils and another filter to get both cases up to the proper levels.
 
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