Empty oil pan after oil change...
05-26-2013, 08:38 PM
#1
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Empty oil pan after oil change...
Alright guys so I did some thread searching and couldnt find anything. I have just done an oil change on my girlfriends 03 Maxima. I checked on the dipstick and its all covered in oil. No biggie I thought....but my girl was more skeptical. So I went under the car, started taking out the oil plug, slowly now, slowly....I got it all the way out, and nothing was comming out. There was no dripping, no spewing, no nothing.
What kind of problems am I looking at here guys?
What kind of problems am I looking at here guys?
05-26-2013, 08:52 PM
#2
when you say you did an oil change, did you actually fill it with new oil?
Have you done oil changes before on a car or is this your first time?
did you put oil in the right hole?
Have you done oil changes before on a car or is this your first time?
did you put oil in the right hole?
05-26-2013, 09:01 PM
#3
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I drained the oil, took off the old filter, oiled the gasket on the new filter, put the new filter on, put the drain plug back in, and filled with 4 quarts of new oil...in the right hole. (the big one on top of the engine where if you take it off you can see the lifters, cams, and springs.)
Ive worked on all my own cars ever since ive owned them. (1990 Nissan 240sx & 1994 Acura Integra)
Ive always done all my own oil changes, but ive never experienced this issue...
Ive worked on all my own cars ever since ive owned them. (1990 Nissan 240sx & 1994 Acura Integra)
Ive always done all my own oil changes, but ive never experienced this issue...
05-26-2013, 09:40 PM
#4
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Location: omaha,ne
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I drained the oil, took off the old filter, oiled the gasket on the new filter, put the new filter on, put the drain plug back in, and filled with 4 quarts of new oil...in the right hole. (the big one on top of the engine where if you take it off you can see the lifters, cams, and springs.)
Ive worked on all my own cars ever since ive owned them. (1990 Nissan 240sx & 1994 Acura Integra)
Ive always done all my own oil changes, but ive never experienced this issue...
Ive worked on all my own cars ever since ive owned them. (1990 Nissan 240sx & 1994 Acura Integra)
Ive always done all my own oil changes, but ive never experienced this issue...
The only thing i could possibly think of is that you removed the drain plug on the transmission pan since maxima's have those ( Not saying you did) that but it's possible since there is a drain plug on the pan.
Did you remove the drain plug on the passenger side or the drivers side.
Only other remote thing it could be would be a chunk of a piston rod or skirt was blocking the whole but that extremely unlikely since you would know for sure if your engine had a broken rod.
05-26-2013, 09:50 PM
#6
The dipstick will be covered in oil after an oil change or the engine has been running because Nissan decided to put the dipstick in one of the oil return tubes that drains the oil from the head back to the oil pan.
Maybe there is something inside the oil pan that plugged the opening when you took the drain plug out?
Maybe there is something inside the oil pan that plugged the opening when you took the drain plug out?
05-26-2013, 10:45 PM
#7
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Thanks for all the responses guys.
I took the drain plug from the driver side, im pretty sure it was motor oil since it smelled like oil and looked like oil. (tranny fluid smells disgusting).
And I did do the screwdriver thing, it was completely dry. I started the car for about 15 seconds, turned it off, and took off the oil filter and there was oil in there and pouring out of the engine, but not clean oil at all.
And yeah, im pretty sure there are no broken rods or pistons.
Im going to take the oil pan off tomorrow and see if there is a clogage somewhere. Crap thing is, if i unclog it, oil will be everywhere. Ugh, what a headache.
I took the drain plug from the driver side, im pretty sure it was motor oil since it smelled like oil and looked like oil. (tranny fluid smells disgusting).
And I did do the screwdriver thing, it was completely dry. I started the car for about 15 seconds, turned it off, and took off the oil filter and there was oil in there and pouring out of the engine, but not clean oil at all.
And yeah, im pretty sure there are no broken rods or pistons.
Im going to take the oil pan off tomorrow and see if there is a clogage somewhere. Crap thing is, if i unclog it, oil will be everywhere. Ugh, what a headache.
05-26-2013, 10:49 PM
#8
Thanks for all the responses guys.
I took the drain plug from the driver side, im pretty sure it was motor oil since it smelled like oil and looked like oil. (tranny fluid smells disgusting).
And I did do the screwdriver thing, it was completely dry. I started the car for about 15 seconds, turned it off, and took off the oil filter and there was oil in there and pouring out of the engine, but not clean oil at all.
And yeah, im pretty sure there are no broken rods or pistons.
Im going to take the oil pan off tomorrow and see if there is a clogage somewhere. Crap thing is, if i unclog it, oil will be everywhere. Ugh, what a headache.
I took the drain plug from the driver side, im pretty sure it was motor oil since it smelled like oil and looked like oil. (tranny fluid smells disgusting).
And I did do the screwdriver thing, it was completely dry. I started the car for about 15 seconds, turned it off, and took off the oil filter and there was oil in there and pouring out of the engine, but not clean oil at all.
And yeah, im pretty sure there are no broken rods or pistons.
Im going to take the oil pan off tomorrow and see if there is a clogage somewhere. Crap thing is, if i unclog it, oil will be everywhere. Ugh, what a headache.
05-26-2013, 10:57 PM
#11
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Now i feel like a complete fking idiot. FWD is not my thing....wow.
05-26-2013, 10:59 PM
#12
05-27-2013, 12:39 AM
#16
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While you're at it you may as well top up your radiator, just fill the hole on top of the engine that has a watering can on it. Looks like an oil can but it isn't. Japansese ain't got time to fix dat.
I am not responsible for damage caused by doing this.
I am not responsible for damage caused by doing this.
05-27-2013, 06:38 AM
#19
What....the.....guess you forgot to look and see the pan you were draining from was attached to the transmission, mistakes happen bro they did that to my grandpa at wal-mart. Blew his engine and smoked a trans
05-27-2013, 07:52 AM
#20
Yeah, drivers side is Trans. Sorry. BUT good thing it wasn't driven.
Girlfriend drive sick or auto? Stick would be gear oil and much more easily confused with engine oil
05-27-2013, 08:01 AM
#21
Just that he had a skeptical driver.
The drain plug for a manual is not easily accessible.
I hope the OP keeps us updated on the cars condition after he figures it all out.
05-27-2013, 10:31 AM
#23
It sounds like his girlfriend should do her own oil changes.
If the car is an automatic, not all the fluid will drain out when you take out the drain plug, it's less than half. The torque converter remains full. You have to do another process to drain the converter. If he had tried to drive the car, it wouldn't have moved, but I don't think any damage would be done unless he kept running the engine with the transmission in gear. This is a case where luck is a friend.
If the car is an automatic, not all the fluid will drain out when you take out the drain plug, it's less than half. The torque converter remains full. You have to do another process to drain the converter. If he had tried to drive the car, it wouldn't have moved, but I don't think any damage would be done unless he kept running the engine with the transmission in gear. This is a case where luck is a friend.
05-27-2013, 10:48 AM
#24
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Sounds like the car needed an ATF change anyway, just make sure you use Matic-D or compatible and not some generic crap or the transmission will let you know about it.
05-27-2013, 10:53 AM
#25
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Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 315
My friend did this in his yaris and drove over 500km with only the fluid left in the torque converter... and yes he filled up the oil and drained the tranny... so 2x oil and maybe a litre of tranny fluid... hey everybody makes mistakes...
05-27-2013, 01:31 PM
#29
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Location: Bronx, NY
Posts: 973
wow, never heard of this happening, i hope the 8-9 qts of oil in the engine wont blow it up. u need to drain the regular oil back to a safe level then i guess the transmission fluid is now drained aswell?? as long as you didnt put motor oil into the transmission i guess the car will be ok.
05-27-2013, 07:21 PM
#30
Man, what luck you have here. It is unbelievable to read yes but it is a good thing the car was not driven for a test run. If nothing came out of tranny plug, add in two quarts of Nissan Matic-D and drain back some of the engine oil.
05-27-2013, 08:07 PM
#31
oh my god this is the best thing ive read on the site in at least a year
and yes, overfilling a engine with oil will blow the seals. running it for 15 seconds harms nothing, but if you drive it for a hour or something overfull by liters i would be worried
kinda hard to get screwed up on though, only Honda and some Mitsubishi really have reverse transverse with the gearbox on the right hand side. im sorry but im in tears laughing here
05-28-2013, 12:19 AM
#32
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,432
Ya overfilling it can cause a LOT of issues cat converters will mess up o2 sensors mess up oil can come past Rings n into Chamber foul spark plugs 1000's of dollars of damage QUICKLY n possibly Ruin Engine from it and on top of that A/T can be damaged too running that low of Fluid.
I Seriously Don't Think We'll Ever See This Guy Again On Here Again LMFAO. I'd be pretty Embarrased as well!!
Nobodys Perfect Is all i can say were only Human.
I Seriously Don't Think We'll Ever See This Guy Again On Here Again LMFAO. I'd be pretty Embarrased as well!!
Nobodys Perfect Is all i can say were only Human.
05-28-2013, 04:34 AM
#34
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: Snakeden Branch, VA
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oh boy
Had to chime in on this one. And even though I'm a n00b here, I believe this one here I'm allowed to really 
at a whole lot! Yup, it's true 
Well, what can I say besides
Yeah we all make mistakes, but dude, come on, really?
I mean, I have a story that's kind of similar in a way as far as stupidity goes:
On my old I30 I let my GF drive it to her mothers house in Winchester, VA like 2hrs away from us. So evening time shes on her way home and I get a phone call. Oh yeah, I get a call and she tells me that she's at the gas pump and had just filled up the gas tank all the way to the top. But now the car wont start or move....What to do, why is this happening?
I'm sitting there like, this has to be a joke. So my brain processes the info, and next question to her is what gas did you put in the car. So after 2 min of her looking around at the pump she realizes that the dumb broad put diesel in my car, despite the fact that they make the diesel pump nozzles way different and they don't fit inside a regular car gas-tank hole, but she managed to do it anyway.
And she even told me how "it was more difficult to fill up then usual" because she "had to hold the pump in place the whole time". I mean, unreal. So basically, a tow-truck to get the car back to me and a days worth of draining diesel fuel out of my car is what I had to deal with.
Now your story isn't nearly as retarded as that, but it's pretty bad. I've never in my life heard of someone emptying the drivers side tranny fluid thinking it was the oil, especially anyone who has done anything to a car before more than once or twice.
If your girlfriend did it, that's one thing. But since you did it, shame on you. And BTW, nothing against women because there are a few out there that can put many men to shame when it comes to this stuff. But generally, if you're a man and you've worked on cars, how can you possibly mess this up. . .
:
at a whole lot! Yup, it's true Well, what can I say besides
Yeah we all make mistakes, but dude, come on, really?
I mean, I have a story that's kind of similar in a way as far as stupidity goes:
On my old I30 I let my GF drive it to her mothers house in Winchester, VA like 2hrs away from us. So evening time shes on her way home and I get a phone call. Oh yeah, I get a call and she tells me that she's at the gas pump and had just filled up the gas tank all the way to the top. But now the car wont start or move....What to do, why is this happening?
I'm sitting there like, this has to be a joke. So my brain processes the info, and next question to her is what gas did you put in the car. So after 2 min of her looking around at the pump she realizes that the dumb broad put diesel in my car, despite the fact that they make the diesel pump nozzles way different and they don't fit inside a regular car gas-tank hole, but she managed to do it anyway.
And she even told me how "it was more difficult to fill up then usual" because she "had to hold the pump in place the whole time". I mean, unreal. So basically, a tow-truck to get the car back to me and a days worth of draining diesel fuel out of my car is what I had to deal with.
Now your story isn't nearly as retarded as that, but it's pretty bad. I've never in my life heard of someone emptying the drivers side tranny fluid thinking it was the oil, especially anyone who has done anything to a car before more than once or twice.
If your girlfriend did it, that's one thing. But since you did it, shame on you. And BTW, nothing against women because there are a few out there that can put many men to shame when it comes to this stuff. But generally, if you're a man and you've worked on cars, how can you possibly mess this up. . .
:
05-28-2013, 09:43 AM
#35
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: FloriDUH
Posts: 187
you're right, we all do stupid things, i remember pulling spark plug wires on an old v8 chevy to figure out which cylinder wasn't working. well, after pulling all 8 wires i thought, hey, let's pull the center wire on the distributor cap and see what happens. well, i gotta huge electrical shock, man was it a good shock, i can still almost feel it to this day. pretty stupid of me i know, but i was 12 years old at the time, so if the OP turns out to be 12 too, then i'll cut him some slack
Last edited by Pilm; 05-28-2013 at 09:45 AM.
05-28-2013, 12:28 PM
#37
it will likely just come down to the emotional kind
oh yeah and 8.5 qts of oil in a 4.5qt pan
05-28-2013, 02:29 PM
#38
Member who somehow became The President of The SE-L Club
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 16,033
Been working on cars all his life, hummm...
Transmission fluid doesn't smell, gear oil smells.
Step away from the vehicle and put the tools down.
Well....that was the best smelling tranny fluid ive ever pulled.
Step away from the vehicle and put the tools down.
