drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Tue 13 Jun 2006 23:35
drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help - Beaks
A couple of days ago I topped the oil up on my 98' 2.0 Primera. Did not have to add much. Drove 15 miles ( last 4 miles down a dual carriageway ) to work this morning and as I pulled in I smelt oil. Realised in a nightmare flashback that I had not put the oil filler cap back on the engine, lifted the bonnet and there it was on top of the engine block. It seemed like oil was everywhere.
Left it a few hours and topped it back up again right to the top of the 'max' level on the dipstick, drove home with no apparent ill effects.
I have tried to wipe off as much oil as I can. Anyone got any sensible advice for a numpty ?? Will the engine be ok, should I get the engine bay steam cleaned??
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 13 Jun 2006 23:42
drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help - johnny
Did this with my Dads car years ago. He left the keys in it outside his town centre shop as he always did, and oddly enough someone stole it. Recovered two weeks later 30 miles away in Hull, no harm done, keys still in car, colour TV still in back ( he was a TV repair man). Drove to Hull to pick it up - 10 miles down the road noticed smoke pouring out from the bonnet - filler cap had been removed for reasons unknown. Cleaned it up - no apparent harm done.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 13 Jun 2006 23:58
drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help - David Horn
Expect clouds of noxious smoke from under the bonnet for the next few trips while the oil burns off.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 13 Jun 2006 23:58
drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help - Civic8
I forget how many times this has been done,but as long as the oil level does not go below min on disptick,*should not have any problems..bearing in mind engine oil is also a coolant for engine so best to check level every week.

*If engine oil level goes to or below what it should be overheating could occur,and often does
--
Steve
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 14 Jun 2006 12:46
drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help - mike hannon
I've done this twice - once with a Honda Legend and many years ago with a Lancia HPE. No ill effects on either occasion except a lot of mess - you usually smell the burning oil before too much has spilled!
Only problem I had was replacing the lost cap on the Legend - needless to say I couldn't find one at any scrappy but eventually I tracked down a crashed Rover 827 that still had the engine in it.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 14 Jun 2006 13:01
drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help - Armitage Shanks {p}
This can be mechanically fatal on a Sierra Cosworth! A colleague of mine did it twice and the engine was wrecked both times!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 14 Jun 2006 13:04
drove 15 miles with oil cap off !!! help - Collos25
You could try cleaning it youself with liberal amounts of GUNK,steam cleaning is ok if the operator is conversant with doing cars ie you don'nt want the electrics flooding.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide