That seems mighty generous of you L`escargot - given that you presumably paid Ford main dealer pricing. Bet they wish all their customers sorted out their mistakes.. ;-)
I paid a very reasonable £54 for 2 hours labour for a 6-year major service at my local family-owned franchised dealer. As for correcting the overfill myself, it wouldn't have been worth the cost of driving to and from the dealer to get them to correct it. As it was it cost me nothing.
|
|
It certainly beats undoing the drain plug and then trying to get it back in again after you have released a "small" amount!
|
I think l'escargot is being amazingly tolerant given that he's about the stoutest defender of main dealer servicing I've seen post on here.
What concerns me about an error such as this, is that if they can't even pour the right amount of oil into the engine, what else have they got wrong that is less easily noticed or checked?
|
Just take the filter off and drain it into the bottom half of a 6 pint milk container. Replace and repeat as necessary.
659.
|
Just take the filter off and drain it into the bottom half of a 6 pint milk container. Replace and repeat as necessary. 659.
That sounds almost as messy as trying to drain a bit via the drain plug. If the filter has a proper non-return valve then it will be holding back all the oil in the upper galleries as well as its own contents.
|
|
|
sounds nice on your cornflakes
personally i always take the sump plug out for this but have had a few times where ive struggled to get it back in
its also surprisingly easy to overfill no matter what the book may say its still a dip dip check run engine let it all drain back into the stump and recheck,remember time is money so most garages fill their old kettle to the 5 litre mark which includes the amount for the filter and just whack that in
................next customer ....please......
|
The drain plugs on both my lovely green Vectra and SWMBO's Zafira feel like they're going to strip every time I change the oil, so I've resorted to the Screwfix 40 quid suck out the dipstick job, seems to work well.
tinyurl.com/nrzg3f
|
|
|
Having to deal with LHM and such like, I bought a Turkey baster from Wilkinsons. Works a treat.
Steve.
|
|
If the op had used his dipstick to gauge the length of the siphon tube, I reckon he could have left it unattended and it would have emptied to the correct level.
|
If the op had used his dipstick to gauge the length of the siphon tube I reckon he could have left it unattended and it would have emptied to the correct level.
I don't think you appreciate that the outlet end of a siphoning tube has to be lower than the inlet end for siphoning to occur.
|
SQ
I don't think you appreciate that the outlet end of a siphoning tube has to be lower than the inlet end for siphoning to occur.
It doesn't matter how much tube is hanging out as long as it is below the ultimate desired level in the sump. Syphoning will stop when the oil falls to the level of the inner end. Pre-measure that to the High mark, and Robert's your avuncular friend.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 26/06/2009 at 19:42
|
|
Sorry, I don?t think I explained it very well. I meant if you only push the siphon tube in the dipstick hole to the same length as the dipstick, once enough has been emptied the end of the inlet will be out of the oil and no more will come out. I just thought it would save you having to check on it regularly over a 10 hour period.
|
|
|
Having to deal with LHM and such like I bought a Turkey baster from Wilkinsons. Works a treat.
I'd be surprised if a Wilko turkey baster (presumably powered by a rubber ball at the upper end) would generate enough suction to suck cold oil up a 500 mm length of 3 mm bore tube.
|
>> I'd be surprised if a Wilko turkey baster (presumably powered by a rubber ball at the upper end) would generate enough suction to suck cold oil up a 500 mm length of 3 mm bore tube.
I don't think you appreciate that the temperature of a fluid has got nothing to do with the height of a column a given pressure will support. :)
|
I don't think you appreciate that the temperature of a fluid has got nothing to do with the height of a column a given pressure will support. :)
I do, but whereas the potential suction generated by the rubber bulb is constant the viscosity and internal friction of the oil depends on the temperature.
Edited by L'escargot on 26/06/2009 at 15:22
|
>> I do but whereas the potential suction generated by the rubber bulb is constant the viscosity and internal friction of the oil depends on the temperature.
But viscosity and internal friction don't determine the height of column that a given pressure difference will generate or support, only the speed at which that height will be established.
You have yourself proved that with your syphon - viscosity and friction may make the transfer slow, but if it is a fluid, and there is a pressure difference, it will eventually flow.
There is, or always used to be, an exhibit in the Science Museum of a glass funnel full of bitumin. There was only one drop every 10 years.
|
|
I don't see why it wouldn't really, it's not even 2'. It's not the ball that's sucking as such more the pressure difference pushing. Still I'm only used to LHM and 10/40W.
Only trying to help.
Steve.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I think l'escargot is being amazingly tolerant given that he's about the stoutest defender of main dealer servicing I've seen post on here.
I'd have done the same thing regardless of what type of establishment had carried out the service. All it cost me was about 10 minutes of my time. I did it in the comfort of my integral garage and I barely got my hands grubby. If I'd gone back to the dealer it would have cost me the time and money for a 6 mile round trip, plus the waiting time while the rectification was carried out. I'd class that as cutting off my nose to spite my face, and that's one thing I'm not going to do.
|
Isn't the bigger issue that if L'Escargot had not been sharp enough to check his oil after the service (and most people don't), then he might have been facing some very expensive bills down the line with no comeback against the garage.
Might be worth having a quiet chat with the head honcho at the place so he can pass the word down to be a bit more careful about filling the oil?
|
How much was it overfilled?
Having experienced both underfill and overfill recently, i have been giving the whole subject of oil level some serious thought.
Observations:
Some modern engine designs (e.g VAG 1.2L 3 cyl, Vauxhall/Fiat 1.3cdti) stupidly have the dipstick at one end of the engine (furthest from the flywheel). This makes the dipstick incredibly sensitive to car tilt. Remember min to max is typically 10mm. Its easy for a car to be 20mm from true level and not even notice it.
Its aggravated by the fact that engines arent alway mounted level. My Fabia 2 engine has an offside to nearside tilt of some 10 to 15 degrees!
My trusty old VAG 1.9tdi however has the dipstick in the correct place, in the middle.
When I passed a Mitsubishi garage last night with several cars with rear ends elevated high, it trigged a thought. What happens to the oil in the sump when going up/down a 1 in 4 hill - do conrods get immersed in oil and violently churn the oil? Even severe braking and turns must make the oil slop around a hell of a lot. So is oil level (specifically maximum oil level) that important?
Modern low ash, sulphur, phospherous etc full synthetic oils are supposedly safe to pass though catalytic convertors without damaging them.
Edited by brum on 26/06/2009 at 17:33
|
|
A good technique really , better than trying to get it out of the plughole ;-)
|
Some cretin overfilled my car when I had it serviced at the main dealer. I took it back once on principle but they said it was ok. So I did it myself using my PELA pump. I reckon best part of a pint overfilled.
There's no excuse. Just the mechanic being slack. I bet they would take a bit more care if it were their car.
|
>>Did it myself using my PELA pump. >>
Well worth buying IMHO. I recently changed the tranmission oil on my car with a Pela.
It was well nigh impossible to access the drain plug. It`s also used for in-between main dealer engine oil changes.
|
|
Glowplug, did it take a long time with the turkey baster?
|
One of my best home made tools is a converted brass garden sprayer syringe. The old type made from real metal and to be found in many car boot sales for less than 50p. Drillout one of the replaceable nozzles to accept a 20cm length of copper brake pipe and solder into place. The tube can be bent to any desired angle and even extended using brake fittings.
Very high suction for viscous fluids. I cannot remember what I made it for in the first place, but used many times since.
p
|
Some cretin overfilled my car when I had it serviced ......
Garage technicians have my sympathy when it comes to getting the oil level right during an oil change. The amount of new oil required will be very variable because it will depend on how much of the old oil drains out. The timescale of a service is barely enough to allow the new oil to settle down and give a proper reading on the dipstick. I doubt whether there is sufficient time to put in less than the manufacturer's stated amount, take a reading on the dipstick, and then top up as required.
|
My first reaction would be to sort out any servicing problem myself.
In this case, I wouldn't want to drive the overfilled car back to the garage, or anywhere else.
Part draining via the sump plug can be difficult, particularly if the oil's hot. :)
L'escargot's solution sounds neat.
I would be inclined to tell the garage, in a polite, firm, non-confrontational sort of way.
They ought to want to know.
|
>> Garage technicians have my sympathy when it comes to getting the oil level right during an oil change.
Doesn't wash with me. If I pay good money to a garage to do a simple job, I expect it done properly.
If the mechanic can't do the job then they should pack it in.
I am not talking about a bit too much oil, in my case it was the best part of a pint. In a diesel engine that could end in undesirable consequences.
If they can't get a simple thing like an oil change right, then I would be reluctant to let them do something more challenging such as a cambelt or work on the brakes.
Incompetent and now no longer used .
Piggy - yes I agree. The PELA pump is a fine bit of kit. It develops a good suction even if the engine oil is cold. It's well assembled with good quality fittings and I can't imagine not having it now. Changing oil by draining through the sump plug is so old hat.
Edited by The Melting Snowman on 29/06/2009 at 20:59
|
|
|
|
