Hi, guys...

I don't know if it is a problem or not, but here we go...

I have 89 Honda Accord, and I just added two bottles of engile oils(5W-30) that I got from the Pepboys... After about a minute or so, I saw some white foggy smoke coming from you know where... So I just turned off the engine and here I am... (Just for the record, I did it before and this was not happening...)
Does anybody know if it is normal or not??? I hope it is but I am kinda afraid, cuz I never saw that much of smoke coming...
Can someone give me an advise???

Thank you and have a nice day!!!

Jason

 

Smoke out of the tailpipe that is bluish colored is burning oil. White smoke that smells sweet is coolant burning (blown head gasket). Blackish sooty smoke is a rich running condition.

What does the smoke smell like?

 

Thank you for replying, Joe...

Well... I went out to smell how it is like, and it is kinda hard to describe... Smelled like oil burning, but it was white... not in any way bluish...
Let me ask you this question then...
The reason why I add up some more oil is because I wasn't able to do oil change at the service station... They said that the bolt that opens the opening for the oil drainage is stuck and they cannot get it out unless they change the whole part... (You know the one that you open when the mechanic lift the car up and open to let the oil out...) And the cost for exchanging the part alone was over $300... So, I thought I would just pump out the as much oil as I can and then I can add up some more oil so that the oil inside the engine can get diluted and I can do that again and again, say once a week??? (Got the siphon pump from the walmart to do the job...)
Is it possible to pump out the oil from the opening that is on top of the engine??? or am I just doing something stupid???

Thank you in advance...

Jason

 

Where did you go to get your oil changed? Is it the drain plug that is stuck? If you had the oil changed there the last time, then they may have cross threaded the plug and now it has seized up. Most quick change places won't stand behind the fact that they did it. No proof, etc. Oil pans aren't $300, so definitely a DIY project. These guys on here may know how to tap it out and install a larger drainplug instead of replacing the drain pan.

Don't spend $300.

Am trying to figure out how you can syphon oil out of an engine from the top. Oil runs down into the drain pan under the vehicle through holes in block that are too small for a syphon hose and the routing of these holes make it impossible.

You can drain a little oil from the oil filter by removing it [be sure to have plenty of rags and a catch pan underneath!] Then replace the filter with a new one and then check the oil level. If not on stick, add a quart of oil at a time, checking in between....to check, let oil have time to run to pan, then check and put more in if necessary. At least this way you can filter some of the old oil, BUT oil looses it's powers over time due to impurities and heat. An oil change is a definite must do.

Kay

 

You can remove the old plug and install a rubber drain plug or install a larger one as Kay indicated.

You might have to drill through the old bolt and take it out in pieces. If the oil pan comes off easily, remove it, take the bolt out, reinstall the pan with a new, larger bolt and be done.

Even if you buy a new oil pan at the dealer and do the work yourself, it's probably a 150 dollar job for one. You could also pick up a used oil pan at a junkyard with a good bolt and clean it up and install that with a new gasket.

If you put too much oil in the vehicle, it may burn it. Sounds like you're adding too much oil to the car. If the dipstick reads full or in the "operating range" (typically signified as a cross-hatched area on the stick), it is fine and don't add any more.

 

I don't think anyone is STUPID who is trying, or is asking questions. I went to school for awhile to learn how to work on cars so I would quit getting ripped off. I know what questions to ask, what to expect, etc. I also learned that there is no such thing as a "dumb" question asked, just one that isn't.

Kay

 

Hold yer horses pardner. Did I hear you say that some ?mechinics? said that they could not get your oil drain plug out, and want $300.00 to fix it? If so that's the biggist load of Horse Manure, If have ever heard! First of all if your plug, is cross threaded just take it out, and go to any auto parts store and get a repair Oil drain plug, to fix it for under $5.00. Where do you live in Alaska, why are you using 5W anything anyway?

Now I know that I work for the most part on Older 6 & 8 Cly cars and trucks. However remember I have maintained a Modern 1981 Pontiac Bonneville & in the owners manual, it says "Only use 5W30 at or below 0 degrees". It gets mighty cold here in the mountains of NC, and that 265 CI V8 has 207,000 miles on it with only a timing chain change every 60,000 miles. I use Castrol 20 W 50 year round and have on every car or truck I own.


As a side note, some of you remember when Mobil 1 and Castrol Syntech came only in a 5 W something. Well I thought I would do my Bonnie a favor and Put a crankful of Mobil 1 in one fall back before a 100,000 miles. Boy what a mistake, Did it Smoke ,Like a foger and it took an oil change and two sets of plugs to get it right again.

So why don't you, or get some other Mechanic that knows about the repair plug to get it out of there, and put a repair plug in for now. Then you can go to any junk yard or sometimes independant shops and find a used oil pan.

Take it to a good shop, or do it yourself, un bolt the old pan and remove the old gaskets, new gaskets on, bolt the clean repainted oil pan on and go. By the way who was the last person to take your oil drain plug out?

 

???

What's your point ?

No one is refuting your suggestions at all. And being a man or a woman has nothing to do with working on cars. It takes good attitude, logic, tools and the ability and willingness to learn.

Your suggestion of tapping out the bolt and installing a new one is a good one, and the right one. This poster can accomplish the solution to his problem by tapping out the original bolt and installing it or simply installing another oil pan with a new bolt. Refill it to specification, change the filter, clean out the PCV system and let's see what we have.

Not sure what your reply meant or who it was directed to

 

Reply was to no one in general. Just catch a lot of riff from people when they see me under the hood of my 4wd blazer, or the cavalier.

Also, my cavalier calls for 5w oil.

Especially here in Mississippi, girls just don't do that. LOL, well this girl does and I enjoy it, other than I know just enough to be dangerous!

Kay

 

Wow... I didn't expect this long thread...
Thanks for helping out guys...

Well... I think I put too much oil... I guess I should have used one rather than two... hehe... Is it going to affect my car in any way???

Back to the bolt thing... I went to GoodYear's Gemini shop last time and it was the same place this time too and the mechanic there said that he cannot take the bolt out... He said he could try to take it out but he's worried that he might damage the whole thing... So, I went to another place to see if that store is trying to rip me off or not, but the mechanic at the other shop said the same thing, so I guess sOmEtHiNg is really SCREWED!!!

To cap your advice...
1. I will need to go get the repair Oil drain plug from the local auto part shop...
2. Get down below the car and use hammer to tap the old bolt out...
>or<
2. Use a drill to take the oil pan out and change the dead bolt...
>or<
2. Take the oil filter out and replace as much as I can from there...

Am I right??? How hard will this job be??? I never been down there before, so you know what I mean...
Besides, the only two way I can think of right now for going down below the car is either get the front wheels on the sidewalk or using the tool that I use to change the spare tire... Would these be enough for the job???
I'd really appreciate it if I could get some answer here...

Thanks for your help...

Jason

 

Hey Jason.

Be careful. Working under a car should only be done if it is set on solid jack stands with the wheels that are still on the ground chocked to prevent it from rolling off the stands. Even if the car seems stable before you begin to work on it, the pushes, nudges, twists and pulls of the repair job can be enough to cause a dangerous slippage.

If you aren't used to working on your car, don't feel bad. I appreciate what your up against. We do-it-yourselfers enjoy it so much, its easy to think that anyone with a willingness to try can have just as much fun as us saving money and putting things right. Fact is, there are many more of us who have made an inexpensive project into a major repair bill trying to save a few bucks.

If you're not familiar with doing your own repairs, and you really want to develop some proficiency at it, don't be afraid to poll your trusted relatives, neighbors or friends about their ability and ask the one (there always seems to one in every circle) who has some experience for some on-the-job help in coaching you through the process. Besides saving a few bucks (the cost of parts and what you barter him/her for their time) you will learn some valuable stuff you'll never get from a book, and in a safer and more assuring way. There is nothing more nerve wracking than working on something... doing your best to follow the directions... and getting deeper and deeper into a hole.

Plan B would be to poll those same folks for a reputable mechanic to do the work.

Good luck. Play it smart and safe.

John

 

Hi;
Was just reading this thread and can say that I had a similar problem with a 1995 Volvo 960. Had my car serviced at a Volvo dealership and when came time for a routine oil change the plug was stuck. I beleive they overtightened but they denied it and said that contaminants has fused the plug. What a crock!
Here's what I did to remove the plug. This will only work if the plug is not stripped or cross threaded.
1. Obtain a good pair of vice grips and lock them securely onto the plug.
2. Then apply a VERY liberal amount of WD40,lockeze, or similar solvent/lubricant.
3. As you are applying tap the end of the plug with a hammer. Repeat this several times.
4. Take a small section of pipe and slide onto the vice grip handle and push/pull.
Repeat process again several times. Gradually the lubricant will seep in and the plug will come out. This process took me about three hours but it came out. Also cost that dealership some business and a letter to Volvo N.A.
Good luck and dont panic.

 

Even if they wipe the threads out, chances are a rubber plug can still be used and you would just change the plug every time.

I cannot see a new oil pan (part and labor) being more than about 200 bucks, unless it is really buried in this model (which wouldn't surprise me with Honda).

You have a couple of choices:

1) Do as Bob and all of us have alluded to.
2) Tow it in and have a shop try to put a new bolt in.
3) Price out an oil pan repair done with both new and used parts.
4) Handle it yourself with new and used parts.
5) Even if you F**** it up, you can always tow it to a shop and they will change the pan. You'll lose your time and whatever materials you put into it. Worth it if you want to try to learn. We all learn by making mistakes.

Depending on your need for the car, time, tools, money and other factors, one of these 5 will work for you

 

If you tried to siphon the oil out throught the filler, you definitely didn't get much out, and overfilled the crankcase, which resulted in the smoking. May want to check for fouled spark plugs too, though if you correct the oil level and get it running properly it should clear out on its own. Only way you could get any appreciable amount of oil out by siphoning would be through the distick hole, with a very narrow tubing, since that should head down towards the bottom of the oil pan.

Unless the drain bolt is really mauled, I can't see why it's that difficult to remove. It's not in an inaccessible spot or anything, so it should be possible to put a good six point socket on it and put some torque on it. Impact wrench would probably be helpful to put some vibration on it and help break it loose. If it's been already mauled, the vice grips idea would be the thing to try; a new Vice Grips brand should be able to really lock onto it even if it's rounded out.
If it's been already sheared off flush with the bottom of pan, then you can weigh the options of drilling and tapping with the replacement of the pan-