What happens if you leave your oil cap off?

The Green GT

No 13 year olds are safe around me.

10 Year Member

Jan 8, 2006

1,269

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99

Louisiana

Feb 17, 2008

#1

• Feb 17, 2008

• #1

My friend just told me he put some oil in some chicks car last night and forgot to put the cap back on, and now her engine is blown.

I didnt think a missing oil cap could cause all the oil to come out, but I could be wrong.

So was it that or just a coincidence and there was a huge leak elsewhere?

 

95BlueStallion

My assy trans to myself

15 Year Member

Feb 22, 2007

5,126

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Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Feb 17, 2008

#2

• Feb 17, 2008

• #2

When an oil change shop forgot to put my girlfriend's cap back on oil was everywhere! We had it done back home, then immediately drove 200 miles home, the whole time thinking, "damn they must have spilled a lot of oil on the exhaust!" It was a quart and a half low when we got home and I popped the hood... That was on a mercury mystique, Im sure different engines have different setups that may or may not blow oil out...

Ive idled my car with the cap off, after refilling it from an oil change, and no oil came out...

 

GTA_V6_Mustang

Active Member

Nov 29, 2004

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39

Miami, FL

Feb 17, 2008

#3

• Feb 17, 2008

• #3

well depending on the vc design it could be possible, however not that quickly, would take a bit not right away, lol. And you said he had to put oil in it so it may have just had a good leak and she probably been driving it a while low on oil.

 

Pokageek

Active Member

Jun 10, 2005

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MA, USA

Feb 17, 2008

#4

• Feb 17, 2008

• #4

LOL oils gets everywhere!

 

autumn_again

New Member

Oct 2, 2007

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Hamilton, NJ

Feb 17, 2008

#5

• Feb 17, 2008

• #5

did he forget to put the drain plug back in? haha
i've seen someone drive without a dipstick, and also without the cap.

popped the hood and oil was everywhere.

 

The Green GT

No 13 year olds are safe around me.

10 Year Member

Jan 8, 2006

1,269

19

99

Louisiana

Feb 17, 2008

#6

• Feb 17, 2008

• #6

It was just the cap, not the plug.

 

Killercanary

The car that set the bar.

Founding Member

Nov 29, 1999

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76

Altoona, PA

Feb 17, 2008

#7

• Feb 17, 2008

• #7

I drove my car 2 hrs to a track once and I had forgotten to put my oil cap on before I left. I didn't lose a drop and went to an autoparts store, picked up a cap, and went racing all day. I do have the baffle still installed in my VC's though. i could see a DOHC engine losing massive amounts of oil if the cap was left off and the timing chain is right below the fill hole.

 

Kornnut

Founding Member

Nov 25, 2000

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108

Tulsa

Feb 18, 2008

#8

• Feb 18, 2008

• #8

Mine was off from one oil change to the next. Not a drop of oil anywhere.

 

a_k

New Member

Nov 12, 2004

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Saratoga NY

Feb 18, 2008

#9

• Feb 18, 2008

• #9

A few years back I was driving an 82 rabbit for a winter beater and the thing burned/leaked oil like crazy. I was taking a trip to VT so i topped it off and forgot to put the oil cap back on. I drove like that for 30 miles on the highway and when I got off smoke was coming out everywhere. So i popped the hood and the thing was on fire haha. Nothing to serious though, I had some mountain dew to put it out. I threw in 2 quarts and was good to go