Thread: Some ppl...check this out

Originally Posted by 67hardtop

Ok, here's another one.

This started on Saturday at about lunch time. Man rings up says, in broken english that his Subaru needs a new clutch. It suddenly stopped driving. I advised him he needs to get it to us on a tow truck but on Monday. Parts are not available and we cant do a proper quote till then.

So a couple hours later man appears with a female friend who speaks better english. Re iterated what was said before and they left.

This morning a tow truck arrives with Subaru Forrester onboard. Towie drops it off and i thank him and carry on finishing service i was doing. After that i wandered over to the car and popped the bonnet. Had a quick look around and decided to see if it still runs. I opened the door and turned the key on, wound the window down and checked if it was in neutral. Wow did i get a surprise. It was an automatic. Hmmm how am i gonna replace that clutch.

So i started it up....blowing clouds of blue smoke and definatly not moving. So i check the trans oil. None on dipstick. So i check which oil it needs and put 2 litres of dex3 in it. Wow it moves. Checked for oil leaking underneath...no leaks. So i put it on the hoist. Some engine oil leaking from somewhere up high. So i lower it down and looked for leak. Oil seemed to be coming from air cleaner area. Removed air element. It was soaked in oil. I checked the oil level. It was about 6 inches up the dipstick. So im thinking how did this happen?

Upon closer inspection...the transmission drain plug had been butchered by stilsons or vice grips. Ah hah. Now i know what happened. The owner, in an effort to save $$, decided to change his own oil. He accidently drained the transmission, thats why it don't move, and refilled the engine oil. So the engine had 10 litres of oil in it and the trans had none. The vacuum action of the air intake was sucking oil up through the rocker cover breathers straight into the element and into the engine. Smoke blowing cause found.

So drained the engine.
Refilled the trans, it took 4 litres all together, clean oil in engine, 4 litres, new air filter and cleaned housing, ran engine for an hour to burn oil out of exhaust.

Result?

Happy car, happy customer, happy me coz he will be getting car serviced by us from now on, and money in the till.

Some ppl...

Cheers Rod

I hope your bill was commensurate. Without, obviously, scaring him away.

Originally Posted by johntins

Could have been a Commer Knocker....

TS 3, now you're showing your age.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

TS 3, now you're showing your age.

Been showing it all along. You just haven't been looking.

Originally Posted by johntins

Could have been a Commer Knocker....

How much overfilling would it take to make that one blow smoke?

Seriously though: In a Vertical Engine, Pistons coming down into that full a crank case would be laming into the surface of the oil and each time they did the connrods would stretch a little until they were long enough to push the pistons into the head. Then Bang.
I read a long time ago, that over fastidious owners of the first Austin 1800s were putting too much oil in and blowing their motors. Austin's answer was to lower the full mark on the dipstick.

Originally Posted by cuppabillytea

How much overfilling would it take to make that one blow smoke?

Seriously though: In a Vertical Engine, Pistons coming down into that full a crank case would be laming into the surface of the oil and each time they did the connrods would stretch a little until they were long enough to push the pistons into the head. Then Bang.
I read a long time ago, that over fastidious owners of the first Austin 1800s were putting too much oil in and blowing their motors. Austin's answer was to lower the full mark on the dipstick.

Yep. Not only Austins. MGs too. Same B series, but no gearbox in crankcase. So, MGs often ran with too low an oil level. BMC, and BL that followed, had serious issues....

Cuppa, I never worked on the Commer, I just dragged it up out of some dim recess. I saw a couple, and was sort of stunned. I mean, what were they thinking? It was an engineering marvel, though, and one well worth remembering through these threads.

Originally Posted by johntins

Yep. Not only Austins. MGs too. Same B series, but no gearbox in crankcase. So, MGs often ran with too low an oil level. BMC, and BL that followed, had serious issues....

Cuppa, I never worked on the Commer, I just dragged it up out of some dim recess. I saw a couple, and was sort of stunned. I mean, what were they thinking? It was an engineering marvel, though, and one well worth remembering through these threads.

I agree. Perhaps we could have a "Guess the name of this Engineering Marvel Thread".

Originally Posted by cuppabillytea

I agree. Perhaps we could have a "Guess the name of this Engineering Marvel Thread".

Ok, why not. I started the " What is it?" thread. Do you want the honours this time?

Originally Posted by johntins

Ok, why not. I started the " What is it?" thread. Do you want the honours this time?

Well it could simply be included in the "What is it?" thread and keep its reach broad.