Any auto mechanices in here?

[Cainkane1]

I was checking my cars oil when I decided it needed a quart of oil. I opened a container of "oil" and almost immediately stopped when I noticed that the "oil" was the wrong color. I had poured in a fourth of a container. I went to a jiffy lube and I had the oil changed. Was this necessary? It drove just fine the ten miles to the oil change facility.

[madurobob]

What was it you poured in there?

If only ten miles - you prolly didn't do any damage. I'd be a little worried if it was some heavy solvent - like parts washer or gasoline - but you would have heard the explosion unless you have an excellent sound system :)

ETA: ten miles isn't far enough to do any real damage assuming you had some oil in there. Bearing surfaces should be fine, seals should be fine.

[Cainkane1]

What was it you poured in there?

If only ten miles - you prolly didn't do any damage. I'd be a little worried if it was some heavy solvent - like parts washer or gasoline - but you would have heard the explosion unless you have an excellent sound system :)

ETA: ten miles isn't far enough to do any real damage assuming you had some oil in there. Bearing surfaces should be fine, seals should be fine.
I forgot to say that it was power steering fluid.

[blutoski]

I was checking my cars oil when I decided it needed a quart of oil. I opened a container of "oil" and almost immediately stopped when I noticed that the "oil" was the wrong color. I had poured in a fourth of a container. I went to a jiffy lube and I had the oil changed. Was this necessary? It drove just fine the ten miles to the oil change facility.

I'm having trouble understanding what happened.

Are you saying you poured something other than oil into the engine? (water?)

Or that the oil was an unexpected colour?

[madurobob]

PS fluid is basically mineral oil. Its not got the lubricating qualities of motor oil, but won't do any damage if you run a pint in your engine for 10 miles then drain it out and replace it.

[Galaxie]

I'm no auto mechanic, but one cup of power steering fluid shouldn't have had any effect.

I'd be more concerned about the quantity of oil. Did the valvetrain make any clicking noises? If not, the oil level was sufficient.



ETA: Didn't see madurobob's second reply.

[Cainkane1]

Power steering fluid. The container looks very similar to an oil container.

[Cainkane1]

I'm no auto mechanic, but one cup of power steering fluid shouldn't have had any effect.

I'd be more concerned about the quantity of oil. Did the valvetrain make any clicking noises? If not, the oil level was sufficient.



ETA: Didn't see madurobob's second reply.
No clicking noises. The car runs great. I'm glad I had the oil changed though.

[Ottis]

I forgot to say that it was power steering fluid.
I'm a mechanic, everything from steam locomotives to compact cars.
Anywho, don't worry, what you described wouldn't hurt anything.
As a side note, I prefer using ATF in my power steering systems, especially older cars. Some of the stuff they sell as power steering fluid (the "store brands" especially) is pretty crappy stuff.....

[Cainkane1]

I'm a mechanic, everything from steam locomotives to compact cars.
Anywho, don't worry, what you described wouldn't hurt anything.
As a side note, I prefer using ATF in my power steering systems, especially older cars. Some of the stuff they sell as power steering fluid (the "store brands" especially) is pretty crappy stuff.....
Thanks

[69dodge]

As a side note, I prefer using ATF in my power steering systems, especially older cars. Some of the stuff they sell as power steering fluid (the "store brands" especially) is pretty crappy stuff.....

What's bad about it?

[madurobob]

What's bad about it?

My guess: PS fluid, just like ATF, is primarily mineral oil. Car manufacturers then concoct a recipe of additives to reduce friction, ensure fluid longevity, inhibit corrosion, and protect the non-metallic bits. A dirty little secret for years has been that most ATFs are interchangeable; there is not much difference in the additives, but they are proprietary. Thus we have Dexron (GM) , Mercon (late Ford), Type F (early Ford), ATF+ (Chrysler), etc... Recently the patent holders have OEMed their recipes so now you can buy one jug of ATF approved for just about any transmission.

Anyway, for PS Fluid the additive recipe is different by supplier. The base requirement appears to be pure mineral oil and some of the el-cheapo varieties are just that. They burn quickly and shorten the life of the pump.

So, since both ATF and quality PS fluid are 90% mineral oil and 10% additives, why not use the one that's cheaper, that you're more likely to have in your garage, and that is more likely to have a high-quality additive recipe?

Oh - by the way: is your Dodge an automatic? What fluid do you use? In my TF 727 behind a big block 360 in my '64 Chrysler I run Type F. My 727 rebuild book recommended it and I agree - better shifting under hard acceleration.

[69dodge]

Oh - by the way: is your Dodge an automatic? What fluid do you use? In my TF 727 behind a big block 360 in my '64 Chrysler I run Type F. My 727 rebuild book recommended it and I agree - better shifting under hard acceleration.

Yes, it's an automatic. 904-LA. 318 engine.

I use the standard Dexron/Mercon stuff.

[alfaniner]

Can you turn off anti-lock brakes? I'm not sure mine are working correctly, as it takes forever to stop when the road is even slightly slick. A full skid would stop me much sooner, and I'd be able to control that better.

[madurobob]

I've pulled the fuse on my ABS-equipped car (subaru). It makes a light on the dashboard turn on, but everything works fine.

But really, ABS is one of the best things to ever happen to cars. I'd suggest getting it working correctly instead of disabling it.

[CORed]

I was checking my cars oil when I decided it needed a quart of oil. I opened a container of "oil" and almost immediately stopped when I noticed that the "oil" was the wrong color. I had poured in a fourth of a container. I went to a jiffy lube and I had the oil changed. Was this necessary? It drove just fine the ten miles to the oil change facility.

I'm not a mechanic (except occasional shade-tree mechanic) but without knowing what you actually poured into the engine, it's hard to say whether you would have damaged the engine if you had continued to drive until the next scheduled oil change. If it was some other oil-based lubricant, such as automatic transmission fluid (which would definitely be the "wrong color"), it probably wouldn't have hurt anything. If it was anti-freeze, brake fluid, or something water-based, it certainly could have.

Changing the oil was a lot less expensive than replacing the engine, so, if in doubt, it was the sensible thing to do.

[CORed]

I really don't know whether "power steering fluid" is bad, but for every car I've owned with power steering, the owners manual recommended some sort of ATF for the power steering.

[mhaze]

I'm a mechanic, everything from steam locomotives to compact cars.
Anywho, don't worry, what you described wouldn't hurt anything.
As a side note, I prefer using ATF in my power steering systems, especially older cars. Some of the stuff they sell as power steering fluid (the "store brands" especially) is pretty crappy stuff.....I was not aware that ATF was now available in liquid form to add to our cars. I knew they were a fairly pervasive government agency, but now we just pour them in and let them steer our cars for us...