22R oil filler cap...

[lemming]

i recently added oil to to one of the trucks in my sig, an '86 PU. well, i also had to drive some 300+ miles that day, and i had forgotten to replace the oil filler cap, which is placed on top of the head. four hours later, i discover that i'm an ignorant bastard for forgetting to replace the cap, and oil is on everything--the hood, the bumper, the entire engine, covered in oil.

here's my question: how much oil was spewed all over my engine bay? and also, what harm have i done to my truck? i added oil, and washed the engine bay a little bit, but that's all.

 

[ToyotaDon]

How much did you have to add to read "full" on the dipstick?

A quart low wouldn't cause much damage unless allowed to run that way for thousands of miles, IMO.

 

[lemming]

i added roughly 1.5-2.5 quarts. i also noted that, when driving, the engine vibrated a little bit. a little bit more than usual sewing machine operation. probably from the valve cover taking in air?

 

[KLF]

It will run rough without the cap on, the EFI engine will hardly run at all at idle, some will instantly die as soon as you remove it (mine does).

As for damage, I wouldn't worry about it. I did the same thing to my old '84 2WD pickup many years ago, no ill effects other than the mess under the hood to clean up.

 

[lemming]

ok, new problem:

after cleaning the enigne bay at a self-service car wash, the truck now has small puddles of green fluid, everywhere. i think it may be soap residue from when i washed the engine bay. i've been told otherwise that it's antifreeze. help is needed here!

 

[John Smith]

ok, new problem:

after cleaning the enigne bay at a self-service car wash, the truck now has small puddles of green fluid, everywhere. i think it may be soap residue from when i washed the engine bay. i've been told otherwise that it's antifreeze. help is needed here!

If the soap was green and the truck is not dry I would not sweat it. If the truck is dry or the soap was not green then you have a coolant leak. If it is coolant it should smell like coolant and not soap.

I did the same forget the oil cap thing with my old 87 22R, what a mess to clean up.

 

[KLF]

Drive it for a bit, get some heat and air moving under the hood. If the puddles dry up and disappear, then it's fine. If not, then you have a coolant leak somewhere.

 

[lemming]

it was definitely coolant. my stepfather figured this out, and the truck recently stopped running. turns out the local mechanics have found the problem: a bad water pump. they also told me that the oil cap incident was just a crappy coincidence.

 

[raydouble]

it was definitely coolant. my stepfather figured this out, and the truck recently stopped running. turns out the local mechanics have found the problem: a bad water pump. they also told me that the oil cap incident was just a crappy coincidence.

If they are replacing the H2O pump, make sure they look at the condition of the timing chain and sprockets (They are in there anyway......If your mechanics are worth their salt, they will for sure) and if I were you I'd source some metal backed chain guides for piece of mind. Stock ones are plastic.