The dumbest thing we've done, yet...

PaulH wrote:

If that's the dumbest thing you've ever done with an airplane, you're
a far better pilot than I :-)

Or a better liar. :-)

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

Jay Honeck wrote:
So last night (our "Friday" night) Mary and I spent four hours at the
hangar, remounting our "new" wheel pants.

At the same time we decided to change the oil and filter, which had around
35 hours on them. Knowing that we would be doing this, yesterday I had
attached the hose to the quick-drain on the bottom of the engine, and had
let the warm, post-flight oil drain overnight.

I finished changing the filter, cut it open and inspected it, and then moved
on to the wheel pants.

As we began reattaching the wheel pants, it became apparent that this was
not going to be a two-person job. Thus, Mary began to look around for
productive things to do. She thoroughly cleaned the wheels, scissors, and
brakes (which would soon be covered once again by the wheel pants), and then
decided that she would add the 12 fresh quarts of oil to our engine while I
cursed at the wheel pants.

What she didn't know was that the quick drain was still open....

:-(

The inside of our crankcase is really, REALLY clean now.

I hope your drain pan was large...


Matt

I hope your drain pan was large...

Thankfully, yes.

Actually, by the time we noticed the problem, we only lost between 2 and 3
quarts of oil. Thankfully, it drains out slower than it goes in.

When I told my mechanic this story, he just laughed, and said that we were
lucky that we at least had a drain pan under the quick drain. Apparently he
has made this same mistake, years ago, and his first indication of trouble
was when he tried to take a step!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

My daughter drove away on a 75-mile trip just after my oldest son had
changed the oil (Dodge minivan). She'd been gone only ten minutes when we
noticed the filler cap on the bench, and a trail of oil in the street. We
started chasing, but couldn't catch her. We left a message for her to check
the oil when she arrived (this was before cell phones). She called later
and reported that there was no oil on the dipstick, and that she was filling
it back up. Took 4 quarts. She bought a new cap and returned a few days
later. Amazing how much oil came out of that uncapped filler opening. A
year or so later we had to replace a head gasket and do some other major
repairs. Coincidence? I'm not sure.

I suppose it could have been worse. Might have been the drain plug.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love
America

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:AbK6d.135152$MQ5.35854@attbi_s52...
I hope your drain pan was large...

Thankfully, yes.

Actually, by the time we noticed the problem, we only lost between 2 and 3
quarts of oil. Thankfully, it drains out slower than it goes in.

When I told my mechanic this story, he just laughed, and said that we were
lucky that we at least had a drain pan under the quick drain. Apparently
he
has made this same mistake, years ago, and his first indication of trouble
was when he tried to take a step!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

("Jay Honeck" wrote)
As we began reattaching the wheel pants, it became apparent that this was
not going to be a two-person job. Thus, Mary began to look around for
productive things to do. She thoroughly cleaned the wheels, scissors, and
brakes (which would soon be covered once again by the wheel pants), and then
decided that she would add the 12 fresh quarts of oil to our engine while I
cursed at the wheel pants.

What she didn't know was that the quick drain was still open....


Oops. Were you wearing your Vikings "oil changing" T-shirts?

Unless, of course, they've already been "re-gifted" g.


Montblack

Oops. Were you wearing your Vikings "oil changing" T-shirts?

Actually, we were wearing our Ebay-obtained surplus flight suits.

Get 'em a bit oversized, and they work GREAT for knocking around the hangar.
They've saved my clothes several times, since I inevitably seem to spill oil
on myself at some point in the process...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Which reminds me of this joke...guess Mary needs to study this too.

Oil Change instructions for Women:
1) Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 miles since the
last oil change.
2) Drink a cup of coffee.
3) 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly
maintained vehicle.

Money spent:
Oil Change $20.00
Coffee Free
Total $20.00

~~~~~~~~~~
Oil Change instructions for Men:
1) Wait until Saturday, drive to auto parts store and buy a case of
oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree, write a
check for $50.00.
2) Stop by 7-11 and buy a case of beer, write a check for $20.00,
drive home.
3) Open a beer and drink it.
4) Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5) Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.
6) In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7) Place drain pan under engine.
8) Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9) Give up and use crescent wrench.
10) Unscrew drain plug.
11) Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil: splash hot oil on you in
process. Cuss.
12) Crawl out from under car to wipe hot oil off of face and
arms. Throw kitty litter on spilled oil.
13) Have another beer while watching oil drain.
14) Spend 30 minutes looking for oil filter wrench.
15) Give up; crawl under car and hammer a screwdriver through oil
filter and twist off.
16) Crawl out from under car with dripping oil filter splashing oil
everywhere from holes. Cleverly hide old oil filter among trash
in trash can to avoid environmental penalties. Drink a beer.
17) Buddy shows up; finish case of beer with him. Decide to finish
oil change tomorrow so you can go see his new garage door opener.
18) Sunday: Skip church because "I gotta finish the oil change."
Drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car. Cleverly dump oil
in hole in back yard instead of taking it back to Kragen to recycle.
19) Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.
20) Beer? No, drank it all yesterday.
21) Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
22) Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to
gasket surface.
23) Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
24) Remember drain plug from step 11.
25) Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
26) Remember that the used oil is buried in a hole in the back yard,
along with drain plug.
27) Drink beer.
28) Shovel out hole and sift oily mud for drain plug. Re-shovel oily
dirt into hole. Steal sand from kids sandbox to cleverly cover oily
patch of ground and avoid environmental penalties. Wash drain plug in
lawnmower gas.
29) Discover that first quart of fresh oil is now on the floor. Throw
kitty litter on oil spill.
30) Drink beer.
31) Crawl under car getting kitty litter into eyes. Wipe eyes with
oily rag used to clean drain plug. Slip with stupid crescent wrench
tightening drain plug and bang knuckles on frame.
32) Bang head on floorboards in reaction to step 31.
33) Begin cussing fit.
34) Throw stupid crescent wrench.
35) Cuss for additional 10 minutes because wrench hit Miss December (1992)
in the left boob.
36) Beer.
37) Clean up hands and forehead and bandage as required to stop blood
flow.
38) Beer.
39) Beer.
40) Dump in five fresh quarts of oil.
41) Beer.
42) Lower car from jack stands.
43) Accidentally crush remaining case of new motor oil.
44) Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled
during steps 23 - 43.
45) Beer.
46) Test drive car.
47) Get pulled over: arrested for driving under the influence.
48) Car gets impounded.
49) Call loving wife, make bail.
50) 12 hours later, get car from impound yard.

Money spent:
Parts $50.00
DUI $2500.00
Impound fee $75.00
Bail $1500.00
Beer $40.00
Total-- $4165.00
-- But you know the job was done right!

Money spent:
Parts $50.00
DUI $2500.00
Impound fee $75.00
Bail $1500.00
Beer $40.00
Total-- $4165.00
-- But you know the job was done right!

ROTFLMAO!

Good one!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On 29 Sep 2004 18:16:36 -0700, Bob Fry
wrote:

Which reminds me of this joke...guess Mary needs to study this too.

Oil Change instructions for Women:
1) Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 miles since the
last oil change.
2) Drink a cup of coffee.
3) 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly
maintained vehicle.

Money spent:
Oil Change $20.00
Coffee Free
Total $20.00

~~~~~~~~~~
Oil Change instructions for Men:
1) Wait until Saturday, drive to auto parts store and buy a case of
oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree, write a
check for $50.00.
2) Stop by 7-11 and buy a case of beer, write a check for $20.00,
drive home.
3) Open a beer and drink it.
4) Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5) Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.
6) In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7) Place drain pan under engine.
8) Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9) Give up and use crescent wrench.
10) Unscrew drain plug.
11) Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil: splash hot oil on you in
process. Cuss.
snipped....

Have you been spying on me?
Rich Russell

On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 14:42:47 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

So last night (our "Friday" night) Mary and I spent four hours at the
hangar, remounting our "new" wheel pants.

At the same time we decided to change the oil and filter, which had around
35 hours on them. Knowing that we would be doing this, yesterday I had
attached the hose to the quick-drain on the bottom of the engine, and had
let the warm, post-flight oil drain overnight.

I finished changing the filter, cut it open and inspected it, and then moved
on to the wheel pants.

As we began reattaching the wheel pants, it became apparent that this was
not going to be a two-person job. Thus, Mary began to look around for
productive things to do. She thoroughly cleaned the wheels, scissors, and
brakes (which would soon be covered once again by the wheel pants), and then
decided that she would add the 12 fresh quarts of oil to our engine while I
cursed at the wheel pants.

What she didn't know was that the quick drain was still open....

:-(

The inside of our crankcase is really, REALLY clean now.

I have a PA28-180 with a quick drain on the bottom of the Lycoming.
You can take off the lower cowl to drain the oil -or- you can attach a
flexible hose to the quick drain and route the oil to a bucket.

I had the hose slip off the quickdrain and dump about 2 quarts of oil
into the bottom of the cowling, front wheelpant, and eventually the
hangar floor. What a mess to cleanup.

I now make sure the hose is fully attached, and stress relieved
/supported before activiating the quick drain.

-Nathan