Posted by amnesia
Any car experts out there?
Ok my car was acting a bit funny and my friend says
"It just needs some engine oil"
Ok fine, so we buy some Castrol something "It's the white one which says for petrol"
So he takes it and pours it all into the engine. Now my car feels funny and all this white smoke is coming the exhaust like crazy.
Any advice before I'm forced to join the AA?
Posted by solidsingh
your car was acting funny? can u be more specific?
Posted by Luke-the-magic-man
did he put the engine oil in the right place? Sounds like it went to the wrong palce if you have white smoke coming out!
Posted by amnesia
don't ask me, I never do things I'm not confident about.
Basically the car's RPM's usually sink below .5 if it's low on oil (according to the garage).
He put the oil in the engine hole (the cap was in the engine).
I guess I'm going to have to book an appointment to drain and refill the car *sighs* more money to waste.
Posted by amnesia
some sites say that it's due to low coolant.
Some say it's because of a failing head gasket (which I hope it's not because I know they're expensive)
This only happened straight after the oil was put in. So I doubt the gasket is cracked.
Posted by Luke-the-magic-man
well it is possible if you put oil in the wrong place, take it to a decent garage and get them to check it out as I think you and ur mate f**ked sumin up
Posted by solidsingh
if it was the head gasket, the car would feel sluggish and wouldnt pick up speed as well
Posted by amnesia
good to know. It does pick up speed alright, accelerates fine.
Perhaps I should just leave the car running for an hour.
Can't hurt it if it just runs but isn't driven right?
Posted by solidsingh
what car is it and whats the milage on it
Posted by ijefferies
Thought white smoke was coolant being exhausted. Blue/black is oil. Have you checked the oil level on dipstick? Is there any oil on top of the water in the expansion tank?
Posted by amnesia
it's a renault safrane 1998.
I did research and saw that different color smoke means different things, but there is no coolant leaking, the level is the same.
The car was fine before the oil topup. Well it didn't release white smoke from the exhaust. I guess I'll take a video of it tomorrow.
Posted by carkitter
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Before you put any oil in your car, you need to know what Grade of Motor oil to use. This info can be found in the owners manual.
Look for something like API / SAE SG 5W30, where:
- API and SAE are the organisations who provides the standards for Motor oil
- SG is a quality standard. In the past there has been SA, SB, SC, SD, etc and since SG has been SH, SI, SJ, etc, each one better than the last. Do not use a quality standard earlier than recommended for your car.
- The W stands for Winter. The 5 & 30 stand for the Viscosity or how thick or thin the oil gets at (5) low temperatures and (30) high temperatures. Therefore you need a different viscosity oil if you live in Sweden compared to living in Australia.
- Diesel cars and Petrol cars take different oil for good reason. Don't get the two mixed up.
That'll tell you whether you put the right oil in and if not, what to replace it with.
Next you need to know How much to put in. Again, find this in the owners manual. Some cars take 3.5 litres (1992-6 Honda Civic), others take up to 10 litres (Porsche 911). If you have overfilled your engine with oil, it'll be forcing it out under pressure, from many places - such as past the piston rings (causing the Blue smoke you've seen) and past all the oil seals causing oil leaks all over your engine.
Drain the excess oil out!
Refer to your owners manual / Haynes Service manual or get your local mechanic to do it.
Find the Dipstick and use it to check your oil level!
Again, if you can't find it, the owners manual will tell you.
Always check your oil level once a week
Always change your oil and oil filter every 6,000 miles
More often in extreme circumstances (heat / cold / motor racing / dust /sand)
Follow this guide, eliminate any oil problems, then get back to me about the original 'acting funny' problem.
_________________
J ustan oth erinan esig nature thatd oe sntm akesen se. - HA!
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2006-05-21 01:32 ]
Posted by EastCoastStar
maybe things over there are different, but he got the one that said "for petrol" and put it in the engine?? well, the one that says "for petrol" is usually for your gas tank, to boost the octane in your petrol. sounds to me like he put the wrong oil in the wrong place...
Posted by Sammy_boy
I'm not an expert but I'd say avoid driving/using the car until whatever the problem's been sourced and sorted, you don't want to make things worse and end up with either a very expensive repair bill or a totally buggered car!
Better safe than sorry
Posted by carkitter
It won't be totally buggered, but I would drain the excess oil out pronto or damage may be done.
@ECS
If he put engine oil or oil additive in the gas tank, it would clog the fuel filter vey quickly causing a major loss in performance, which he says he hasn't seen. It would also clog the fuel injectors too.
_________________
J ustan oth erinan esig nature thatd oe sntm akesen se. - HA!
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2006-05-21 10:47 ]
Posted by EastCoastStar
oh i see
sorry i didnt know
Posted by *Jojo*
Better yet bring it to an authorized
Sevice Center . . .
Posted by amnesia
@Carkitter,
thanks very much for the great advice.
I think I over filled it with oil. Plus I think it needs a good clean, it was pretty dirty and black.
Thanks again for all the wisdom
Posted by carkitter
Dirty / Black oil actually isn't a bad thing. It shows the oil is doing it's job.
Be concerned if the oil feels thin like water (lost it's viscosity) and is very gritty (test by rubbing between fingers).
If your car is stll running a bit funny, post it's symptoms and I'll help if I can.
_________________
J ustan oth erinan esig nature thatd oe sntm akesen se. - HA!
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2006-05-23 03:29 ]