Laplander

Thanks very much for all your help - lesson learned!

90crvtec

How technical are you? Would you be comfortable just pulling off the oil filter and checking to make sure that the O-ring from the last oil filter isn't still stuck to the engine?

Laplander

I haven't done anything to this car other than fitted other wheels but I've done oil changes and repairs/installations on other cars and bikes so this should be no problem - good to know what to check though! Generally I've just fallen into the unfortunate "no time to do it yourself" trap (lazyness only - I DO have the time!)

90crvtec

With the engine fairly cool, you can pop the hood and look down the front, passenger side of the car. You'll see the filter right on the lower side of the engine, if your arms aren't too big you can just reach down to the filter. If you can turn the filter with your bare hands while reaching it from the top of the engine then it is not torqued down properly.

Also, the S2000 uses a specific filter that most places don't stock (besides the dealer of course). Chances are Jiffy Lube used the wrong filter on your car, again this is not a favorable situation. So, even if they manage to change your oil without messing up, they'll still use the wrong filter. Suddenly taking 30 minutes to change it yourself doesn't sound like a half bad proposition, does it?

Laplander

Well, it is the drain plug that is leaking! Thanks for the pointers and help everyone.

RACER

[QUOTE=Laplander,Jun 26 2007, 07:02 PM]Well, it is the drain plug that is leaking!

hyperpm

Hopefully jiffylube didn't strip it and it is just a loose plug. Tony new oil pan if stripped right?

papalegate

DO NOT take it back to Jiffy Lube immediately. If they replaced the drain bolt without putting on a new crush washer (and Jiffy Lube is notorious for this), they will just tighten the bolt further to stop the leak. That could strip the threads and then you'll be fighting over who will pay for your new oil pan. (The crush washer, properly torqued, keeps the hardened steel threads on the drain bolt from stripping the relatively soft aluminum pan threads.)

Tighten the bolt yourself with a torque wrench (to 29 ft. lbs.). If it still leaks, there is either a missing crush washer or the threads are already stripped. Take it back to Jiffy Lube and demand that they remedy the situation (new crush washer and oil refill or new oil pan). Make sure they understand that you've already properly torqued the bolt so they don't just crank it down harder.

And like the others have said, stay away from Jiffy Lube!

4bang6

there is NO negative side effect of changing to synthetic at any time in your engines life, it is a myth that syn. oils change the characteristics of the sealing properties of your engine. the following is on the inlinePro website from Jeremy Allen their in house engine builder.

Myth 1: Synthetic oils are too thin to stay in the engine. This is not true. In order for a lubricant to be classified in any SAE grade (10W-30, 10W-40, etc.) it has to meet the viscosity guidelines, or thickness, specified by the vehicle manufacturer.

Pennzoil, "Tech Notes," Engine Builder, September 2006, 16.

Myth 3: You can

Laplander

So, the conclusion of this was that I got the car up, checked the bolt and it was about finger tight! Tightened it up, cleaned up the mess, checked level (still good) and it's been sealed now. I'll keep my eye on it for a while.
You'd think drain plug tightness is not too much to expect from the Jiffy guys but they failed.. I'm going to go report this to them at the earlierst possibility.

Thanks for the report on synthetics 4bang6!