I was party to a random oil change this evening. It turns out that Pam (a friend and fellow [Blountie]) needed to put some transmission fluid in her car, and she wanted someone who knew what they were doing to help her out. I think that it’s good for someone to know when they need help and ask for it. [Ry] said that he didn’t have a clue, but that someone in the house would, so Pam came over.
Ry was absolutely correct: someone in the house DOES know the difference between where motor oil goes and where transmission fluid goes. Unfortunately, Pam and Ry picked the wrong housemate. It turns out that, under Michael’s direction, the transmission fluid was poured where the motor oil should be. Oops. To clarify, they put the ATF where the Oil Dip-Stick is… NOT directly into the engine. This saves them from receiving two stupid points. Nevertheless, the transmission fluid dipstick was clearly labeled orange with “ATF” in big letters.
I was summoned from my room when they were trying to drain the oil (so as not to circulate the transmission fluid through the engine) after several attempts to loosen the plug, Michael went off in search of a better wrench. While he was off searching I crawled under the car, loosened the plug, and we drained the oil. I stood idly by and watched the rest of the events unfold. Nothing strange happened, and I think everything’s better now… except that Pam’s father is upset with her… he probably thinks she picked the worst house in Tuscaloosa to visit. Of course, lots of guys pretend to know things that they don’t in order to avoid asking for help.
The moral of the story: Transmission Fluid DOES NOT GO into the Engine Oil orifice of your car.