Pro Tip: Always keep an oil change kit in your car.

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 10/04/2016 at 21:43 • Filed to: Whoops

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I think my engine is beginning to show its age. Whilst driving Tucker home from work, I kicked down a couple gears to pass an annoyingly slow cat...what happened next would blow my mind...

I heard a loud thump out back, and 30 seconds later there was a rather large cloud of smoke behind my cat.

Apparently, the extra oil pressure from my maneuver must have wore out the oil filter and shot it off the engine. No big deal. I pulled over, whipped out my oil change kit, then got back on the road within 10 years.

The funny thing is that I was less than a thousand miles from my next oil change anyway...so win win as far as I’m concerned lol.

Berang > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 21:49

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omg

now I have a mind image of somebody passing a slow cat on the road.

PatBateman > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 21:50

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This is some next level Opponaut shit right here.

“Oil filter blew off on the road? No problem, I can fix that with the supplies in my trunk AND finish off my oil change!”

Dogapult > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 21:51

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Back on the road within 10 years. it took you a while to change your oil. jeez.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 21:55

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Did someone reach under the back bumper and unscrew it?

Tekamul > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 21:57

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I’ve never heard of such a thing.

Did somebody loosen your filter? Where there threads left?

Edit to clarify: I fully believe your account, but I think you got sabotaged.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/04/2016 at 21:58

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That could be it.

Tristan > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:00

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What brand of filters do you buy? I wish to avoid them.

for Michigan > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/04/2016 at 22:00

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Exactly. How did this even happen?

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:03

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yea thats not supposed to just happen...

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > for Michigan 10/04/2016 at 22:04

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Or it just rattled loose. Isn’t the engine, transmission and rear suspension the same?

for Michigan > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/04/2016 at 22:05

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That seems like it would be a major design flaw.

wafflesnfalafel > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:18

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“Lee press-on oil filters”

deekster_caddy > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:20

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I had something similar happen at the beginning of a long road trip. Was driving my ‘86 Suburban with a transplanted Buick 455, and a newly installed remote oil filter kit. The oil filter wasn’t tight enough and came unscrewed about 100 miles into a 12000 mile trip. Fortunately I had a case of oil in the back... so screwed it back on, filled it up and kept on rolling. The engine swap/migration had been completed about 2 months before the trip, so all the bugs were completely worked out of course... not. Plus I was towing a 4000 lb camper/travel trailer... So many problems, so many spare parts I had in the back, so much fun!

Orange Exige > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:21

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I’m imagining you drive a Mini like in the gif and I was like c’mon, they’re slow, but they’re not downshift 3 gears for a passing maneuver slow!

Wow I also just realized that the R56 headlights aren’t attached to the hood and pop up with it :(

Finally, that all seems crazy unlikely to happen by chance and I think you ought to investigate a bit more. Any archenemies? Nemeses? People who don’t like you and know how to change their own oil - or at least how to access your oil filter??

Man, this story almost makes me want to start getting a filter wrench and tightening those suckers in . (I won’t though - hand tight ftw - plus you can’t even access my filter without popping the hood... not to mention you couldn’t even get more than an arm underneath without a jack)

Mercedes Streeter > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/04/2016 at 22:28

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Possibly, possibly not. The oil filter is the lowest point of the undercarriage. It could be entirely possible that I hit some road debris that loosened it a bit...and it just needed some hot acceleration action to motivate it to nope out.

Mercedes Streeter > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/04/2016 at 22:28

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Yep! They’re all on the sub-frame!

Mercedes Streeter > for Michigan 10/04/2016 at 22:31

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I would agree, however this was the first time this happened to me in nearly 120k...so despite the filter’s very very bad position, it somehow took to today to get knocked off.

I’m not the first, either. I remember someone in the SCoA club once lost their engine because they knocked off the filter by hitting a dead animal...and not noticing the smoke screen behind the car.

Mercedes Streeter > Dogapult 10/04/2016 at 22:32

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Shit, Life’s busy, man. lol

Silly Chrome extension. I forget to turn it off before writing stuff!

EL_ULY > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:32

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Never heard of this happening EVER! Very odd. If it’s easy to get to, I vote for it being foul play.

Mercedes Streeter > Tekamul 10/04/2016 at 22:33

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I think I may have hit some debris a few days ago. The filter is the lowest point in the undercarriage, so it’s right in the line of attack of road debris.

Mercedes Streeter > PatBateman 10/04/2016 at 22:33

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Miss Tesla laughed at me for carrying spare oil and filter. Today, I laughed at her. xD

Mercedes Streeter > Tristan 10/04/2016 at 22:35

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Bosch...they’re kinda weird but they’ve worked for me for the past 110,000 miles lol

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:35

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I hate when I have to pass a slow cat :)

Nice job on the impromptu oil change.

Mercedes Streeter > Orange Exige 10/04/2016 at 22:37

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I mean, I work at a corporation where I’m literally the only minority in the corporate office? lol

But nah, I think I may have hit something a few days ag0. I sometimes straddle road debris if I think I can clear it. The oil filter hangs almost a full inch lower than the rest of the underbody, so I might want to rethink the straddle strategy!

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:39

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Well at least you were due for an oil change and had the stuff with you.

for Michigan > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:40

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I meant if it could rattle loose, not the configuration itself.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 22:53

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have you switched to high-mileage oil?

worst case you could just pull it home

/S

Tristan > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 23:14

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Ah. I’m more of a Wix/Purolator kind of guy, personally.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Mercedes Streeter 10/04/2016 at 23:20

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Maybe I need to start carrying them around with me... I’ve been buying oil filters in bulk since I discovered the one I painstakingly picked out for my Lada by looking up and comparing specs for all the filters at the parts store I worked at was actually the same one I’ve been buying for my Jeep(s) for years.

random001 > Mercedes Streeter 10/05/2016 at 07:09

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10 years, huh? I’ve had oil changes that took that long, too...

404 - User No Longer Available > Mercedes Streeter 10/05/2016 at 08:42

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Cartridge or canister type? Cartridge I could understand the plastic wearing or was overtightened, but canister... both couplings are metal so something else might be wrong.

Mercedes Streeter > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/05/2016 at 09:23

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Canister! The canister on 2nd gen smarts hangs really low on the underbody. Our club has had a few things like this happens. We reckon the causes to be either the filter wasn’t tight enough, or some debris knocked into the canister and loosened it...My golden rule is that if my towing hitch can’t clear it (it sits an inch lower than the canister, which otherwise would be the lowest point in the undercarriage), don’t straddle it...but I’ve broken the rule numerous of times...so maybe karma lol

Orange Exige > Mercedes Streeter 10/05/2016 at 20:29

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I did an image search and got an idea of what you’re talking about and 1) write wow that looks like an amazingly easy oil change and 2) that’s still crazy that you could still loosen your oil filter from relatively normal driving

Mercedes Streeter > Orange Exige 10/05/2016 at 21:19

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Well now my engine may be dead (crap), so it may or may not matter anymore!

And omg I can’t even tell you. Oil changes are 10 minutes, tops. :D

Orange Exige > Mercedes Streeter 10/05/2016 at 23:15

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I was just reading that... youch. Good luck with that.

Time for a new Smart car! (didn’t you do a review on the new one? Guess that’s not yours...?)