CAR HELP: Oil Filler Cap Broke off in my Hand!!!!!! (Edit, took care of it)

[justint]

I was changing my oil this morning and as I was draining the oil, I tried to loosen the cap. Half of it broke off in MY HAND. I guess because it has been so cold recently. So now the plug part is still in the hole, and about half of the top remains. I figure if I lose the rest of that top I am screwed. Any suggestions on how to get it off??

 

[Tiger]

Make sure you can get a replacement before you try anything.
If there's enough of the cap left to get a hold of try using some channel locks or vise grips.

 

[Quixfire]

You could try jarring it loose with a hammer and a chisel.

 

[XZeroII]

Is it stuck tight in there? If so, drill a hole and then stick something in there to wiggle it out. But if it's not stuck tight, you might end up pushing it in and if you lose your cap inside the engine, you NEED to get it out before you run your car. Replacements are cheap at your local auto store.

 

[justint]

Well I already went to the store and got a replacement cap. It was really really hard to turn when I initially tried to get it off. Maybe because it was so cold?? I only ran it this morning long enough to get it on the ramps. I don't think I have ever tried to get it off before when it was so cold. So stupid. Well, I am going to give it a shot now.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: justint
Well I already went to the store and got a replacement cap. It was really really hard to turn when I initially tried to get it off. Maybe because it was so cold?? I only ran it this morning long enough to get it on the ramps. I don't think I have ever tried to get it off before when it was so cold. So stupid. Well, I am going to give it a shot now.

You'll get it, just keep working..

Sounds like whoever put oil in your car last tightened it down way too tight. The cold could have made the plastic brittle, though you say the car was warm?

 

[dahunan]

Don't let any chips/chunks fall in the motor...

 

[CraigRT]

haha, that happened to me when I checked my oil first thing on a really cold day..cap just smashed in my hand.
i used channel-locks to get the piece out of valve cover to add the oil i wanted to add. then i put the broken cap back in and went over to the dealership and got a new one

 

[amdskip]

Shouldn't you have ran your car a little longer than just enough to put it on the ramps? You want to heat it up good and get all the nasty oil out of the system.

 

[justint]

Originally posted by: amdskip
Shouldn't you have ran your car a little longer than just enough to put it on the ramps? You want to heat it up good and get all the nasty oil out of the system.

Yes, I should have. I am stupid. I wanted to get going on it right away so I could get a bunch of other stuff done. I drained it all out though, and managed to get the cap off with a pair of vise grips. 4 quarts of Mobil 1 5W-30 later and it is purring like a kitten. Whole thing including running to the store to get a new cap took longer than I wanted so I am going to save changing the plugs and wires for later. Next week...the huge fun of replacing my catalytic converter. I already started loosening it with PB wrench.

 

[The Stigenator]

before my tercel died.. I fillled teh oil thru the "dip stick hole"..

 

[justint]

Originally posted by: The_good_guy
before my tercel died.. I fillled teh oil thru the "dip stick hole"..

I actually thought about doing that if I couldn't get the cap off. That would hold me until I could figure out a clean way to get the old cap off.