I stopped in at my favorite national quick-change spot last night to have a routine oil change. They completed the service normally. About 100 yards after pulling out, my oil pressure light came on. I drove around a strip mall to return to the quick-change – about five minutes tops – and told them I had an oil pressure light. They looked at it. It was leaking from the filter and had been leaking during the time it took me to drive back around. They said the filter was defective – that there was a pinched gasket. They replaced the filter, refilled the oil, and checked the seal by letting the car run for a while and me applying the gas. There was no issue and the oil pressure light cleared itself.
The car drove as normal afterward. No lights. No change in performance.
Sounded the same.
Do I need to be concerned that I may have damaged the engine in the short span of time returning to the quick-change after the oil pressure light while I was leaking?
Is there anything I need to watch for going forward?
@Tester and @old_mopar_guy, thanks! I checked the oil this morning and I was good. I let it idle for a while and took it for a short drive too. No noises and no lights. I’ll keep monitoring the oil level.
Here’s what I find concerning- if it leaked bad enough that within 100 yards it was below the pickup, how much more do you think got pumped out in that ~5 minute trip around the mall? I’m not as optimistic about lack of damage…
I suspect that defective filter comment was just an excuse to deflect blame and place it on something that can’t argue back.
Odds are someone did not make sure the old filter gasket came off with the old filter and it got double gasketed or someone just spun the filter on without tightening it completely.
That oil pressure light being on for 5 minutes would have me thinking some damage has occurred. Five minutes of that light on is an eternity. Not only was the light on but it was obviously on at elevated RPMs and not just blinking on at an idle.
You didn’t dodge a bullet, that engine is going to suffer an early failure. But it might not fail during the time you own it, maybe not even for the next owner but its life has been cut a little shorter.
When that oil light came on and you were only a 100 yards from the oil change place, you should have shut down the engine immediately, walked back to the oil change place and had them push the car back into their stall and fixed the issue, or fix it right there in the parking lot or where ever you stopped.
You were only 100 yards away and it had already pumped out most of the oil because that is what has to happen to get the oil pressure light to come on?
Why didn’t you just shut off the engine and walk back the 100 yards?
Exactly, didnt check for the old gasket and once that light comes on it is already low so here’s to hoping it does work ok in the long term . Also stay away from Liffy Jubes of the world for oil changes .