Sh*t

I'm sitting at the mechanics right now waiting for them to open. My only concern right now is after the screw up but before realizing it I drove around the block, under quarter mile and really slowly. I just hope I didn't royally screw something up. We'll see I guess...

 

You would probably already know if something was really screwed up. I mean, that was A LOT of oil. But here's a video showing what happens, although a different engine (it's translated, a bit annoying but kinda funny to watch this nut):

 

I've actually seen this video before.

The mechanic shop told me they just had a guy in last week that did the same thing. He was trying to show his daughter how to change the oil and drained the tranny fluid. That was reassuring. Anyway, expensive mistake but one I won't make again.

 

Just be thankful that you caught the mistake before it actually got expensive. Things happen it's not a big deal.

 

OP: you now have a story to submit to Rock Auto newsletter "repair mistakes & blunders" for a free hat. i have one.
if i see someone else wearing one i ask them "so what dumb thing did you do to your car?"
welcome to the club. you need the hat though. then you get the secret handshake.

 

Provided all gets leveled correctly, I'm sure you'll laugh about this down the road and it'll be a story to tell the kids. If I'm doing something for the first time truly on my own, I take pictures and extra time to verify everything. Even something as stupid as not tightening the drain plug could leave you stranded.

One of the first solo oil changes I did on my wife's car, I overtightened (a lot) the oil filter which developed a leak. Luckily she caught it early enough and dealer fixed my mistake. I havent done it since. Read and get educated on even the small stuff and you'll get a lot more confidence. This forum has definitely been a great resource.

 

Glad you caught it early enough. You're not the first or last when it comes to those drain plugs. Here's an older thread that's a fun read. Might make you feel a little better. Guy drained his trans, thinking it was the engine oil, then refilled via the coolant fill.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/halp.33318/

 

Wait till the engine has been sitting for about 10-15 minutes before checking. Pull dipstick, wipe clean, reinsert, and now check.
Scuffing up the dipstick with a little high grit sandpaper between the dimples on the stick helps too.

 

Got the truck back, $200. Drives fine, maybe better than it did! Anyway, thanks for the advice and moral support. If this forum didn't exist I probably would've driven to work this morning and shredded the tranny haha....heh..... :sobs:

 

Been there, done that. 2009 Nissan Titan and I made a blunder when taking out the plug. IDK if that truck had ever had it's transmission fluid drained because when it came out it I didn't even notice it was red. I had to stick a finger in it to notice that it is indeed ATF rather than engine oil.

 

phew, crisis averted!

 

Wait a minute, what? How did engine oil/tranny fluid get confused here? There IS NO DIPSTICK for the tranny fluid.
I'm confused here now.... how did tranny fluid even get inserted into a thread about Engine Oil Level?

 

he accidently drained the transmission fluid instead of the oil. the drain plugs are really only about a foot apart. so at the moment you quoted, he came to the realization that his transmission was now 4-ish quarts low, and he had added 6 quarts of oil to the engine that already had 6 quarts of old oil in it.

glad you got it all sorted OP. and $200 for the lesson is far cheaper than i was expecting.

to be fair, i had an issue with a previous vehicle that popped a fuse. due to the way the fusebox was designed, i never saw the fuses i popped. after spending far too much time on it, i finally gave up, and dropped it off at the dealer. at that point, i was partway into a full audio install. it was dropped off with no door panels, passenger seat, or center console. ended up costing me $185. $180 for diagnosis, and $5 for the fuse and the knowledge of where it's located...

 

This method works great. I had almost given up on being able to assess oil level when another TW thread clued me in. Roughing up the end of the dipstick with fine sandpaper helps as well.

 

Glad you were able to get away with this without issue. I've never seen a low oil issue with either of my Tacomas yet I check once a month along with my tire pressure checks

 

On the bright side, you got new fluids for both the engine and tranny.

 

Post in the Arizona BS thread. A lot of people on there always glad to help.

 

Glad it all worked out!

 

What does a normal tranny fluid change cost at a dealer?

 

I’d change the oil again in 3 months or 3k miles. Get back under there and change it yourself. Build your confidence back up so you don’t hesitate in the future. Last thing you want is to rely on someone else because of one innocent mistake. Glad you’re back on the road!