Help with engine issue
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Help with engine issue
I took my 2011 Vette into a Chev dealer for an oil change.They called me and said it was ready.I showed up and they had not started to work on it.Said they could do it in very little time and proceeded to put it on a hoist.15 minutes later car is back on ground and they start it up ,at which point thick WHITE SMOKE comes out the exhaust.I and the service mgr are watching .He says more problems than not having the car ready ,the mechanic has put the oil in the wrong hole ????He did not elaborate and I had to leave for an appt.
What are the possibilities ? No oil in crankcase when it started? he put oil in radiator or transmission ??The car ran less than 2 minutes. How much and what kind of damage could he have done.
Hard to believe this could happen on a simple oil change.This is a large GM dealer selling lots of vettes.
I am going to talk to them tomorrow ,but am not very technically proficient. I don't want to find out six months from now I need a new engine on a car with 12000 miles.
Thanks Dave
What are the possibilities ? No oil in crankcase when it started? he put oil in radiator or transmission ??The car ran less than 2 minutes. How much and what kind of damage could he have done.
Hard to believe this could happen on a simple oil change.This is a large GM dealer selling lots of vettes.
I am going to talk to them tomorrow ,but am not very technically proficient. I don't want to find out six months from now I need a new engine on a car with 12000 miles.
Thanks Dave
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,514
Likes: 235
From: Currently somewhere in IL,IN,KY,TN,MO,AR,MS,AL, or FL
Without knowing which engine it is hard to say. Most common would be one of the dry sump engines where they only drained one of the two drain plugs and then put in the full amount of oil leaving it way over filled. "put the oil in the wrong hole" might also indicate that it is a dry sump because the normal oil fill cap is sealed and has to be broken to get it open. The proper fill location is the dry sump tank in the rear on the passenger side. But this all assumes you have a dry sump engine. If not then
As far as a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes not knowing how to change the oil in one without destroying it, that doesn't surprise me at all. I have never been to a dealer that knows the first thing about maintaining a Corvette. I went to a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes and the first thing they did was break the rocker panels because they didn't even know how to put it on the lift.
As far as a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes not knowing how to change the oil in one without destroying it, that doesn't surprise me at all. I have never been to a dealer that knows the first thing about maintaining a Corvette. I went to a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes and the first thing they did was break the rocker panels because they didn't even know how to put it on the lift.
Pro<br><img src="/forums/images/ranks/500-1000.gif" border="0">
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 548
Likes: 20
From: Goose Creek, SC
Oil change?
I'm not a young man anymore and for years it was easier to take my car (not a Corvette) in and let someone else do the oil and filter work. Well the largest Chevy dealer and the Lexus dealer took advantage of me and charged for work they didn't do and tried to get me to pay for work not required. I told myself when I got my Corvette that if there was anyway I could do the work myself I was going to do it. I do my own regular maintenance and I have peace of mind knowing that it's done right!
Work like oil changes in large shops usually goes to the least experienced men so things like the OP described can happen. How in the world do you put the oil in the wrong hole?
Work like oil changes in large shops usually goes to the least experienced men so things like the OP described can happen. How in the world do you put the oil in the wrong hole?
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Without knowing which engine it is hard to say. Most common would be one of the dry sump engines where they only drained one of the two drain plugs and then put in the full amount of oil leaving it way over filled. "put the oil in the wrong hole" might also indicate that it is a dry sump because the normal oil fill cap is sealed and has to be broken to get it open. The proper fill location is the dry sump tank in the rear on the passenger side. But this all assumes you have a dry sump engine. If not then
As far as a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes not knowing how to change the oil in one without destroying it, that doesn't surprise me at all. I have never been to a dealer that knows the first thing about maintaining a Corvette. I went to a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes and the first thing they did was break the rocker panels because they didn't even know how to put it on the lift.
As far as a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes not knowing how to change the oil in one without destroying it, that doesn't surprise me at all. I have never been to a dealer that knows the first thing about maintaining a Corvette. I went to a large dealer selling lots of Corvettes and the first thing they did was break the rocker panels because they didn't even know how to put it on the lift.
I just went to pick up my car and spoke to the mechanic who had worked on it.He admitted he put the oil in the normal fill cap.He said he was easily able to turn the cap ,which is suppose to be locked shut.He then started the car and saw the smoke.Got help from a supervisor who told him about the dry sump .
They then emptied all the oil and filled it properly through the sump.The car was never without oil,so I think the white smoke was from the extra oil burning in the chamber.I will get a letter from the company confirming their mistake in case I have problems later on.
Appreciate all the replies.
Dave
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 27,420
Likes: 64
From: San Clemente CA
I'm the only one I can trust. 
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,108
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
I just went to pick up my car and spoke to the mechanic who had worked on it.He admitted he put the oil in the normal fill cap.He said he was easily able to turn the cap ,which is suppose to be locked shut.He then started the car and saw the smoke.Got help from a supervisor who told him about the dry sump .
They then emptied all the oil and filled it properly through the sump.The car was never without oil,so I think the white smoke was from the extra oil burning in the chamber.I will get a letter from the company confirming their mistake in case I have problems later on.
Appreciate all the replies.
Dave
They then emptied all the oil and filled it properly through the sump.The car was never without oil,so I think the white smoke was from the extra oil burning in the chamber.I will get a letter from the company confirming their mistake in case I have problems later on.
Appreciate all the replies.
Dave
Drive it hard for a few days and keep close track of oil and coolant temps along with oil pressure and volume. If it breaks even farther real soon, there will be little doubt that the oil change error was the cause.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Frankly, I doubt you spoke to a "mechanic" with any knowledge of C6s, but you were at a dealer that services/sells a lot of Corvettes! Now you know that counts for nothing.
I'll tell you how little it counts for: one of the two dealers in my area that has good Corvette-certified technicians (there are more than two dealers who sell Corvettes) decided to take away the oil changes by Mr. Goodwrench oil changers, and put it with the Corvette team that ARE the hotshot Corvette-certified technicians. Only them. If they screw up a simple oil change on a GS, Z or ZR compared to a base model, it will be ALL ON THEM since there is no reason for them not to know what to do and do it correctly.
Your car is not a complicated car, but it does have its unique aspects. IMO you are going to have to be a bit more diligent in who services your car, and whether you're there to watch or not.
Good luck with getting that letter; I hope you never need to use it.
I'll tell you how little it counts for: one of the two dealers in my area that has good Corvette-certified technicians (there are more than two dealers who sell Corvettes) decided to take away the oil changes by Mr. Goodwrench oil changers, and put it with the Corvette team that ARE the hotshot Corvette-certified technicians. Only them. If they screw up a simple oil change on a GS, Z or ZR compared to a base model, it will be ALL ON THEM since there is no reason for them not to know what to do and do it correctly.
Your car is not a complicated car, but it does have its unique aspects. IMO you are going to have to be a bit more diligent in who services your car, and whether you're there to watch or not.
Good luck with getting that letter; I hope you never need to use it.
Wil Cooksey #256
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,814
Likes: 24
From: Sacramento Kalifornia
I just went to pick up my car and spoke to the mechanic who had worked on it.He admitted he put the oil in the normal fill cap.He said he was easily able to turn the cap ,which is suppose to be locked shut.He then started the car and saw the smoke.Got help from a supervisor who told him about the dry sump .
They then emptied all the oil and filled it properly through the sump.The car was never without oil,so I think the white smoke was from the extra oil burning in the chamber.I will get a letter from the company confirming their mistake in case I have problems later on.
Appreciate all the replies.
Dave
They then emptied all the oil and filled it properly through the sump.The car was never without oil,so I think the white smoke was from the extra oil burning in the chamber.I will get a letter from the company confirming their mistake in case I have problems later on.
Appreciate all the replies.
Dave
Burning a little oil gives blue smoke, however burning a lot of fresh oil gives you a blueish white cloud of very thick smoke that smells like oil. I used to have a jetboat with a 455 Olds in it. At the end of the summer I would start it and pour1 qt of fresh oil in slowly until it died. This would produce a cloud of heavy whitish smoke. Next summer I would start it and it would smoke for about 5 minutes.
Good luck...
Last edited by 50 4Ever; Jun 4, 2014 at 08:15 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 14,555
Likes: 1,255
From: Saint Albans, WV
Not necessarily. I had 2 60# fuel injectors stick wide open and it was a complete white out behind me. Just one of those little things I found out.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,108
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019