nagata

...at no one but myself, because there's no one else to be pissed at Unless there's a problem with my oil fill tube and the cap somehow loosened itself and fell off, I'm a moron and for the first time in almost 9 years of driving (and changing my own oil), I must have forgotten to put the cap back on when I last checked all the fluids and topped off the oil. I can't believe this As I haven't been driving my truck THAT much, it's probably been at least 4 weeks since I last checked fluids, so I'm guessing the cap has been missing for about that long.

Do you think I'm in danger of any engine damage? I just discovered the cap, as it's a nice evening and so I was doing my regular checks on my vehicles, and about crapped myself when I saw that the missing oil fill cap. The engine still has plenty of oil in it, and it doesn't look too bad (Castrol Syntec 5w20), but some oil has definitely been splattered out as several pieces on the driver's side of the engine bay were covered in a light oil film (which has now been cleaned). At this point, I'm going to change the oil, just to be safe, but I am a bit paranoid. In the time that the cap has most likely been missing, I've driven the truck a couple hundred miles...Really hoping this is no big deal, but I guess only time will tell

Off to Advance Auto to see if they have a replacement cap. Assuming they have one, anyone think I need to get a factory OEM replacement instead of aftermarket?

jhelrey

You are fine and the truck will be fine too!

deviant1

i always make sure i put the oil cap set to the side with my keys or something else i definitely wont forget. otherwise i would do the same thing. heh, when i did my brakes the other day, i made sure to put my center piece to my wheel with the brake fluid cap so that i would see the cap when i went to grab the center piece so that i wouldnt forget it. I'm sure you're not the first this has happened to and probably not the last. if an auto parts place doesnt have it, try a salvage yard. they might have a few laying around or able to order one from a salvaged f150.

Good old Bill

Don't beat yourself up, when I worked on aircraft, the saying was, there are two types of pilots, the ones that have and the ones that will, land with the landing gear retracted. Think about that the next time you fly.

Mod (Ret.)

Man, I fly a lot on company business. One thing I do expect is that the pilot and co-pilot know what they are doing. Should they ever forget the landing gear, I'm going to be pissed that day!

As to the oil cap, we have all done one (or more) boneheaded things in our shadetree mechanic lives. Don't let it bother you.

If it will make you feel better, change the oil (after you get a new oil cap ), then remember to pass the story down to your friends some day.

deviant1

haha, in 12 years as an airport firefighter, ive yet to see that. Ive seen an f15 belly land due to hydraulic failure, but thats about it. oh, and ive seen a c5 fly take off and his front left side wheels fall off because a mechanic forgot to tighten them on! thats a big bastard to have that happen to.