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!@#$!@#!%!!!  oil everywhere

MountaineerTom

By MountaineerTom
in The Off-Topic Bar

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brmiller Enthusiast

brmiller

Posted
Posted

I woke up this morning and headed to the garage to be greeted by this:

 

IMG_1934.JPG

 

Any suggestions for a cleanup-op?

 

Brendan

 

P.S.  I've determined the drain cap on the side wasn't tight enough--it all leaked out overnight.

Jpshostr Senior Enthusiast

Jpshostr

Posted
Posted

Happens all the time to us, our shop floor is always covered in oil.  Can't help it when you drain oil in the tractors and have to switch buckets halfway through.  

 

Best I can say about cleanup, although we usually don't worry about it, is to get some of that absorb stuff on there real quick.  Let it sit, it'll suck up more than you think.  Usually after that if I need to clean it up I'll dump a little soap and water on it and rub on it really hard and fast with a stiff bristle push broom.  Doesn't get all of it, but takes the slickness out of it.  Over time the rest of it will work itself off.

Frank S Senior Enthusiast

Frank S

Posted
Posted

Soak it up with cat litter first and get some concrete cleaning concentrate that you mix with water from a hardware store.It would help to pressure wash it down after you apply the cleaner and it sets in.

 

You can also try some diluted hydrochloric acid if you can find some.That would probably take it up real good after the cat litter step.

MountaineerTom Senior Enthusiast

MountaineerTom

Posted
  • Author
Posted

If the big puddle of oil is still there, then get some of that stuf that looks like cat litter to soak up, or use actual cat litter if you have any.  It will soak it up pretty good, but looks like you will need a good bit of it.  :P    You can then shovel it up and dump it in a bag or something.  Then get some kind of driveway or concrete cleaner and follow the instructions on it.  There are several different kinds from a liquid type to a powder type and you can find them in most auto parts stores.  Once you can put what ever you decide to use on it, let it soak in a little.  You can also take a broom or stiff bristle brush and scrub the area to try to get teh stain up.  It still may leave a stain no matter how much work you put into it, but it will fade over time.

 

Good luck.

 

Wow, sounds like I've done this before or something.  :(  :P

brmiller Enthusiast

brmiller

Posted
Posted

Well, I think I got it mostly cleaned up.  Another trip to the auto store...  Got a 5# bag of "Oil-Dri" (looks like kitty litter to me, but cheaper), some Gunk-brand concrete cleaner powder, and a roll of those blue shop towels.

 

Doom-dee-doom...

 

The oil-dri worked pretty good--nasty to shovel up, but did take most of the surface oil with it.  That Gunk concrete cleaner was pretty useful too.  I'll have to see what it looks like when it dries, but hopefully, I got the worst out.  I totally see the suggestion for garden hose w/ sprayer or pressure washer to give it a good beatin', but as you saw in my earlier picture, I've got my Nissan up on jackstands with no oil in it.  My driveway is sloped, so if I put the wheels back on, lowered it back to the floor, and rolled it out of the garage, I would never get it back in.

 

So, with a foot of height to work in, I did the cleaning/scrubbing by hand.  To wet it, I just poured a pail of water over the affected area, mixed the concrete cleaner into it, scrubbed with a brush like it said, let it sit 15 min., repeat, and poured more water on to "wash it up".  Then, to get rid of the water, I used my wet-dry vac.  Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm--nasty radioactive-lookin' green stuff in my vac.  Oh well.  So clean-up was quite a chore.  All this for a run-of-the-mill oil change.

 

I've since determined that I had actually over-tightened the oil pan drain cap on the side, so it let the oil leak out for me.  My wife is always handing me a jar from the fridge that I over-tightened, so I guess I don't realize my own strength.  Hahaha..  Anyway, gotta be careful with plastic threads.

 

The only redeeming excitement in this whole escapade was that I had to drive the Avalanche to the auto parts stBre to get my supplies!

 

So once again, thanks to this group for a super, lightning-fast response to a disaster for a newbie who managed to be almost 30 and never experience an oil spill in the garage.  (The truth of the matter is, I've been on the verge of unemployment for 6 months and with so much extra time on my hands, I decided to start doing my own maintenance and easy auto repairs/mods/upgrades/etc.)

 

Thanks all,

Brendan

raventai Enthusiast

raventai

Posted
Posted

lol

 

a few years ago I had a similar experience when I drove out over my oil pan DOUHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! must remember to get oil pan out after oil change  :P  it was a simlar pan with the yellow cap on the side the pan itself just deformed it did not break but the cap flew off in several pieces with 6 quarts of oil right behind it

 

leason learned the next oil pan i bought (same brand as yours and my old one diffrent model. wedco?) has only one hole and it is at the highest point there is a ~10" "funnel" that snaps out of the side and screws into where the cap goes, it is better and I tend to make less of a mess, see last post http://www.gm-trucks.com/cgi-bin....4;t=176

 

anyways what makes it into the pan never leaks out

 

 

the new truck has an angled drain in the oil pan, so i set the pan where it looked like the oil would go, when i pulled the plug it shot right over the pan and all over the driveway  :blush:  :( before i could move it

 

next thing i need is a big cookie sheet that i can lay in the area to catch the enebitible misses

 

yes my driveway feels your pain ;)

HillHound Senior Enthusiast

HillHound

Posted
Posted

Throw a match on it!  Seriously though here's what I've done:  Put on rubber gloves and wipe it up with paper towels then get some warm water and dishwasher soap and scrub it.  Takes some elbow grease but I like to keep my grage floor as clean as I can.

mikeb Enthusiast

mikeb

Posted
Posted

Muriatic pool acid also works for stains, I've used it before, but you have to be quick or it will etch the concrete.  For small areas get a can of brake cleaner ( I always have a couple on the shelf, get it from Costco cheap ) it's fast and does a great job removing the stain.

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