Life Code


2023-07-10 21:58 EST

What stuck out about putting the oil in my car is that thinking about a thing isn't the same as living it. It'd been a long time since I'd put oil in my car. I resorted to online search to verify the type of oil and how much I'd need. I first ordered 1 quart of oil but then further exploration led me to understand that that my car can take...5 quarts...I think it was. So, I removed the quart from my cart and looked for a bigger container of oil. Turns out I got quite a bit more than a quart. The picture made it look like I was buying a plastic jug but no. A box. Think of a box of joe. Or a box of wine. A plastic bag in a cardboard box with a nozzle that you have to pull out of the box. If this sound flimsy, precarious, I can assure you it felt that way. And it wasn't entirely obvious from the way the thing looked which end of the valve the oil would come out of. I did not get that one right. But I'm jumping ahead.

First I had to get the cap off. The cap that was so hard to turn that I kept thinking about the time I got a flat and the lug nuts were rusted to the wheel. My relief at freeing the cap was short lived because then came dropping the oil cap into the engine. And, no, when you drop something into the engine it doesn't necessarily just fall through to the ground. It didn't fall to the ground either of the two times I dropped it. Thankfully the funnel worked as designed, I didn't spill any oil at all. Except for the bit from guessing wrongly which way the valve opens. It wasn't a lot. Nowhere near what happened with the Exxon Valdez. I swear.

Anyway, the thing got done. The oil is in the engine and the dipstick proves it. The engine warning light in my car is off. For now. If it ever comes on again, I'll be ready. After all, I've got a box of oil in my trunk.

P.S. If you look under your car's hood and look at the oil cap. You just might find the type of oil printed right there. No need to worry if you don't have access to the Google machine. Not that I use Google.